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#1 2005-03-10 23:36:20

cactus
Taco Eater
From: t͈̫̹ͨa͖͕͎̱͈ͨ͆ć̥̖̝o̫̫̼s͈̭̱̞͍̃!̰
Registered: 2004-05-25
Posts: 4,622
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Linux non-profit.

I am curious what the status of a non-profit entity geared towards advancing Linux and other opensource *nix based operating systems would be.

Would it get charity status?

Also, have any of the Arch community leaders applied for grants from the various existing Linux non-profit orgs, government agencies, etc? Arch seems to be a worthy enough endeavor to potentially garner grant monies.

Ideas? Opinions?

I started thinking after running across http://www.li.org/
I don't even know if the non-profit li.org still exists. *shrug*


"Be conservative in what you send; be liberal in what you accept." -- Postel's Law
"tacos" -- Cactus' Law
"t̥͍͎̪̪͗a̴̻̩͈͚ͨc̠o̩̙͈ͫͅs͙͎̙͊ ͔͇̫̜t͎̳̀a̜̞̗ͩc̗͍͚o̲̯̿s̖̣̤̙͌ ̖̜̈ț̰̫͓ạ̪͖̳c̲͎͕̰̯̃̈o͉ͅs̪ͪ ̜̻̖̜͕" -- -̖͚̫̙̓-̺̠͇ͤ̃ ̜̪̜ͯZ͔̗̭̞ͪA̝͈̙͖̩L͉̠̺͓G̙̞̦͖O̳̗͍

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#2 2005-03-11 05:30:03

skoal
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From: Frequent Flyer Underworld
Registered: 2004-03-23
Posts: 612
Website

Re: Linux non-profit.

Charity status?  I like the idea.  In fact, I'm applying for my new "Linux Ministries" religion, so I can be exempt from US taxes.  Please make donations to the Reverend Skoal.  I'll use my money on beer and tobacco.  No false pretenses here.  If you're interested, I'll give you my Paypal account.

Cactus, I wonder how attainable donations will be for said organization.   Are the contributions open to all?  It looks like their primary thrust is to get corporate sponsorship.  If that's the case, where's IBM?  They shell out millions in legal protection against anti-SCO lawsuits.  But I guess you "can't look a gift horse in the mouth"...

I like the idea of grant money.  I just don't know how you would apply for that and who would be eligible.  I think a lot of developers listed on "sourceforge" or the like stand to benefit from it.  But for those that donate, what do they get in return?  Quicker OSS development I guess, which is nice.

* I think the overall idea has promise, and this is the first I've heard of such a thing.  If a lot of corporations start to get on board, I think you'd see a new interest in contributions.  So, yes, I think it's sound concept.  Practical?  I don't think the government would ever grant such an organization "charity" status.  I think I stand a better chance as Rev. Skoal.

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#3 2005-03-11 05:39:11

cactus
Taco Eater
From: t͈̫̹ͨa͖͕͎̱͈ͨ͆ć̥̖̝o̫̫̼s͈̭̱̞͍̃!̰
Registered: 2004-05-25
Posts: 4,622
Website

Re: Linux non-profit.

heh..Rev. Cactus, church of the subgenius? I wish.  wink

Anyway, maybe not charity status, but it would be nice. Charity status has to deal with certain areas of "giving", and I believe one of them is for the "advancement of the sciences". Might be some wiggle room there. *shrug*

Even a general non-profit that had as its sole purpose advancement of such ideals as opensource, Linux, BSDs, etc..would be kinda cool.

Oh, and IBM was on their list...
http://www.li.org/sponsors/sponlist.php?level=1

but like I said, some data on that site looks a bit krusty, so who knows if it is still a "live" entity.


"Be conservative in what you send; be liberal in what you accept." -- Postel's Law
"tacos" -- Cactus' Law
"t̥͍͎̪̪͗a̴̻̩͈͚ͨc̠o̩̙͈ͫͅs͙͎̙͊ ͔͇̫̜t͎̳̀a̜̞̗ͩc̗͍͚o̲̯̿s̖̣̤̙͌ ̖̜̈ț̰̫͓ạ̪͖̳c̲͎͕̰̯̃̈o͉ͅs̪ͪ ̜̻̖̜͕" -- -̖͚̫̙̓-̺̠͇ͤ̃ ̜̪̜ͯZ͔̗̭̞ͪA̝͈̙͖̩L͉̠̺͓G̙̞̦͖O̳̗͍

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#4 2005-03-11 05:48:30

skoal
Member
From: Frequent Flyer Underworld
Registered: 2004-03-23
Posts: 612
Website

Re: Linux non-profit.

cactus wrote:

but like I said, some data on that site looks a bit krusty, so who knows if it is still a "live" entity.

Well, how `bout that sh$t?  Not only did I see IBM and others on that list, I noticed they started that support over 7 years ago.  All the non-distro supporters on that list is pretty damn impressive.

That very fact makes me wonder if IBM/HP and Sun didn't have something cookin' in their CEO rooms about OSS long before it became a real entity we see today.  Makes you wonder about their motives and why.  Don't it?  I see one target they may have had their sights on 8 years ago.  Guess which...

IBM still steamin' from OS/2 and the target that undercut them?

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#5 2005-03-29 20:05:02

cactus
Taco Eater
From: t͈̫̹ͨa͖͕͎̱͈ͨ͆ć̥̖̝o̫̫̼s͈̭̱̞͍̃!̰
Registered: 2004-05-25
Posts: 4,622
Website

Re: Linux non-profit.

http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=10142&page=7

Reviving my own thread because upon reading this, I see a similar question was broached. I think "for profit" would not be the right way to go. I think Linux, and open-source in general, is more congruent with a not-for-profit type business.
The goal would be the "advancement of Linux", kind of like the altruistic goal of paying the Arch devs to work on Arch full time.

Monetary influx would have to be achieved somehow, but the difference would be how it is spent. Since the goal would not in and of itself be making money, but paying the devs to work on arch, hence..non-profit.

I have thought about this on and off for a while. I wish I had the ability to do something like this. We need some rich benefactor like the ubuntu folks have. Wouldn't that be nice.  tongue

It might be interesting to try poking around and seeing if any government grants could be garnished for work on archlinux. I know at least one of the *BSDs got some darpa funding a while back (openbsd if I recall). *shrug*


"Be conservative in what you send; be liberal in what you accept." -- Postel's Law
"tacos" -- Cactus' Law
"t̥͍͎̪̪͗a̴̻̩͈͚ͨc̠o̩̙͈ͫͅs͙͎̙͊ ͔͇̫̜t͎̳̀a̜̞̗ͩc̗͍͚o̲̯̿s̖̣̤̙͌ ̖̜̈ț̰̫͓ạ̪͖̳c̲͎͕̰̯̃̈o͉ͅs̪ͪ ̜̻̖̜͕" -- -̖͚̫̙̓-̺̠͇ͤ̃ ̜̪̜ͯZ͔̗̭̞ͪA̝͈̙͖̩L͉̠̺͓G̙̞̦͖O̳̗͍

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#6 2005-03-29 20:21:43

dadexter
Member
From: Dorval, QC, Canada
Registered: 2004-09-07
Posts: 274
Website

Re: Linux non-profit.

skoal wrote:

Charity status?  I like the idea.  In fact, I'm applying for my new "Linux Ministries" religion

And now please rise for an excerpt from the book of Python, chapter 10, module 6, by Reverend Skoal

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#7 2005-03-29 20:34:04

cactus
Taco Eater
From: t͈̫̹ͨa͖͕͎̱͈ͨ͆ć̥̖̝o̫̫̼s͈̭̱̞͍̃!̰
Registered: 2004-05-25
Posts: 4,622
Website

Re: Linux non-profit.

Today's litany will by read my 2nd Rev. Cactus.
*clears throat*

A reading from the Book of Armaments, Chapter 4, Verses 16 to 20:

"Then did he raise on high the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, saying, "Bless this, O Lord, that with it thou mayst blow thine enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy." And the people did rejoice and did feast upon the lambs and toads and tree-sloths and fruit-bats and orangutans and breakfast cereals.
Now did the Lord say, "First thou pullest the Holy Pin. Then thou must count to three. Three shall be the number of the counting and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither shalt thou count two, excepting that thou then proceedeth to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the number of the counting, be reached, then lobbest thou the Holy Hand Grenade in the direction of thine foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it."
-- Monty Python, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"


"Be conservative in what you send; be liberal in what you accept." -- Postel's Law
"tacos" -- Cactus' Law
"t̥͍͎̪̪͗a̴̻̩͈͚ͨc̠o̩̙͈ͫͅs͙͎̙͊ ͔͇̫̜t͎̳̀a̜̞̗ͩc̗͍͚o̲̯̿s̖̣̤̙͌ ̖̜̈ț̰̫͓ạ̪͖̳c̲͎͕̰̯̃̈o͉ͅs̪ͪ ̜̻̖̜͕" -- -̖͚̫̙̓-̺̠͇ͤ̃ ̜̪̜ͯZ͔̗̭̞ͪA̝͈̙͖̩L͉̠̺͓G̙̞̦͖O̳̗͍

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#8 2005-03-29 23:17:06

skoal
Member
From: Frequent Flyer Underworld
Registered: 2004-03-23
Posts: 612
Website

Re: Linux non-profit.

Great article Rev. Cactus.  I went back to page 1 and read it all.  Good stuff.

So these are our founding fathers?  Where's the rock with their faces chisseled in it?

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