[Ardour-Users] Could this solve Ardour's financial headache?

[Patrick Shirkey]

It appears I have some difficulty getting my thoughts across...

Let me strip it right back to a step by step process.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mantis and Embedded browser integration

1: Integrate Mantis into the website so the bounty system is more 
visible, accessible and auto updated.
2: Add an embedded browser to Ardour that can be disabled with a config 
setting if desired.
3: Make sure the embedded browser will not attempt to access the 
internet if the system is not connected. Simple check of ifconfig should 
confirm without any overhead.
4: Point the embedded browser at http://ardour.org
5: Make sure it is displayed at startup by default. Config setting to 
disable.

Fundraising and Mantis fund integration

1: Create a Mantis fund and integrate it with the donations and bounty 
system on the website.
2: Run a fundraiser to build up the Mantis fund.
3: Funds raised could be matched by upto 1 month of subscriptions with 
total pool of $3000

Allocation of funds

1: Setup a voting system for the Mantis bugs/features
2: Encourage users to vote for the features/bugs they want to be worked 
on next.
3: Assign an appropriate cost for the most popular features.
4: Allocate a part of the Mantis fund, say upto half of the cost to the 
5 most popular features and let the community fund the difference.
5: When targets are met start work on the feature and take the cash out 
of the system.
6: When the feature is finished give the cash to the Dev/s who earned it.
7: Let people know that a new voting round it in process for x amount of 
Mantis items.
8: Return to 2.


NB* If the Mantis fund ever gets down to an amount that cannot be 
allocated run the fund raiser again...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


If the core changes for this system do not make the cut for a short 
period of developer time and attention (say 1 month) then there is no 
way the user community can be expected to make more effort to fund 
Ardour development than they currently do.

I get the feeling that people are actually happy with the current system 
and quite possibly don't want to make it more effective because then we 
would have a system that actually meets its goals. This is a scary idea. 
Ardour funding actually meeting Pauls targets. After 12 years of not 
being tenable I can see how it would make some people uncomfortable. 
Nobody wants to see the baby* grow up and become an adult.


*(Ardour:  not Paul)




-- 
Patrick Shirkey
Boost Hardware Ltd.