new HOWTO intent + question(s)

[Emile D Snyder <emile@cosource.com>]

Hi all,

As per the LDP HOWTO-HOWTO I'm writing this list before working on the doc
to see if anyone out there has some ideas/is already working on the same
thing.

I have been talking with some people and we are interested in writing a
"Funding Free Software Development" HOWTO.  This would answer two
questions: 1) I am a free software developer, and I want to figure out how
to make it my day job so I can spend more time on it. 2) I am a free
software user, and I want to figure out how to effectively apply money to
cause more free software to exist (presumably that I need now).

As an example of some categories; developers can work for certain
companies these days on free software (Linux distributors, "services
oriented" companies like Helix or Eazle, ...), hackers might choose to
start their own service oriented company centered on some free software
a'la Great Bridge (who provide PostgreSQL support and extensions), or they
might choose some independent contracting route.

My question relates to ethical considerations of conflict of interest; I
work for a company called Cosource (www.cosource.com) on a project to
provide a online marketplace where people can pool their resources to hire
developers to write free software.  Obviously, the reason my company would
pay me to work on the HOWTO is that a Cosource mention in the appropriate
section of the HOWTO would be good press for the project.  Do people have
opinions about how much of an issue this is and appropriate disclosure
techniques in the document?

thanks,
Emile Snyder




--  
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to ldp-discuss-request@lists.debian.org
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org