| 1 |
711 |
jeremybenn |
@ignore
|
| 2 |
|
|
@c Set file name and title for man page.
|
| 3 |
|
|
@setfilename fsf-funding
|
| 4 |
|
|
@settitle Funding Free Software
|
| 5 |
|
|
@c man begin SEEALSO
|
| 6 |
|
|
gpl(7), gfdl(7).
|
| 7 |
|
|
@c man end
|
| 8 |
|
|
@end ignore
|
| 9 |
|
|
@node Funding
|
| 10 |
|
|
@c man begin DESCRIPTION
|
| 11 |
|
|
@unnumbered Funding Free Software
|
| 12 |
|
|
|
| 13 |
|
|
If you want to have more free software a few years from now, it makes
|
| 14 |
|
|
sense for you to help encourage people to contribute funds for its
|
| 15 |
|
|
development. The most effective approach known is to encourage
|
| 16 |
|
|
commercial redistributors to donate.
|
| 17 |
|
|
|
| 18 |
|
|
Users of free software systems can boost the pace of development by
|
| 19 |
|
|
encouraging for-a-fee distributors to donate part of their selling price
|
| 20 |
|
|
to free software developers---the Free Software Foundation, and others.
|
| 21 |
|
|
|
| 22 |
|
|
The way to convince distributors to do this is to demand it and expect
|
| 23 |
|
|
it from them. So when you compare distributors, judge them partly by
|
| 24 |
|
|
how much they give to free software development. Show distributors
|
| 25 |
|
|
they must compete to be the one who gives the most.
|
| 26 |
|
|
|
| 27 |
|
|
To make this approach work, you must insist on numbers that you can
|
| 28 |
|
|
compare, such as, ``We will donate ten dollars to the Frobnitz project
|
| 29 |
|
|
for each disk sold.'' Don't be satisfied with a vague promise, such as
|
| 30 |
|
|
``A portion of the profits are donated,'' since it doesn't give a basis
|
| 31 |
|
|
for comparison.
|
| 32 |
|
|
|
| 33 |
|
|
Even a precise fraction ``of the profits from this disk'' is not very
|
| 34 |
|
|
meaningful, since creative accounting and unrelated business decisions
|
| 35 |
|
|
can greatly alter what fraction of the sales price counts as profit.
|
| 36 |
|
|
If the price you pay is $50, ten percent of the profit is probably
|
| 37 |
|
|
less than a dollar; it might be a few cents, or nothing at all.
|
| 38 |
|
|
|
| 39 |
|
|
Some redistributors do development work themselves. This is useful too;
|
| 40 |
|
|
but to keep everyone honest, you need to inquire how much they do, and
|
| 41 |
|
|
what kind. Some kinds of development make much more long-term
|
| 42 |
|
|
difference than others. For example, maintaining a separate version of
|
| 43 |
|
|
a program contributes very little; maintaining the standard version of a
|
| 44 |
|
|
program for the whole community contributes much. Easy new ports
|
| 45 |
|
|
contribute little, since someone else would surely do them; difficult
|
| 46 |
|
|
ports such as adding a new CPU to the GNU Compiler Collection contribute more;
|
| 47 |
|
|
major new features or packages contribute the most.
|
| 48 |
|
|
|
| 49 |
|
|
By establishing the idea that supporting further development is ``the
|
| 50 |
|
|
proper thing to do'' when distributing free software for a fee, we can
|
| 51 |
|
|
assure a steady flow of resources into making more free software.
|
| 52 |
|
|
@c man end
|
| 53 |
|
|
|
| 54 |
|
|
@display
|
| 55 |
|
|
@c man begin COPYRIGHT
|
| 56 |
|
|
Copyright @copyright{} 1994 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
|
| 57 |
|
|
Verbatim copying and redistribution of this section is permitted
|
| 58 |
|
|
without royalty; alteration is not permitted.
|
| 59 |
|
|
@c man end
|
| 60 |
|
|
@end display
|
