Money for Bugzilla development [was: [off-topic] ...]

[David Miller]

I'm not so sure this is actually off-topic...

On 7/12/2003 8:51 PM -0400, Jason Pyeron wrote:

> I have been wondering things along this line myself.
>
> Given there are those who would pay $$$ for changes to bugzilla.
> Those same persons want the same changes to be a "supported" part of
> bugzilla. I.E. official bugzilla patches/revisions.
>
>
> Who and how can money be taken in for this?
>
> Can a consulting firm discuss with a committee to get a price, how can such
> a committee be formed? where do the funds go? What do they get use for?
>
> random thought of the day.

I've thought about that a lot, and haven't really come up with any good
ideas yet...   and the idea is big on my mind right now because my current
contract with Netscape is up on Sept 1st, and the project I was brought in
for looks like it'll actually be done by then, so there's not much chance
of a renewal.

My main concern with that kind of idea is I don't want to wind up with some
outside company winding up making policy for Bugzilla by way of saying "we
paid money for this, so this is how it's going to be."  It would be more
like that if someone were paying me to work on Bugzilla because then I
would need to do what they were paying me to do, which might not line up
with the project goals... I guess in a way I just don't want the current
core group to lose control of Bugzilla.

On the other hand, it works for Mozilla.  You have companies like Netscape,
IBM, OEOne, Sun, etc throwing huge amounts of resources at Mozilla.  Maybe
we need to get an inside picture of how they do it.  A lot of our structure
is already based on theirs, but on a much smaller scale. :)  I know they
have a drivers committee, which has to approve any new features going in.
Maybe if we make sure our goal sheet is specific enough, and then only take
money from people whose ideas they want to pay to have implemented fall in
line with those goals.
-- 
Dave Miller      Project Leader, Bugzilla Bug Tracking System
http://www.justdave.net/             http://www.bugzilla.org/