<HTML><HEAD>
<META charset=UTF-8 http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1276" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>You Said....."There is a lot of koha work that I do for <BR>free, including things that "need to get done" but no-one will pay <BR>for."</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><STRONG>That is what being part of any community is all about</STRONG>!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>you also said...." I may as well write that "we <BR>could also hope that there are some librarians who work for purely <BR>altruistic reasons"</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3>There are many of us that do perform in this mode!</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3>Also.... any interpretation of large cap letters as shouting is your perception. If I hit he caps lock accidentally and type a bunch of stuff chances are I am not going to retype it all.. I just let it ride as caps.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3>As to our funding ... there is a reply I could give you (but I will not...)</FONT></STRONG></DIV></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT face=Arial>On 2003-12-23 02:04:53 +0000 ed sharpe <esharpe@uswest.net> wrote:<BR><BR>> perhaps we could also hope that there are some programmers on this <BR>> project<BR>> for purely altruistic reasons and not trying to milk $$ from each <BR>> line of<BR>> code.... sometimes things need to get done just for the pure reason <BR>> they<BR>> need to get done....<BR><BR>I am quite uphappy about this email. I may as well write that "we <BR>could also hope that there are some librarians who work for purely <BR>altruistic reasons and not trying to milk $$ from each collection". We <BR>all know that programmers need money to live, just like librarians, so <BR>why be so hostile to the idea?<BR><BR>Library free software interests me. There are some libraries which are <BR>real assets to their communities and could benefit from it, but I have <BR>no grant funding any more. I have to make money to live and koha-based <BR>projects are part of that. There is a lot of koha work that I do for <BR>free, including things that "need to get done" but no-one will pay <BR>for. I cannot afford to help everyone for free, so I pick a few things <BR>at a time which look like fun, good ideas and worthwhile. I hope that <BR>someone appreciates it, even if you don't.<BR><BR>The paid work is on top of that, extra to the time that I would spend <BR>on koha anyway. If we've no paid work on koha, that time gets filled <BR>with other paid work because it has to be. Payment brings extra <BR>programmer time to koha. (Don't worry about my email writing: I type <BR>very quickly.) Those priorities are determined by what the payer <BR>wants, so if your idea doesn't get worked on for free and it's <BR>important to you, consider trying it commercially.<BR><BR>Maybe smecc can't afford to do that. I can't find details about staff <BR>or funding on its web site. Off the top of my head, I can't recall <BR>what they contributed or offered to koha. A quick search for smecc on <BR>the lists gives the LoC request many times, including some BLOCK CAPS <BR>SHOUTING, links to other projects, and an unhelpful "we're not using <BR>koha" reply to a survey, cc'd to the developers (to annoy them?). I <BR>think people wanting free help need to be more open about their <BR>institution and reasons, and nicer to potential helpers. I suspect it <BR>will be the same with any of Pat's suggested groups. No-one donates to <BR>people who offend them, even a charity.<BR><BR>> (remember folks to make it print out the library of congress catalog <BR>> number<BR>> instead of the Dewey number it is just one field you are dealing <BR>> with! )<BR><BR>I don't know/remember what's required for this. I probably won't do it <BR>unless I need it, because I've other things to do and it now makes me <BR>think of this unhappy exchange. I think you should reconsider your <BR>methods of motivating people. Maybe you can find out what has to be <BR>done and record it on bug report 498.<BR><BR>-- <BR>MJR/slef My Opinion Only and possibly not of any group I know.<BR>Please http://remember.to/edit_messages on lists to be sure I read<BR>http://mjr.towers.org.uk/ gopher://g.towers.org.uk/ slef@jabber.at<BR> Creative copyleft computing services via http://www.ttllp.co.uk/<BR>_______________________________________________</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>