Fwd: [OSGeo-Discuss] Project Sponsorship Proposal (call for feedback)

[Frank Warmerdam]

Steve Lime wrote:
> We've never had a mechanism like this to gain investment in MapServer
> directly (instead relying on contracts
> through consultants, which could still happen I believe). Thoughts?

...
> 
>    http://wiki.osgeo.org/index.php/Project_Sponsorship 
...

Steve,

I neglected some background on this effort, but one point worth stressing
is that this is intended as an entirely optional *addition* to mechanisms
that are already working.

 From my point of view in the mapserver context, I'd like to see MapServer
directed funding primarily aimed at stuff that lots of folks seem to
want, but no one gets around to funding by themselves.   Stuff like:

  o Test suite development, operation and results evaluation.
  o Documentation.
  o Bug report review, and routine maintenance.
  o Mapscript maintenance.
  o Multithreading work.
  o Release engineering.

It might also be used to address desired new features like a new rendering
engine.

Money would be spent at the discretion of the PSC.  It the case of GDAL, my
hope is to fund 3-6 month "maintenance contracts" with up and coming software
developers with a demonstrated interest and aptitude.  We might try to do the
same for MapServer, though supporting such developers might be hard.  We might
also consider letting contracts to existing consultants with expertise in
desired areas (ie. MapGears, DMSG, Howard, you, etc).

I have to say I'm nervous about the effect having money available for some
things might have on other areas.  But ultimately most work on mapserver has
been funded in the past via various mechanisms.  I see this as a way of
pooling money from interested supporters in a meaningful way to accomplish
various unglamerous work items, that might otherwise never get taken care of
by any single contract.

PS. I think MapServer would have little trouble raising 50K via this mechanism
though someone (MapServer PSC members?) would have to do some solicitation to
make it happen.  But as a PSC member, I don't want to see "fundraising" taking
up any significant amount of my time, and I'm sure that is true of most
others.  So I'd aim to keep this all reasonably "lite weight".

Best regards,
-- 
---------------------------------------+--------------------------------------
I set the clouds in motion - turn up   | Frank Warmerdam, warmerdam at pobox.com
light and sound - activate the windows | http://pobox.com/~warmerdam
and watch the world go round - Rush    | President OSGeo, http://osgeo.org