[Sugar-devel] State of Sugar?

[Christoph Derndorfer-Medosch]

Hi Charlie,

have you looked at Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/)? I've supported two
or three open source developers via it over the years and am finding it a
low-friction way to do that via exactly the kind of monthly
subscriptions/donations that you mention.

Cheers,
Christoph

On Fri, Oct 30, 2020 at 9:25 PM C. Cossé <ccosse at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello all,
>
> I would like to mention that there are probably other people, besides
> myself, who would love to develop their ideas for education software, if
> only there were some way to get paid.  I used to make free education
> software back when I had kids and could afford the time.  I personally
> still have a list of un-implemented ideas for education software which I'd
> love to work on, but the factor that makes it possible is missing, ie
> money.  It wouldn't necessarily be too difficult to modify the Sugar (and
> Sugarizer) eco-systems to promote compensation of developers.  For example:
> someone likes a project and wants to encourage further development by
> "putting $500 on it".  Or, since that might not happen very often, then
> convert into a "subscription" system in which subscription fees are used to
> compensate developers, perhaps allowing the subscriber choose which
> projects to support.  If there are people who want to develop and other
> people who want to support such work, then it could be successful.
>
> Just sayin' :)
>
> -Charlie Cosse
>
>
> On Fri, Oct 30, 2020 at 3:47 AM Christoph Derndorfer-Medosch <
> christoph.derndorfer at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> a quick thought experiment from another old-timer and long-term lurker
>> here:
>>
>> James, I think one might also turn your assessment on its head:
>>
>> "The *low number of contributors* to Sugar Labs, Sugar, Sugarizer,
>> and Music Blocks is *due to the focus that we have, and it's unclear*. The
>> relatively *small amount of continued contributions* alone will *not
>> have any real effect on that*.
>>
>> Sugar Labs contributors *will arrive and thrive* if there is a *clear
>> Sugar Labs focus*."
>>
>> Just my 2 euro cents,
>> Christoph
>>
>> On Fri, Oct 30, 2020 at 8:53 AM James Cameron <quozl at laptop.org> wrote:
>>
>>> I disagree that the focus has shifted or that it should be shifted
>>> back to what it was.  The state of Sugar Labs, Sugar, Sugarizer, and
>>> Music Blocks is due to the contributors we have, and they are too few.
>>> No amount of refocusing will have any real effect on that.
>>>
>>> Sugar Labs will thrive if there are contributors.
>>>
>>> On Thu, Oct 29, 2020 at 11:40:58PM +0100, Bastien wrote:
>>> > Thanks James.
>>> >
>>> > So Sugar is maintained by a handful of people but it is not actively
>>> > developed anymore.  Sugar Labs puts some efforts in maintaining it but
>>> > does not really know who is still using it.  Sugar Labs also hosts the
>>> > Sugarizer project, which is well alive and reaching children at least
>>> > in France.
>>> >
>>> > I hope this does sound approximatively correct.
>>> >
>>> > Sugar Labs was all about provoking a change in the way we experience
>>> > education (learning and teaching) through the development of Sugar, as
>>> > a flagship for such a change.  This flagship was designed around a few
>>> > core principles and powerful ideas that are still alive and relevant
>>> > today: namely focus, reflection and collaboration.
>>> >
>>> > I think we all agree these core principles will survive the software.
>>> >
>>> > What if Sugar Labs focus was not to promote Sugar (which is dying) but
>>> > to help build a network of contributors around these core principles?
>>> >
>>> > What if we insist on the "Labs" more than on the "Sugar"?
>>> >
>>> > The Free Software Foundation is saying over and over that children
>>> > should use free software.  But building free educational software is
>>> > something very few people are interested in doing seriously, and the
>>> > ones willing to do it by following the aforementioned core principles
>>> > may not want to rely on Sugar or Sugarizer.
>>> >
>>> > How to help these people?
>>> >
>>> > You know my love for this project and my commitment to helping OLPC
>>> > back in the times, Sugar Labs community and Sugarizer today.  But I
>>> > don't feel the pulse of the Sugar community anymore, and I think that
>>> > may be because the focus is back on the software, rather than on the
>>> > core principles and the people themselves.
>>> >
>>> > Stated otherwise: if Alan K., Seymour P., Cynthia S. and Walter were
>>> > back again in the same room to discuss the future of education, what
>>> > would they propose?  Could Sugar Labs host these new ideas?
>>> >
>>> > --
>>> >  Bastien
>>> > _______________________________________________
>>> > Sugar-devel mailing list
>>> > Sugar-devel at lists.sugarlabs.org
>>> > http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/sugar-devel
>>>
>>> --
>>> James Cameron
>>> http://quozl.netrek.org/
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Sugar-devel mailing list
>>> Sugar-devel at lists.sugarlabs.org
>>> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/sugar-devel
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Christoph Derndorfer
>>
>> volunteer, OLPC (Austria) / co-founder, TechnikBasteln® [
>> www.technikbasteln.net]
>>
>> e-mail: christoph at derndorfer.eu
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Sugar-devel mailing list
>> Sugar-devel at lists.sugarlabs.org
>> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/sugar-devel
>>
>
>
> --
>
> ccosse.github.io
>


-- 
Christoph Derndorfer

volunteer, OLPC (Austria) / co-founder, TechnikBasteln® [
www.technikbasteln.net]

e-mail: christoph at derndorfer.eu
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