>Understand that OpenBSD does not want to become incorporated, >because of the overheads involved, but I don't understand >why Theo de Raadt does not apply for a "trade name" >http://governmentservices.gov.ab.ca/cr/reg_bus_name.cfm >Trade names cost $10cdn. With a trade name you can >open a bank account using that trade name. >That way checks could be made out to OpenBSD. > >It would be lot easier for a business to write a check >to "OpenBSD" then to "Theo de Raadt".
People in accounting departments don't care about the names of their suppliers. They care about things like invoices, Dun and Bradstreet numbers and cost centres. They really start to care about tax registration numbers when it makes the addition of the goods and services tax column a pain because you don't have one. This causes grief for people who could and would donate if there was a mechanism that would allow them to avoid the wrath of the people in Payables. It also forces the issue of "incurred administrative overhead". You don't produce this paperwork for a customer without a cost and you don't process the paperwork to pay the supplier without a cost. While a seemingly reasonable idea, it really comes down to a pretty binary choice in most situations: either you do nothing or you go all of the way. While Austin and Wim help Theo with transactions, the situation is really an economic externality... The 2 former individuals incur overhead to help the latter. Trust me - some of us have had the "disruptive discussions" with Theo, ad nauseum. We know how the math works and we understand the implications of certain courses of action. In the end, when the list tosses out random ideas, Theo becomes more petulant and then he wants to go for beer and then I have to deal with him. :-) --J
