Re: Can there be an "Official Hardware Partner" for GNOME

[Dave Neary <dneary free fr>]

Hi,

Josh Kress wrote:
> Thanks for the replies so far.
> 
> [No replies from the board directly, but this might be due to bad timing
> on my side]

Let me be the first.

I didn't feel the need to reply, because Peter's reply so well summed up
my thoughts.

The first time I read the suggestion I felt vaguely ill at ease with it,
and the more I thought about it, the more I thought that having an
official hardware supplier when we have 4 hardware suppliers on the
advisory board already (all of whom have donated or loaned hardware to
GNOME over the past two years) doesn't seem appropriate.

> It made me think about that subject a little more and even some other
> title to "acknowledge an outstanding sponsorship" might prove
> controversial. I can't see a way to define that properly and moreover I
> see another problem: What is more outstanding? A company donating
> hardware or a company employing some more GNOME developers?

The foundation receives a good number of donations every year - and we
try to acknowledge them all above a certain level. There's no problem, I
would think, with the company sponsoring an upgrade to the GNOME event
box, supplying small-form computers and having their name associated
with the box (of course, their hardware will be on show during trade
shows as well).

I would love for you to explore this opportunity further - I'm not sure
if there is alignment between the GNOME Foundation and this company such
that we can invite them onto the advisory board (and nothing says they'd
accept if we did). But I would also love to see the company get more
visibility through a donation of hardware which would benefit GNOME user
groups around Europe, the US or elsewhere.

Cheers,
Dave.

-- 
Dave Neary
dneary free fr