PanoTools:
Re: Re: PanoTools Funding Options
Roger Howard 2006-May-24 19:18:47
On May 24, 2006, at 8:45 AM, Sacha Griffin wrote:
> Panotools.info and this list is John's asset, if he wants to use it
> that’s
> his business. If you don’t like it, you have the above options.
That's absurd; the content is community-driven, he's asking for
funding donations, and this is exactly the attitude I know I'm afraid
of - the list and the wiki are *not* John's asset. I've made it
clear, through donations and my comments that I appreciate what John
has done; I have also made it clear that I believe we all deserve to
know where the money goes, and that if we think the budget needs are
too high I don't see why there is this huge defensiveness about
reducing the costs to ensure that this resource remains. John makes
appeals for funding, and often notes that if he doesn't get the
funding he needs that the resources are at risk; so why not take the
responsible approach and look at both securing funding and reducing
the budget? Seems perfectly normal and reasonable for an operation
like this. He has been offered free hosting, and there are several
experienced folks here who seem to agree that $1800/yr for hosting is
unreasonably high - so why wouldn't he want us to help reduce those
costs, either through outright donation of the service, or through
helping to identify more cost-effective hosting?
No one here (I certainly don't) wants to fork the community, and I'd
like to think that there is a position somewhere between the
extremes. I have no problem with John remaining at the helm, so to
speak, I for one am just trying to help.
If I were in a position of fiscal responsibility for this community I
would look hard at:
- Reducing operating costs - there seem to be a lot of room for this,
without compromising on the scalability that John seeks;
- Offsetting costs through AdSense or other ad programs - I see
*nothing* wrong with this;
- Seeking out partnerships and sponsorships with groups like IVRPA -
something John seems against even exploring - and with businesses.
There are a number of software developers, hardware makers and other
businesses involved in this community, and I'd have to think this is
a viable possibility, even ignoring IVRPA.
All of this, from my perspective, would seem to be in *John's*
interest as well as the communities, and it continues to be almost
surreal why these suggestions are met with such hostility.
-R
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