Re: [tlug] kickstarter for open source...

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

Edward Middleton writes:

 > I don't see there model as sustainable if they cant minimize scams, so I 
 > would presume they put some effort into minimizing the likelihood that a 
 > project is a scam.

I agree that they can't afford many scams, but I suspect that the
model is that the backers will police many of them (if the backers
think something smells, you fail to reach goal, and the scam fails),
and that the promotion effort required to make as much as "ore ore" is
probably too great compared to preying on the elderly, so it's not
going to be attractive to true scammers in the first place.

 > > My precise assumption is that project requirements will increase
 > > much faster than available funding as people become aware of this
 > > funding source.
 > 
 > Who's requirements?

The funding requirements of all projects using crowd-funding.

 > I guess I could put it another way.  If all your potential contributers 
 > are convinced you will carry out the project with or without funding 
 > your contributers will view it as charity.  If they view it as a pitch 
 > that will get refined or changed until it gets funding then there is a 
 > risk they won't get what they want if they don't fund it.

But if it changes, it's a moving target, and they may still not get
what they want because most folks want something else.  This is a
generic problem, of coordinating somewhat different wants.  There's
also a problem of trusting someone whose proposal changes repeatedly.

 > I think crowd funding is still in its infancy but it does look to
 > me like it could have significant potential to fund the development
 > of certain types of opens source software.

Which types? :-)

 > I was just extrapolating from what you said, i.e. what is the root cause 
 > of the problem that people would be trying to solve by improving SPAM 
 > filtering in mailman.

The users who want spam filtering *in Mailman* are badly informed or
have incompetent ISPs. ;-)  Either way, we're pretty sure they will
not be happy if they get what they ask for.