NAME

       fsf-funding - Funding Free Software

DESCRIPTION

       Funding Free Software

       If you want to have more free software a few years from now, it makes sense for you to help encourage
       people to contribute funds for its development.  The most effective approach known is to encourage
       commercial redistributors to donate.

       Users of free software systems can boost the pace of development by encouraging for-a-fee distributors to
       donate part of their selling price to free software developers---the Free Software Foundation, and
       others.

       The way to convince distributors to do this is to demand it and expect it from them.  So when you compare
       distributors, judge them partly by how much they give to free software development.  Show distributors
       they must compete to be the one who gives the most.

       To make this approach work, you must insist on numbers that you can compare, such as, ``We will donate
       ten dollars to the Frobnitz project for each disk sold.''  Don't be satisfied with a vague promise, such
       as ``A portion of the profits are donated,'' since it doesn't give a basis for comparison.

       Even a precise fraction ``of the profits from this disk'' is not very meaningful, since creative
       accounting and unrelated business decisions can greatly alter what fraction of the sales price counts as
       profit.  If the price you pay is $50, ten percent of the profit is probably less than a dollar; it might
       be a few cents, or nothing at all.

       Some redistributors do development work themselves.  This is useful too; but to keep everyone honest, you
       need to inquire how much they do, and what kind.  Some kinds of development make much more long-term
       difference than others.  For example, maintaining a separate version of a program contributes very
       little; maintaining the standard version of a program for the whole community contributes much.  Easy new
       ports contribute little, since someone else would surely do them; difficult ports such as adding a new
       CPU to the GNU Compiler Collection contribute more; major new features or packages contribute the most.

       By establishing the idea that supporting further development is ``the proper thing to do'' when
       distributing free software for a fee, we can assure a steady flow of resources into making more free
       software.

SEE ALSO

       gpl(7), gfdl(7).

COPYRIGHT

       Copyright (c) 1994 Free Software Foundation, Inc.  Verbatim copying and redistribution of this section is
       permitted without royalty; alteration is not permitted.