[[!meta copyright="Copyright © 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011 Free Software Foundation, Inc."]] [[!meta license="""[[!toggle id="license" text="GFDL 1.2+"]][[!toggleable id="license" text="Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled [[GNU Free Documentation License|/fdl]]."]]"""]] If you feel like donating goods or money for the work the developers are doing, then we're happy to confirm that this is indeed possible. Of course we'd really like to have you working with us on the system and become a [[contributor|contributing]], but if you're feeling generous we won't stop you either. [[!toc levels=2]] # Free Software Foundation The Free Software Foundation is the GNU project's principal organizational sponsor. [Donations to the FSF](http://donate.fsf.org/) are tax deducible. However, they can't accept donations addressed directly to/specifically for the GNU Hurd project. <a name="FOSS_Factory"></a> # FOSS Factory -- a Bounty System for GNU Hurd Work [[!template id=note text=""" > Hey, I have more money than time or programming skills, and I'd like to help > GNU Hurd development specifically -- how can we arrange for this, where can I > donate money for GNU Hurd development? If you're dwelling on such thoughts, here is the answer; here you can donate money for GNU Hurd development. """]] As its principal idea, [FOSS Factory](http://www.fossfactory.org/), means to serve as a hub and organizational platform for connecting Free/Open Source Software developers with monetary sponsors. From <http://www.fossfactory.org/aboutus.php>: [[!img foss_factory/logo.png align=right link=no]] > FOSS Factory's mission is to accelerate the advancement of free/open source > software by helping people collaborate on the design, funding, and > development of innovative software ideas. All software solutions produced > using our system are released under free/open source licenses. Our unique > model brings the best of innovators from both the entrepreneurial and FOSS > worlds together to solve real world problems using the mass resources of the > FOSS community. In very general words, their modus operandi is that the community (including the monetary sponsors) works together with the developers on splitting up tasks into suitable and assessable sub-projects as necessary, and then act as the reviewing instance, deciding on such sub-projects' success (and payment, successively). For more details see their [System Overview](http://www.fossfactory.org/overview.php). For now, we can assume that the amount of money to be made by working on a GNU Hurd task in this framework is likely to be a symbolic amount only, rather than being representative for the real effort that needs to be invested. Software development is expensive, mostly due to the amount of time that is needed for completing any non-trivial task. Instead, these bounties should be regarded as an attraction/reward, perhaps also simply as a motivation for a developer to focus on one specific problem, and bringing it to completion. ## Working on a Task and/or Suggesting/Donating for a New Task In principle, any Hurd-related development task is applicable (for example, from the [[GSoC project ideas|community/gsoc/project_ideas]], or from the [[open_issues]] list), but it is of course recommendable to match sponsors' ideas with those of the developers and maintainers. For this, if you want to sponsor a project, but don't know which one to choose, or if you want to work on a bounty that is not yet listed on the site, we suggest that you talk to us first, either publically on the [[bug-hurd mailing list|mailing_lists/bug-hurd]] or privately on <hurd-maintainers@gnu.org>, if you prefer. Both for supporting (donating) as well as claiming a bounty, you have to register [at their site](http://www.fossfactory.org/), and proceed from there. Please don't hesitate to ask [[Thomas Schwinge|tschwinge]] if you need help. Continue to explore the [[list of open bounties|tag/bounty]]. # g10 Code Maintenance Points If you've got more money on hand than hacking time, you might consider buying some [maintenance points](http://g10code.com/products.html#maintpoints) (EUR 10 a point) to help the Hurd along. From the [g10 Code](http://www.g10code.com/products.html) site: > Hurd Maintenance Points are special: Some of our employees are well known > Hurd hackers in their spare time; collected points for this program will be > given to them in form of paid time. See also this related [mailing-list](http://mail.gnu.org/archive/html/help-hurd/2003-04/msg00044.html) thread. And for further motivation, some words of wisdom from Marcus Brinkmann: > By the way, if you are more on the speculating side, then it can't harm to > just buy one or two maintenance points. That means that at some time I get > an incentive to start the hacking, and there is a chance that when I start I > don't stop for a while, and just continue on my private time (as I did for > the last five years, if I might add that ;). # Hurd Developer Meetings Another possibility is to meet with the Hurd developers at a [[meeting|community/meetings]] and spend them a pizza or beer or both or similar. # Individual Developers Sorted alphabetically. <a name="Marcus_Brinkmann"></a> ## Marcus Brinkmann ... would like you to donate to the Free Software Foundation (see the top of this page) or to the [Electronic Frontier Foundation](http://eff.org/support/). <a name="Thomas_Schwinge"></a> ## [[Thomas_Schwinge|tschwinge]] Rate him and donate money to the Free Software Foundation [through Affero](http://rate.affero.net/tschwinge/Hurd/). For specifically donating to him [go here](http://nic-nac-project.de/~schwinge/donate.html).