I don't know if this is going to be a popular idea or not, but I feel I
have to say something because I think it is something JOS needs to be
successful. All I ask is that it is considered and discussed.
My proposal is that we create a small, symbiant, corporation: a JOS
company to aid JOS the non-profit and live off its creations. The
corporation would (or rather: could) create and sell CD's of common JOS
distributions similar to red-hat (although the differences would be
obvious) it could provide tech support, handle the more quotidian tasks
of maintaining the JOS website perhaps it could even hold a small
payroll of professional programmers to do nothing but write for JOS. Of
course JOS the non-profit would be a separate organization, it would
stay much as it is, JOS the corporation would support itself on JOS the
grassroot open source project, the benefit to the project is the company
would market it, do press releases and the like. These two organizations
would act much like the yin and the yang on the JOS logo, it would make
the net result not quite an open source project (which is almost by its
nature doomed to obscurity) and a regular company (which is, well, a
company.)
I wouldn't even know to start with something like this, but I think it
would have several benefits:
*In its own self-interest it would create awareness of the JOS project
*Its products would be JOS-oriented, opening it up to a larger market
(You know "JOS for complete morons" -- stuff like that :)
*It could create alliances with or get contracts from governments and --
more likely -- universities
*If possible, it would hire programmers who could work exclusively on it
(while still maintaing the open source grassroot nature of the project,
that is to say they would be just like any other JOS member [hopefully
they would have already been JOS members] and their code would be
assayed on merit -- just like everyone else's)
The only con I can think of is that we'd have to go through the bother
of creating a company...
Ultimately, I want what is best for JOS (long- and short-term) and this
is, after all, just an idea.
Cheers,
DigiGod
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AIM:DigiGod 86
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Quote of the Moment:
No, I'm Canadian. It's like an American, but without a
gun.
-Dave Foley
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Prank of the Moment:
Using the conferencing feature of your office phone, dial
one Induhvidual, then while it's ringing dial another and
conference them together. Put your own phone on mute
and listen to see how long they'll make small talk before
figuring out that neither one placed the call.
O-
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