
Gnome Foundation Budget Troubles FAQ - okasaki
https://wiki.gnome.org/FoundationBoard/CurrentBudgetFAQ
======
elipsey
Perhaps this is an opportunity for Gnome users to bribe the foundation to
revert some of Gnome's insane UI decisions. Example: A series of kickstarters
such as "Bribe Gnome to remove pop ups that say 'Your window is ready'" or
"Bribe Gnome to let me Hibernate my computer again".

~~~
okasaki
I never understood people's attachment to GNOME. When GNOME 3 came out I
didn't like it so I permanently switched to XFCE. What is it that GNOME devs
do that is so valuable and unique? Why are distributions committed to waiting
for years for it to improve despite the users' ire?

~~~
gkop
I run GNOME 3 because it underpins Debian and Debian is the least fragmented
developer-friendly Linux desktop. It's got the reliability I need for a work
environment and the shininess that makes me happy and is as usable out-of-the-
box as OSX, Windows 7, or Ubuntu. Also I appreciate Abiword and Gnumeric,
GNOME's word processor and spreadsheet respectively, for sucking the least
among their FOSS alternatives. I donate.

~~~
reality_czech
Debian shipped Xfce for a while as the default (I'm not sure what the latest
default is).

[http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2013/11/debian-8-0-switches-
xfce-...](http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2013/11/debian-8-0-switches-xfce-default)

In general, most of the GNOME devs work for Red Hat. Debian is not really that
closely associated with GNOME, and a lot of the Debian devs have gotten
annoyed by GNOME decisions in the past. I think the latest example was when
GNOME started to depend on systemd, some Debian developers were annoyed.

~~~
gkop
Thanks for the info. I trust Debian to make good decisions about the new init
system and the default desktop environment. If they go with Xfce I will not
complain (and it'll be a nice boon for Xfce development; potentially a win-
win).

~~~
reality_czech
I like Debian as well. I wish they were more popular than "that other distro"
that copies their work without contributing much back. I think the move to
systemd is a good idea.

------
dtech
TL;DR version: Invoice/accounts receivable managment was subpar and there have
been large expenses. Now there's a liquidity problem.

Not an uncommon problem in non-profits/voluntary organizations.

------
Peter1337
I really feel all the haters here are emotionally attached to GNOME deep down
their hearts. Also, I feel that they want GNOME 3 to prove them wrong, to
succeed, but not on their desktops ... maybe on their tablets. I felt the
alienation too buddies, but maybe GNOME hasn't forgotten us after all, by
introducing GNOME Classic ([http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/new-
classic-mode-...](http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/new-classic-mode-
forking-gnome-3-waste-time)). I urge everyone of you to donate, not just
because of this crunch. Donate to fulfil your expectations from GNOME, to see
GNOME 3 succeed, maybe on your tablet. We, the open source hackers build such
foundations. Foundations that aren't like hoarders Samsung & Apple who burn
their money away on destructive litigations. Support GNOME at
[http://www.gnome.org/friends](http://www.gnome.org/friends) A friend in need
is a friend indeed :-)

------
leoc
> If anyone is familiar with Guile/Scheme, the Foundation would benefit from a
> custom printable invoice stylesheet for GnuCash. Contact the board for a PDF
> of what it needs to look like.

This is almost too good to be true. :)

------
abalashov
Idea: spend money on development, not "outreach foundations". The director
took donations intended for one purpose and used them to fund political pet
projects in another. She resigned before the 2013 financial reports came to
light.

------
ldng
"we made assumptions based on previous years' incomes and expenditures [...].
Those assumptions proved to be more optimistic than reality."

The foundation overspent on the OPW program. But I can't help wondering ...
isn't the budget problem a direct result of Gnome getting less ans less
popular over the years ?

When the user base is shrinking, so will the donations, hence the budget
problems, right ? People make donations to projects they supports. As
developer are not willing to listen to its user base, why would they donate ?

~~~
comice
Instead of just baseless thinking out loud, let's turn to some actual facts:

[http://www.gnome.org/foundation/reports/](http://www.gnome.org/foundation/reports/)

Their 2012 annual report in particular says:

"Corporate sponsorship ... up 41.6% from the previous year."

"Personal donations rose by 45.4% ... this appears to be the highest amount of
personal donations that the GNOME Foundation has ever received."

If you've got some real reason to believe 2013's finances are different, and
believe the foundation is lying about their reasons for the shortfall, then do
let us know.

~~~
ldng
I've never said they were lying. And as stated, I was "wonderind" or "thinking
out loud" as you put it. Should have checked the facts, you're right, I stand
corrected.

But still, there are reasons to think 2013's finances are different. They said
they've overspent based on projection on previous years income. Maybe it still
growing but not as much as expected. We'll see in the 2013's report.

