Subject: Re: DEC/Compaq donating to Linux Alpha port
To: Calvin Vette (IT- Borders Online) <CVETTE@borders.com>
From: Herb Peyerl <hpeyerl@beer.org>
List: netbsd-advocacy
Date: 10/19/1998 14:55:43
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To: "Calvin Vette (IT- Borders Online)" <CVETTE@borders.com>
Cc: netbsd-advocacy@netbsd.org, "'Jim Wise'" <jwise@unicast.com>
Subject: Re: DEC/Compaq donating to Linux Alpha port 
From: Herb Peyerl <hpeyerl@beer.org>
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Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 14:55:43 -0600

"Calvin Vette (IT- Borders Online)" <CVETTE@borders.com>  wrote:
 > Making requests for hardware and funding from these companies, writing
 > proposals, grant requests, etc...
 > 
 > The money and support are out there, we just don't have the people behind us
 > asking for it.
 > 

There are a few issues here...

a) TNF needs to establish it's 501(c)3 paperwork so that we can issue
tax receipts to those people who donate to NetBSD.  This task has been
taken from the one person who was charged with doing it and then
disappeared, and given to someone else recently.

b) It could be construed as "my job" to solicit donations from organizations
but I need to know who to solicit and what for.  If DEC gave us an Alpha,
what would we do with it?  Who would get it and what would they do with
it?  I know the build-lab could use an Alpha but is that an Official NetBSD
resource yet? Not yet.

c) What assurance would we give DEC that any hardware they donated would
produce result X in some code; especially when they're dealing with 
volunteers?  (ie: I know of several cases where hardware was donated to
NetBSD people to accomplish certain goals and those goals, often several
years thereafter, have not yet been met.)

d) I personally watched one DEC employee exuberantly denounce NetBSD/Alpha
support in favor of Linux/Alpha support at a trade-show with information
that was 100% false.