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Message-ID: <311F144DB5E5D011B03F00805FE954B106878336@exchange01_ph.borders.com>
From: "Calvin Vette (IT- Borders Online)" <CVETTE@borders.com>
To: 'Herb Peyerl' <hpeyerl@beer.org>
Cc: netbsd-advocacy@NetBSD.ORG, 'Jim Wise' <jwise@unicast.com>
Subject: RE: DEC/Compaq donating to Linux Alpha port 
Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 17:49:11 -0400
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(I apologize for formatting...)

> ----------
> From: 	Herb Peyerl[SMTP:hpeyerl@beer.org]
> Sent: 	Monday, October 19, 1998 3:55 PM
> To: 	Calvin Vette (IT- Borders Online)
> Cc: 	netbsd-advocacy@NetBSD.ORG; 'Jim Wise'
> Subject: 	Re: DEC/Compaq donating to Linux Alpha port 
> 
> "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.
> 
Cool. By when do we expect to have the paperwork done?

> 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.
> 
I assume this is related to the paperwork. We could also be asking for
funding, as well.
The projects that we would solicit for would need to be well coordinated and
managed. They'd have to have real writeups, with specific deliverables. I
don't know that it's necessarily your job, but one of the things you could
be doing is managing people to do the actual writing and soliciting for you,
after you (Herb, and Core) have decided which direction and which projects
to take.

> 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.)
> 
Again, projects and volunteers need to be managed, as does anything and
anyone else.
The Salvation Army, the Red Cross, soup kitchens around the world, and even
some corporations are run mostly by volunteers, held to account by a few
managers, directors, shareholders, etc... These organizations are highly
successful at what they commited to producing, whether it be blood, food for
the homeless, disaster recovery, or whatever. I *know* it can be done; I
manage volunteers all the time, and they produce the results that I'm
standing for them producing. On those few occasions where they aren't
producing the results, I either coach them, get assistance for them, get or
make new promises, or replace them. 

This isn't something we're used to in this community, I know. But I know
this kind of rigorous management (not heavy-handed) brings a new kind of
life to a project. And it really has nothing to do with the style of
management, it's more that people who are willing to volunteer know the
difference NetBSD makes in the world, and they really *want* to be part of
it. The problem is that most people don't know how, or what the best way is.
That's where the management comes in. If Core is interested, I'm willing to
train them, or even manage teams.

> 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.
> 
:-( It's pretty sad that we as an open-source community have very little
unity behind us. That kind of crap doesn't serve anyone in the community.
I've been present to some similar (but not as high-profile) nay-saying, and
it's very discouraging. I don't know what we can do to "fix" that.
I think one thing we can do is increase our vocality and improve our public
image. I believe NetBSD/Alpha (although I've never had the personal
pleasure), has been out longer, and I believe has been more stable longer,
than Linux/Alpha.