qgil | # 41 | 2009-10-27, 01:21 | Report

We are reaching the point where a Brainstorm proposal with potential solutions would be useful http://maemo.org/community/brainstorm/

To start with, it would be good to know whether the prospects of publishing in the Ovi store are interesting to a small or big portion of Maemo community developers and contributors.

Texrat | # 42 | 2009-10-27, 01:25 | Report

Maybe this is one area where professional groups can function? Or would we need to create a "maemo.org Ltd"?

solarion | # 43 | 2009-10-27, 01:48 | Report

For my own apps, that's one thing. For a repackaged community app (e.g. gnumeric in my case) or just those who want to enable donations to a worthy cause, how about providing an easy way to hook the project donations into an established foundation, e.g. FSF, GNOME, Mozilla?

geneven | # 44 | 2009-10-27, 01:58 | Report

We wouldn't call you a sellout. I'm sure it's fine if you pay Nokia for the privilege of offering your product for sale and give it away for free; why would they care?

attila77 | # 45 | 2009-10-27, 02:05 | Report

The (non-monetary) difference is that while I don't mind Nokia getting 30% of that 1€ if it's a payment, taking 30% off of a donation for somebody's volunteer work would leave a sour taste IMHO.

jolo | # 46 | 2009-10-27, 03:13 | Report

I work for Nokia (Maemo) and I would have to agree with you. I think handling charitable donations via Ovi Store would not be the right way to go. If someone paid via Operator Billing, that would also take more money.

The goal (in my mind, at least) is to allow people that do creative work and are trying to make a buck a chance to sell things via Ovi Store. I think that makes a Maemo (and the N900) interesting, if we get some professional content, and developers that might be developing things on other platforms a chance to create some cool stuff for the N900. On the other hand, we have the community work (some people doing cool, original things and others porting great stuff from the Linux community). This gives a rather unique, best of both worlds opportunity.

f(x) | # 47 | 2009-10-27, 03:31 | Report

Why not stop depending on OVI store?
Let's create new one then?

Now the real questions what we need?
1- Server?
2- Programing an automated way to process apps
3- Labors (We could use a new approach with Open/Free/Volunteered people and consider a donation or smiler way to keep it going?)
4- Payment method? (Paypal + Depending on 3rd party which provides premium SMS payment)
5- Making some rules
6- ????
7- ????

This way it will be totally controlled by the community & the real question is How this will be going and will be able to catch some big names?

qgil | # 48 | 2009-10-27, 05:20 | Report

Good, so after few posts we can see that supporting donations in Ovi would imply changes in their UI (optional payments, different amounts, all this localized to supported languages), changes in their business model (70-30 seen as unfair for donations) and changes in their legal framework (need to check the implications of handling donations in each supported country).

Add to all this the problem of allowing the registration of individuals operating below the VAT registration, since they are the main target group for uch donations.

And also add the possibility of having to consider even more complex scenarios, like local non-profits or having to split revenue among more than one developer (the real situation of most community projects likely to get donations).

So you see, a hard nut to crack. Again, even beforre considering a proposal for the Ovi team it would be good to get a consensus in the Maemo community about what makes sense, what has top priority and so on.

RevdKathy | # 49 | 2009-10-27, 08:00 | Report

The bear brain says that I shall probably look at the Ovi store first, since there's a desktop link. Joe Public may not even find the maemo repository. Which means that if the bulk of apps are not streamed through to Ovi (which I can see is for very good reason), Joe may not find them. And in three months time he'll be complaining that he was sold this device on the promise of lots of apps being developed and they're not there.

Could/would the Ovi store carry a link through to the maemo store? (Assuming there is a 'maemo store'? Can it be made to look kewl and glossy, rather than plain and Open Source? - sorry I'm trying to think like Joe here!)

Could/would the deveoper community set up a small company to register at Ovi, for those who want to charge?

Is paypal the best method for donations?

Edit: I just found this which is really handy for Joe Public. (And do I see Groupwise on there? Trying not to Happy Dance at that possibility)

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Last edited by RevdKathy; 2009-10-27 at 08:20.

yannj | # 50 | 2009-10-27, 09:06 | Report

50€ will be nothing compare to the tax you would have to pay to your living country... (as for me about 30% of what I would earn) of course it apply only with a commercial apps with a big enought audience