KDE e.V. transparency (was: Re: Voting rights - the GNOME way)

[Vadim Plessky]

On Wednesday 27 November 2002 5:27 am, Dirk Mueller wrote:
|  On Mit, 27 Nov 2002, Rob Kaper wrote:
[...]
|  > Yes, *I* know the e.V. paid the ETAP hotel for LinuxTag last year
|  > because I was there. But I am sure a lot of developers might not know
|  > this, let alone KDE users considering to make a donation. Adding such
|  > activities to the e.V. website would greatly help because it would give
|  > some visibility. Just because a lot of active KDE developers doesn't
|  > automatically give the body credibility. The e.V. could do better to
|  > promote itself.
|
|  Note that while it is great to have people being reimbursed for such
| things, but KDE's financial status is not good enough to reimburse
| everybody for every work they do for KDE. Because after all, we're free
| software and don't get any money for KDE releases.
|
|  For example I've spend several hundred EURs on traveling "for KDE" as well
|  and while it made my small budget even smaller (I have no regular income),
| I was still able to afford it.
|

That's why KDE e.V. should be more transparent, and put more info on the web.
We should get not only "spending reports" but also "requests for help", that's 
the best way to get some help, IMO.
For example:  if I know that Dirk Mueller needs several hundreds of Euro for 
travelling on KDE's behalf, or KDE needs new server - I (and other people) 
may consider to help with funding this.

I am also surprised to hear that you don't have regular income.
(I thought that you are employed by one of the KDE-friendly companies)
I understand that KDE e.V. can't fund *every KDE developer*, but com'on, you 
are Release Coordinator for KDE 3.x, there are 6 releases in KDE 3.0.x series 
and KDE 3.1 is coming.
If I was KDE e.V. member /probably I should apply, as we really miss some 
energy there/, I would strongly vote for financial support for you
(until we found better way to fund you)
So far I failed to get financial (or hardware donation) support for KDE from 
several companies I was talking to.  But I keep trying ;-)
I don't have job at a moment, but 2 out of 3 positions I am currently applying 
to would allow me at least *tell* about such possibility, without risk of 
being fired next day.

Cheers,
-- 

Vadim Plessky
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