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OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on

marc.info

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Re: OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on

#21

Post by drdeadringer »

cpprototypes wrote: post #18

A little bit off topic, but this reminds me again of how much the web needs an easy payment system (as easy as in-app purchases in mobile). EFF, wikipedia, I often see notices or news of things they're doing and think to myself that I should donate. But I'm usually in the middle of something and stopping everything to take out my wallet, get the CC, fill out a form, etc. is just too disruptive. So I try to remind mys…

The tagline for such a payment system should be "Let's not have another heartfelt message from Jimmy Wales".

Re: OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on

#22

Post by raydev »

I feel like it's useful to point that OpenBSD won't say exactly why the bill is so high, and apparently they don't have open accounting. That bothers me a bit.

Link to relevant reddit comment thread: http://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/1vakm9/openbsd_develo...

Re: OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on

#23

Post by jdludlow » 

  > The OpenBSD project uses a lot of electricity for running the
  > development and build machines.  A number of logistical reasons
  > prevents us from moving the machines to another location which might
  > offer space/power for free, so let's not allow the conversation to go
  > that way.
I don't understand this comment. If the choice came down to moving versus shutting down entirely, why is moving an unacceptable answer?

Re: OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on

#27

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

jdludlow wrote: post #23

> The OpenBSD project uses a lot of electricity for running the > development and build machines. A number of logistical reasons > prevents us from moving the machines to another location which might > offer space/power for free, so let's not allow the conversation to go > that way. I don't understand this comment. If the choice came down to moving versus shutting down entirely, why is moving an unacceptable answer?

Seriously? What's not to understand? He said they had reasons that prevent them from moving and didn't want to discuss it further. Why push it?

Isn't he in a better position to decide what's unacceptable than you are?

Re: OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on

#28

Post by d_theorist »

fennecfoxen wrote: post #17
j_s wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 20 thousand dollars in electrical expenses [annually?]

> A number of logistical reasons prevents us from moving the machines to another location which might offer space/power for free, so let's not allow the conversation to go that way. and there's no way that overcoming those logistical reasons would be cheaper than $20,000? at all? okay, well then, I guess that limits your options doesn't it.

It certainly seems rather unlikely that moving the machines to another location would reduce the expenses to $0.

I can well imagine that there would be a lot of difficulty in moving an large eclectic collection of old machines into a modern data center, and that such an undertaking might be extremely expensive.

Re: OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on

#29

Post by vog »

cpprototypes wrote: post #18

A little bit off topic, but this reminds me again of how much the web needs an easy payment system (as easy as in-app purchases in mobile). EFF, wikipedia, I often see notices or news of things they're doing and think to myself that I should donate. But I'm usually in the middle of something and stopping everything to take out my wallet, get the CC, fill out a form, etc. is just too disruptive. So I try to remind mys…

Indeed, they should consider looking more at Europe, especially France and Germany. Their donation page seems to focus too much on US, Canada and seems to assume the rest of the world is happy with PayPal.

Other organization provide all information for SEPA bank transfers on their donation page (e.g. http://www.osmfoundation.org/wiki/Donate/SEPA), while the OpenBSD donation page just provides an email address that you should contact if you want to donate via a simple, plain bank transfer. That's kind of discouraging.

Re: OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on

#30

Post by gtaylor »

jdludlow wrote: post #23

> The OpenBSD project uses a lot of electricity for running the > development and build machines. A number of logistical reasons > prevents us from moving the machines to another location which might > offer space/power for free, so let's not allow the conversation to go > that way. I don't understand this comment. If the choice came down to moving versus shutting down entirely, why is moving an unacceptable answer?

Especially if the fate of OpenBSD as it stands is hanging in the balance. Depending on who is offering, this may be because of the uncertainty of whatever arrangement is being proposed. For example, if a smaller company or an individual offers to foot the bill, what happens if the company/individual later has a budget crunch of their own, or decides to cut ties?

Of course, if an IBM/Apple/Google/etc offers space/power, it may be a less risky proposition.

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