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[[!meta copyright="Copyright © 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]]."]]"""]]
<!-- TODO. Date, filename.
[[!meta date="2011-04-xx xx:xx UTC"]]
-->
<!-- TODO. Date. -->
[[!meta title="2011-04-xx: Introducing 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 dwelling on such thoughts, here is the answer; here you can donate
money for GNU Hurd development.
[[!if test="included()" then="""[[!toggle id=full_news
text="Read on."]][[!toggleable id=full_news text="[[!paste id=full_news]]"]]"""
else="
[[!paste id=full_news]]"]]
[[!cut id="full_news" text="""
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>:
> 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]].
---
This new installment is in no way meant to depreciate the developers' current,
un-paid, efforts. It is also not meant to replace the volunteer work in the
long term. Neither is it meant to trick the [general FSF fund
raising](http://donate.fsf.org/) out of a few dollars. Instead, this is simply
an additional means, a place for donators to give money for *Hurd-specific
tasks*.
Everyone of the existing crew is eligible to do coding under this bounty
system, but we also hope to attract new developers -- in a sense similar to our
many years of participation in the [[Google Summer of Code|community/gsoc]].
Participation in/use of FOSS Factory's services has explicitly been set up
personally by me, Thomas Schwinge; there is no inherent connection to the GNU
Hurd maintainers. This also means that each contribution that comes to life
out of FOSS Factory's framework is subject to the same rules/review process as
any other contribution has always been.
Unless willing to discuss these publically, any concerns, questions, requests
regarding this system can always be addressed directly to [[me|tschwinge]].
"""]]
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