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

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

   Hi,

Le perjantaina 27. lokakuuta 2023, 15.24.38 EEST Thilo Borgmann via ffmpeg-
devel a écrit :
> >>> Why should it be via SPI? What's the benefit of that hypothetical future 
additional funding going via SPI, as opposed to:
> >> obviously transparency and community control. None of which is given by
> >> the options you list.> 
> > Do you want transparency there? This is *not* about having open source
> > code and the public code review.

> Yes, absolutely. We are an *open* project.

This is about the funding organisation(s) and the recipient developer(s) in 
need of sustainable funding. While my income is public (if you know where to 
look), I sincerely doubt that many people *here* would want theirs published. 
I rather think that they would see it as a major intrusion to their privacy.

I too prefer standard specifications and source code open, but this is about 
people's personal information, not source code. Whether you like it or not, 
that really is a *downside* of going through the mailing list or the GA, 
simply because it is a major turn-off. If SPI requires going through the 
mailing list, then that is also a downside of going through SPI.

> > Using SPI money would hypothetically be an option if there was enough
> > money. Currently there is not.
> There is enough budget to fund several of the smaller tasks Michael
> proposed.

But that has nothing to do with building a sustainable OSS development 
ecosystem. Funding small tasks is great to get students to work their summer 
on FFmpeg rather than writing proprietary business code at a local web company 
(at least if you have willing mentors).

But Michael specifically framed this "financial sustainability plan" for grown-
up adult "developers [who] no longer live with their parents". It is *not* 
sustainable to fund them with 5000€ bounties. At that point in our lives, most 
people would need somewhat stable income, both for financial and psychological 
well-being.

If you have a credible plan for SPI to get enough income to provide that kind 
of stable income to even one developer, then by all mean, lets see that plan. 
But I don't see it. Offering bounties is a complete waste of time and money in 
this regard (it might be a good idea for other purposes, but that's a different 
discussion).

> >>> That's the part that you'd need to clarify first. What relevant flashy
> >>> cool development will attract those donations? Why should they be
> >>> funded by donations rather than more traditional business transactions?

> >> Hen & egg.
> > 
> > What? Why do you need to start spending money before you can have ideas of
> > cool projects? That makes zero sense to me.
> What? Michael asked specifically to propose cool projects.

And I asked why it would be better to fund those hypothetical projects through 
SPI rather than privately and directly.

-- 
レミ・デニ-クールモン
http://www.remlab.net/