[Arm-netbook] The Libre Guild of Program Changers [Formerly "Re: Standards Organization as a Potentially Universal Free/Libre Software Developement Sustenance Model:

[Neil Jansen]

On Tue, Sep 5, 2017 at 1:18 AM, Jean Flamelle <eaterjolly at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Essentially, the point of libre software is that anyone can change it
> to do what they want the program to do, and, if someone doesn't have
> the know-how, they can ask someone else.

The point of libre software is the freedom to do those things.  Those things
you list are the outcome of having that freedom.  I'm nitpicking but I think
that distinction is important.


> That's the heart of the idea. There should be an organization
> not-unlike an artists' guild, where people can go to and commission
> customizations to libre software.

I'm not sure 'guild' would be the right word for such a group, due to the
negative connotation of the word in some contexts.  Writer's guilds and
trade guilds, for example, are quite philosophically different from what
the FOSS community does.  It could be said that they respected neither
freedom nor the art in which they were practicing.  Traditional and
modern guilds have been criticized for being cartel-like and rent-seeking.

The word might have more or less stigma depending on locale.  Where
I live, it's a pretty derogatory term in that context.



As far as commissioning software goes, I think that a lot of end-users of
open-source software that don't necessarily program or contribute much
would probably like that idea, if they had some sort of a system to organize
those ideas.  If it were a website, maybe it would look sort of like
Kickstarter
and/or Indiegogo, but where people could vote without giving any money,
as an option, with possibly a donation button and donation amount tracker
indicator, where the user could donate in bitcoin or some other hopefully
more convenient manner.

There's work that I would commission today if there were a popular platform
to put it on.  Certification would be a plus, but honestly, if it's
licensed GPL
or similar, I'm already more than happy can't can't really ask for much more
than that.


Hardware?  That's a whole 'nother story.  That's what really deserves well-
written and well-followed standards.  That's where free and/or libre
organizations should be focusing their time.  Current standards for it are:

1) vague
2) not 100% libre
3) Violated without repercussion