[FFmpeg-devel] [RFC] financial sustainability Plan A (SPI)

[Michael Niedermayer]

On Fri, Oct 27, 2023 at 06:46:42AM -0700, Kieran Kunhya wrote:
> On Fri, 27 Oct 2023 at 05:32, Michael Niedermayer <michael at niedermayer.cc>
> wrote:
> 
> > On Fri, Oct 27, 2023 at 01:43:34PM +0300, Rémi Denis-Courmont wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > Le 26 octobre 2023 18:45:23 GMT+03:00, Michael Niedermayer <
> > michael at niedermayer.cc> a écrit :
> > [...]
> > > >* If you have some flashy FFmpeg project you want to work on with a
> > cost of
> > > >  between 5-15k $ then propose it on the mailing list, make yourself
> > ready for
> > > >  some paperwork complexities and some public debate as thats the first
> > time we
> > > >  try this, there will be extra issues likely.
> > >
> > > I don't think that code bounties count toward OSS "sustainability". It's
> > condoning the so-called jig economy, which is the opposite, IMO.
> >
> > This is just a first step.
> > If we can attract the financial resources to pay people in a repeated
> > fashion
> > "each month" then thats absolutely what id like to do with SPI
> >
> 
> The thing we need for "sustainability" is someone to work full-time on
> maintenance work

yes, I think we all know and agree on that


> like YUVJ removal

iam not sure thats a good example, but anyway


> that doesn't get done otherwise

yes


> (literally we have talked about this for the last five or more years).

And thats great, but you know "talk" isnt good enough


> Nor
> would any company fund it as a bounty as it provides no benefit to them.

now ive seen contracts and such but there are NDAs so i cannot give anything
specific but this is wrong. Companies do care and fund some things that
do not give an immedeate benefit to them but are rather things for the
long term of the project (which will beneift the company only over time)


> This is the complete opposite of "some flashy FFmpeg project".

yes, let me spell my plan out again (which is bassed in fact on previous
suggestions from others)

1. fund some flashy FFmpeg projects
2. seek more donations (explain its for sustainability and full time
   payments if possible and smaller but important areas (flashy projects) when
   its not enough for full time payments)
do 1+2 in parallel, 1. helps 2.
3. if we manage to receive a steady stream of donations that can support
   part time or full time development, use it for that.

The flashy stuff is to get started, we cannot pay people full time with a one time
budget of 150k$. we can pay several people with that if we can get that in donations
per year.

thx

[...]
-- 
Michael     GnuPG fingerprint: 9FF2128B147EF6730BADF133611EC787040B0FAB

Asymptotically faster algorithms should always be preferred if you have
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