jkonstan wrote:
[I really like the idea of adding hardware/firmware bounties because it assigns tasks and allows for a way to try to recover some hardware development costs. It can get a little pricey building low volume prototypes.
While I think that reverse auctions, or tenders for building the hardware won't be lucreative for any hardware manufacturer to deal with a minimig opensource project.
I'm sure that many amigians (migians?) have connections or know people in the hardware industry. And a scheme could be set up where say the project agreed with a manufacturer to build say 100 minimigs at an agreed price.
The minimig opensource shop would then collect prepaid order (a counter on the front page!) and dispatch the money and order to the manufacturer when the target number of orders where met.
One problem here is that it would have to be "binding non refundable" orders which is in conflict with most eu/us/asian consumer laws. The reason is to handle the logistics and problems with commitments with the manufacturer and waiting time whilst eager amigians wait for their kits.
But you could say that:
- The vendor get €40 per assembled minimig board (€4000 for 100 boards)
- The project gets €60 euro from each user per board
- €20 "surplus" goes to bounties (posible refunds and paypal disputes) and posting and handling upon delivery from manufacturer to each end user.
- If 100 orders cant be met within 12 months, all order ar null and void and money is refunded (either full €60 or the €40, depends on what the user agreed when preordering, the rest €20 goes to bounties).
These are just ideas for manufacturing bounties. There are a lot of problems and challenges that needs to be sorted out, and eventualities that needs to be planned for. But I'm sure that we (the amiga community) could make something genuinly unique here now.
For the bounties I think it should work this way:
- Requests and bug reports are received by the minimig umbrella project
- The umbrella project sorts and categorises them and defines milestones, targets and plans for each item (hardware and software)
- Each target or "deliverable" if you will becomes a bounty
- Either it's solved for free by the community (preferably) or bounty donators vote and assign money to different targets, and people or parties deliver the target and claim the bounty.
These are just some ideas, and all probably need massive refining before they can become viable.
But I think that someone who knows Dennis should approach him (I dunno how often he reads here), and ask him if he's interessted in supporting some people in organising something like this.
It seems to me that the aros guys are pretty organised and also quite experienced. I'm sure one or two from that team wold mentor such a project like this if it were head up by the right people (known entities in the amiga community).
Suggested "Minimig community project" startup:
1) Identify a spear head person
2) Approach Dennis and get his blessing/involment
3) Beg for mentorship from aros guys
4) start building the minimig community
--) This means that 10 developer boards should be built
--) Developer boards are given to proven amiga developers with track record
--) Developer boards are returned to the minimig community project if no significant deliverables are made after say 6 months
--) Developer boards can in them self be bounties for the developer if a contribution is deemed worthy of the project.
5) Nominate Dennis as head hw designer with a second in command head designer
6) Nominate a software head designer with seccond in command designer
