Re: Membership dues [ was: Re: Advisory Board Letter ]

[Mike Kestner <mkestner ameritech net>]

Bart Decrem wrote:
> 
> Well folks, I'm not sure we're going to get full consensus on this one.  
{snip]
> I think we've had a pretty rich and full discussion about this, and we're now
> starting to go in circles, so it's time for closure.  

> I think we should stick to the proposal I made yesterday and have $0
> membership dues for non-profits and companies with less than 10 employees,
> and $10,000 membership dues for other companies.  

So the most significantly contested issue related to the foundation will
be resolved by a wave of the hand without consensus.  A rather
inauspicous start.

Why does this have to be decided now?  Why cannot an elected board of
directors make such a decision later?  Why not a referendum?  Are these
not more acceptable means of getting a consensus in the context of the
foundation we are trying to describe? Is the funding need that immediate
and pressing?

> I agree that the contribution that the Red Hat hackers,
> for example, are making to Gnome is much more important than the $10,000 we
> are asking Red Hat to contribute.  So if Red Hat, for example, would prefer
> not to pay the membership fee, I would be totally OK with that.

Actually, that sounds like a donation, so maybe you and I are closer to
agreeing than it appears at first glance.

Mike