path: root/donate.mdwn

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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

> 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 feeling like this, 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 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).