funding notes
This commit is contained in:
Simon Michael
parent
8e49807159
commit
4cb4e7fa28
139
NOTES
139
NOTES
@ -49,6 +49,145 @@ clever tricks like the plague." --Edsger Dijkstra
|
||||
*** easy ledger compatibility testing
|
||||
**** --compare to compare (xml?) output with ledger with same args
|
||||
** docs
|
||||
*** funding
|
||||
**** vision
|
||||
How to grow the hledger project ?
|
||||
|
||||
I'm looking for ways to fund active and sustainable hledger
|
||||
development by me and others.
|
||||
|
||||
A secondary goal is to develop new sustainable models and processes
|
||||
for funding free software developers and other community projects.
|
||||
|
||||
This is sometimes the point in a free sw project's development where
|
||||
the project leader seemingly loses the plot, alienates contributors
|
||||
and destroys the community's good-will dynamic. I've seen it many
|
||||
times, but a few have succeeded and I want to be one of them - so
|
||||
that I can eat, have a modicum of stability and do my best work in
|
||||
service to the community. At worst, I'll look bad but the project
|
||||
will still be out there. At best I'll live more easily and joyfully
|
||||
while serving the cause of Financial Solvency!
|
||||
|
||||
So I'm beginning by posting these notes and inviting feedback/ideas -
|
||||
as much or as little as folks want to give.
|
||||
|
||||
**** funding models
|
||||
Brainstorming some possible funding models & processes.
|
||||
|
||||
***** grants
|
||||
How to find possible grant sources ?
|
||||
****** con
|
||||
******* getting grant funding is a whole new field to study
|
||||
******* slow and time intensive, I imagine
|
||||
|
||||
***** donations
|
||||
Solicit donations.
|
||||
****** pro
|
||||
******* simple
|
||||
****** con
|
||||
******* often difficult
|
||||
******* donators do not feel a direct benefit
|
||||
|
||||
***** shareware
|
||||
Release the project under a non-free license, requiring commercial
|
||||
users to pay the fee on an honour basis (eg).
|
||||
****** pro
|
||||
******* flexible, low administration, encourages trust
|
||||
****** con
|
||||
******* effectively closed-source ? would inhibit collaboration
|
||||
******* benefit is still indirect, only a proportion will pay
|
||||
******* enforcement/guilt may come into play
|
||||
|
||||
***** limited-time premium branch
|
||||
The funded version of hledger gets some desirable premium features
|
||||
before the free version and is closed-source. Funders/customers pay
|
||||
a fixed price for immediate access to the funded version. Yearly, a
|
||||
new funded version is released and the old funded version is merged
|
||||
into the free version. (To gain experience it could be done on a
|
||||
smaller scale, eg monthly/quarterly.)
|
||||
****** pro
|
||||
******* all features reach community, predictably
|
||||
******* customers are also community funders
|
||||
******* customers receive direct benefit from paying
|
||||
****** con
|
||||
******* free sw developers compete/outshine the premium branch
|
||||
|
||||
***** bounties
|
||||
Some (or all) feature, bugfix, project management or other tasks are
|
||||
published with a bounty attached. When the bounty is paid by one or
|
||||
more funders, the task is performed and delivered. Or, bounty is paid
|
||||
on completion of task (honour system).
|
||||
****** pro
|
||||
******* funders receive direct benefit
|
||||
|
||||
***** bounties using fundable.org (eg)
|
||||
A more organised form of the above, perhaps facilitating trust,
|
||||
co-funding and larger bounties.
|
||||
****** pro
|
||||
******* proven process developed by others
|
||||
****** con
|
||||
******* fundable takes a cut
|
||||
|
||||
***** hosted service
|
||||
Offer hosted and managed ledgers, perhaps with premium features, for
|
||||
a monthly fee
|
||||
****** pro
|
||||
******* proven model
|
||||
******* clear benefit to customers, especially non-technies
|
||||
****** con
|
||||
******* success of free/self-installed version competes with hosting service
|
||||
******* some will avoid web-hosting their financial data
|
||||
|
||||
***** customisation
|
||||
Offer per-user customisations, possibly to be merged in the trunk,
|
||||
for a fee
|
||||
|
||||
***** support
|
||||
Offer user/developer support for a fee
|
||||
|
||||
***** training
|
||||
Offer application and/or financial training for a fee
|
||||
|
||||
***** profit sharing/tithing
|
||||
Each period (quarter, half-year, year), donate 10% (eg) to project
|
||||
contributors and/or supporting projects
|
||||
|
||||
***** transparent funding
|
||||
Funding and usage of funds is published on the web as a ledger
|
||||
|
||||
***** opaque funding
|
||||
All funding and spending need not be made public
|
||||
|
||||
**** strengths
|
||||
hledger has some aptitudes in this area:
|
||||
***** hledger deals with money => hledger users will tend to have some money
|
||||
***** hledger's purpose is to increase financial success => users will feel its value to their bottom line
|
||||
***** hledger is a tool that can support project funding, eg by publishing community funding data
|
||||
|
||||
**** weaknesses
|
||||
***** hledger doesn't have a nice ui yet
|
||||
***** hledger has a limited featureset
|
||||
***** hledger requires work, eg data entry and chart of accounts maintenance
|
||||
***** hledger is geeky
|
||||
***** there is competition
|
||||
***** hledger has no compelling market niche (aside from payment-averse free software users)
|
||||
|
||||
**** competitors/fellow niche inhabitants
|
||||
***** web apps
|
||||
****** netsuite
|
||||
****** sql-ledger, ledgersmb
|
||||
****** wesabe
|
||||
****** ...
|
||||
***** desktop apps
|
||||
****** quickbooks
|
||||
****** quicken
|
||||
****** ms money
|
||||
****** grisbi
|
||||
****** gnucash
|
||||
****** excel
|
||||
****** ledger!
|
||||
****** ...
|
||||
|
||||
*** --version
|
||||
*** --help
|
||||
*** readme
|
||||
|
||||
Loading…
Reference in New Issue
Block a user