[OSGeo-Board] Service Provider Directory

[Dave McIlhagga]

Ok - so let's try a specific example, that would happen to affect me, to 
see how this would work.

So based on this argument - DM Solutions could list our new DMSG 
Premiere commercial support service for MapGuide Open Source (because 
it's based on the open source technology), but Autodesk couldn't list 
MGE Subscription because it's a proprietary product based on MGOS.

Furthermore - Autodesk business partners who provide services around MGE 
could not list their services, but DMSG business partners for DMSG 
Premiere could list their services ... Sounds good to me :) but 
seriously I really don't think this would be appropriate. In particular 
I have very big concerns about OSGeo defining who is open source 
friendly, and who is not.

This is just one example of a potential major problem with going down 
this road.


You don't see an equivalent of this in the Apache Foundation -- likely 
for precisely this reason.

Dave







Jason Birch wrote:
> We would police reactively.  If the community notices a provider that
> does not actually offer the services stated, we'd take care of them
> (euphemism?).
> 
> The intention was to make this a service (not product) directory for
> providers that give support directly for open source packages.  I don't
> think that ESRI offers direct support for GDAL, but if they do I think
> that they would be welcomed in the list.
> 
> Excluding languages and products from the directory would limit its
> usefulness to the users.
> 
> Jason 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dave McIlhagga [mailto:dmcilhagga at dmsolutions.ca] 
> Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 14:34
> To: Jason Birch
> Cc: Tyler Mitchell; dev at webcommittee.osgeo.org; OSGeo-Board
> Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Board] Service Provider Directory
> 
> I understand both needs for sure -- just trying to see if there is a
> means to achieve both goals.
> 
> Perhaps one way to make this simpler would be to restrict the service
> provider directory to simply an organization name and link to website so
> that it doesn't cannibalize the promotional opportunity on the
> sponsorship side. Otherwise we have this weird situation where you can
> get more info available to people for free than you can get by being an
> Associate Sponsor.
> 
> 
> Also - how is this policed? Who has authority to determine that Company
> X is a valid service provider, and Company Y is not? That seems like
> some very murky water to me. ESRI has GDAL built into their software --
> so can they include their services on OSGeo? If we say no to ESRI, would
> we not have to say no to Autodesk since MapGuide Enterprise is a
> proprietary bundling of MGOS? That doesn't seem fair. OTOH if we say
> anybody can be a service provider if they make use of any OSGeo
> technology (which is most of the Geospatial universe) -- than is there
> any value to it?
> 
> Ok - devil's advocate I know ... I'm not suggesting one thing is right
> or wrong -- simply that it gets extremely gray. We might be creating a
> monster we don't know how to manage down the road.
> 
> Dave
> 
> --
> Dave McIlhagga
> President, DM Solutions Group
> 
> http://www.dmsolutions.ca/premiere
> EMail : dmcilhagga at dmsolutions.ca
> Phone : 613-565-5056 x15
> Fax : 613-565-0925
> 
> Jason Birch wrote:
>> Sponsors will be listed on the "Sponsors" page, and will be entitled 
>> to place an OSGeo Sponsor graphic on their website; these benefits 
>> will not be diluted.
>>
>> We talked about having an appropriate "sponsor" flag show up next to 
>> the listing?
>>
>> I think that it's important that we maintain a directory that doesn't 
>> require sponsorship, while making sponsorship of value to those 
>> entering their details into the directory.
>>
>> Consultants will initially enter their details into the list, and then
> 
>> consider sponsorship as a way of increasing their visibility within 
>> the list?
>>
>> Jason
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Dave McIlhagga [mailto:dmcilhagga at dmsolutions.ca]
>> Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 14:05
>> To: Tyler Mitchell
>> Cc: dev at webcommittee.osgeo.org; OSGeo-Board
>> Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Board] Service Provider Directory
>>
>> Could this diminish value of some of the OSGeo Sponsorships? Visible 
>> association for companies with OSGeo was one of the benefits we had 
>> outlined for some of the packages -- so this would make that case a 
>> lot more difficult.
>>
>> Dave
>>
>> Tyler Mitchell wrote:
>>> On 26-Sep-06, at 11:21 AM, Frank Warmerdam wrote:
>>>> Tyler, could you add a link to the entry form on the community site?
>>>> I can't
>>>> seem to find it.
>>> Done, added it to the bottom of your wiki page.
>>>
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