Vote:Most Deserving Open Source Charity

Open Source can be a charity just as much as it can be a business model. And several charities have sprung up to help fund the effort. The nominees you selected for this category are the Free Software Foundation, Software in the Public Interest, The Apache Software Foundation and the XFree86 Project. Vote for the one that you think deserves it most.

Where's Gutenberg?

[Frater 219]

Considering the number of people who mentioned Project Gutenberg in the original discussion of this category, I am moderately disappointed it isn't an option.

XFree86

[mozUser123]

I'm voting for XFree86 because I believe this project to be vital to the mainstream acceptance of Linux and other intel based UNIXes in general. Most applications run in a GUI, whatever desktop environments/window managers are used have to run on top of X and then the applications run on top of the window managers. Therefore we need a firm foundation and XFree86 4.0 looks like it will offer that. If this money can assist the development of 4.0 can be enhanced by a financial contribution then that's great.
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Re:Where's Gutenberg?

[algae]

I agree; I was hoping to be able to vote for them. Furthermore, I don't really think that Apache or XFree86 are charities, so much as software development organizations. Not to say I don't appreciate them or their work; I do!

Re:XFree86

[Fjord]

Definiately. XFree86 still has plenty of work in front of it to get linux on the desktop, although companies like Corel will help them along, I'm sure.

Re:FSF

[root:DavidOgg]

I agree, The Free Software Foundation also has had influence on other projects, including Xfree86. The FSF is largely responsible for the state of Free Software(tm) today.

Re: Slash 0.4

[driehuis]

Ooh, such harsh words!

Let me make a confession here. The reason that I contribute small, rounded off patches to Open Source projects (either a bug fix or one (1) feature), is that I know how much work goes into packaging something big, or just into merging patches like the ones I write (irrespective of how well these patches are done). There are too many projects I care about and work on, and too little time, and this must certainly be even more true for the slashdot crew.

I think Sun could put more effort into merging work on the JDK done by the community, but I wouldn't like to be in the shoes of the Sun manager who has got to get funding to hire folks to actually do it. And I have great respect for the folks at Netscape/Mozilla, who go through the daunting task of integrating patches in the face of criticism for not putting everything they get in on the same day.

So, to counter Eric Raymonds assertion that releasing early & often is the ticket to success, I'd like to quote Wietze Venema (I hope; apologies if I goof up the quote): "It is ready when it's ready".

On a few occasions, I've been referred to slashdot by people I was surprised to find had Linux on their radar. That in itself is a major achievement, and if the only price I pay for that service is to put some brainpower in myself when I need to build a user community site in Internet time (which could also be phrased as "ripping off slashdot in a hurry"), so be it.

It's ready when it's ready. That's my motto.