Raphael Hertzog <hert...@debian.org> writes: > there's a discussion going on on debian-project about entering an > agreement with DuckDuckGo to get some sort of affiliate commission from > the money that DuckDuckGo would earn from traffic tagged as coming > from Debian. > > 1/ To Wouter and Gergely: this discussion touches several sensitive topics > but you have not taken position... what do you think of the project?
I'm afraid I can't answer just yet: I haven't finished reading the thread yet. After a quick glimpse through the thread, I think there are certainly good arguments to accept the offer, but, as others expressed in the thread, there are valid concerns too. Unfortunately, without reading the whole thing, I'd rather not take a position, and catching up on the thread may take a day or two more. > 2/ To all: are there other ways to raise money that we have not yet > explored and that we should try? One idea that comes to my mind, is that we seem to focus a wee-bit too much on raising money at times. While I agree that we do need money, for hardware, travel and sprint sponsorships and a whole lot of other things I have little insight into, there are alternative ways. The problem I see with 'raising money' is that those who donate have little control over how that money is used. While that works for many, it might very well stop others (especially companies) from donating. Transparency helps here, and Stefano's work on this front is very important. But it's not enough, in my opinion. We already seek sponsors for DebConf, and have had events hosted or sponsored by various entities. This kind of donation is something we should focus more in, I believe. Perhaps it's not (entirely) monetary, and is tied to a specific event, but it's still useful, and as far as I can imagine, it might be easier to find sponsors for specific tasks, than to raise money that can be spent in any number of ways. People, especially commercial companies, do like to retain some level of control on what their money is used for. While this is not neccessarily a good thing in every case, it's something we could explore and experiment with more. > 3/ To all: The commercial world is full of such "win-win opportunities". > Some are more obnoxious than other. Are there some that would be > acceptable in the Debian context according to you? Where would you draw > the limit? This one's a tough question. I do not think we should promote either of the examples you gave. Recognise? Yes. But not promote. There's a very thin line between the two, and I admit I have no idea how this could be accomplished. I believe each of these opportunities should be carefully evaluated. As for where to draw the line? I don't know. I have no problem with listing companies as sponsors for DebConf, for example, nor listing sponsors for sprints and BSPs and the like. I would have a problem with a www.debian.org/sponsors page, though. In general, though, I'd draw the line slightly above where the general consensus within the project does. -- |8] -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-vote-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/87zkaw1lgd....@luthien.mhp