Hi Tim

Why don't you try to propose some topics you would like to work on and 
build a kind of small
business model. For my side I would pay for:

	- a better UI framework
	- a better file system
	- a better compiler framework
	- a better VM

I suggest you to have a pay pal for VMMaker for example. Do you know if 
paypal send bills to the
payer?

Right now there is no legal structure to collect funds, so 
people/organization
cannot give money. I would like to buy Squeak3.7. I think that there is 
a difference between open-source and paying to get a good distribution. 
We should invent our own market.

For example in the schools people have budget to buy software or cd 
such as the Squeak CD.
I think that selling the CD 25$ is not a problem at all. Marcus do you 
know if we get a bill
when we order the SqueakCD (Markus did you bought it for the group?).

Stef


On 28 mars 04, at 20:43, Tim Rowledge wrote:

> Samuel Tardieu <sam at rfc1149.net> wrote:
>
>>>>>>> "Stéphane" == stéphane ducasse <ducasse at iam.unibe.ch> writes:
>>
>> Stéphane> I would really like that we give a try because I'm ready to
>> Stéphane> pay to get better software in Squeak.  But right now we
>> Stéphane> cannot even pay!!!
>>
>> Why don't you hire a consultant to get the work done under a free
>> software license?
> Believe me, I'm available for very reasonable rates. As are several
> other people, some of who might even be nearly as competent as myself
> :-)
>
> This is essentially a variant of the idea we hoped to establish  with a
> properly legal Squeak Foundation; provide a legal body that could
> accept money and pay it out to support people working on significant
> projects. Right now I can afford to work on stuff very cheaply (if it's
> work I find interesting anyway) because I have no mortgage to worry
> about and our other expenses are startlingly small. In fact the total
> expenses look likely to be less than just our mortage we were paying in
> silly con valley. And waaay less than the taxes I used to pay.