I still don't understand how this project differs from PirateBox.
What features are you adding in your fork? What has been added to your
fork over PirateBox in the current release, and what do you plan to add
that differs from PirateBox in the 2.0 release you are funding? And why
are you adding these features in a fork, instead of contributing them
back to PirateBox?
Or are there no new features, it's feature-identical, but just with a
different name and different branding? In which case, what is the
kickstarter actually paying for?
I'm also very confused about how you are budgetting, how you are
determining how much money raised will fund how many new features of
what sort:
You say in the kickstarter, that the money raised will "help me find and
pay them to make LibraryBox more awesome" -- but then you also say that
"Anything raised here on Kickstarter will also be used to purchase
hardware" -- this seems to be contradictory. Will the money be used to
pay developers, or will it be used to purchase hardware?
If it was being used to purchase hardware, than it wouldn't be obvious
that more money raised could lead to more feature development -- since
you don't need more hardware for more feature development. But you
repeat later that the more money raised, the more features will be
delivered: "If we raise a ton of money, the v2.0 will have a ton a
features!" -- so I'm thinking your earlier assertion that the money will
be used for hardware was in error (and you should correct it to avoid
being dishonest and/or self-contradictory) -- you do plan to use the
money to pay developers?
But then the question is, what methods have you used to estimate how
much it will cost to pay developers for each of the new features or
improvements you plan, how do you know the amount of money you are
raising is sufficient for the development you are telling people you'll
do with it -- including the 'stretch features' you already have in mind
but have not revealed yet (you say will be revealed 'as soon as the
project is funded').
Also, do you plan to use any of the money to pay yourself for your time,
in addition to paying other developers, and buying hardware?
Those are my questions, since you asked.
I think these are questions that need to be answered for code4libbers --
or really anyone that has enough understanding of software development
to know what to ask -- to be interested in giving you money.
Frankly, I have some serious reservations about contributing to your
project, and would share these reservations with anyone else you asked.
It is not clear to me that you have a clear plan for what you're
actually going to do; that you have adequately done homework to make
sure you can do what you want to do for the amount of money you expect;
and you have not provided the argument for why what you want to do (a
fork of PirateBox) is actually a useful thing to want to do in the first
place.
Jonathan
On 7/8/13 2:14 PM, Jason Griffey wrote:
In case people hadn't seen this, at ALA Annual last week I launched a
Kickstarter for the development of LibraryBox 2.0 (http://librarybox.us),
and open source fork of the PirateBox project. I had originally budgeted
for $3K for the Kickstarter, hoping to make a bit more than that in order
to pay a developer to do the bits of the release that I can't do.
Well, it sort of blew up.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/griffey/librarybox-20
Take a look, let me know if you have questions. I'm really excited about
the project, and the opportunities for development that I have now.
Jason
