Zikula Community

• dks
  
  

  • Rank: Softmore
  • Registered: Feb 07, 2003
  • Last visit: May 31, 2010
  • Posts: 404

  Posted: Jul 10, 2008 - 01:34 PM

  Steven's Post got me thinking of ways to (a) see features that I personally want, and (b) see the developers get paid.
  
  Then I remembered something about the Ubuntu guy sponsoring software bounties. A quick search found https://www.bountysource.com/ which lays out how things would work.
  
  I think I've brought something like this up before and didn't see much interest, but I thought I'd try again.
  
  comments?

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• uheweb
  
  

  • Rank: Helper
  • Registered: Sep 16, 2004
  • Last visit: Oct 21, 2009
  • Posts: 731

  Posted: Jul 10, 2008 - 02:14 PM

  The biggest problems are:
  
  1. Coordinating a feature set that the many contributors can agree on
  2. Selecting the developer (and having contributors agree on it)
  3. If not an outright developer...is the bounty "open" to all until a super-majority of the contributors accept a certain solution?
  4. Managing escrow of funds...if not done well, with people owning up to their bounty offers and developers delivering final product well, it will fall apart soon with no trust.
  
  NCM
  SwitchBit / UHE

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• Simon
  
  

  • Rank: Legend
  • Registered: Dec 11, 2002
  • Last visit: Oct 21, 2009
  • Posts: 11674

  Posted: Jul 10, 2008 - 04:15 PM

  Interesting. I wonder if I could combine something like this with the rent-a-coder project I have in the works...
  
  --
  itbegins.co.uk - Zikula Consulting
  
  birtwistle.me.uk - Personal Blog
  
  
  Please read the Support Guide

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• **unknown user**
  
  

  • Rank: Helper
  • Registered: Mar 16, 2002
  • Last visit: May 18, 2010
  • Posts: 985

  Posted: Jul 10, 2008 - 06:18 PM

  uheweb

  
  5. someone who pays eg $20.00 has the same project as for someone who pays $500.00, is that fair?
  6. bounty is so far $650.00, developer request is $1,500.00, nobody kicks in... project request goes dead... Sor far for the good intention...
  

  
  
  How about the other way around?
  
  and mix and match
  
  Sound nice in theroy... but I'm with uheweb here...
  
  - Igor

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• uheweb
  
  

  • Rank: Helper
  • Registered: Sep 16, 2004
  • Last visit: Oct 21, 2009
  • Posts: 731

  Posted: Jul 11, 2008 - 03:38 AM

  Bounties ... some may pay more..some less. Does that mean those paying more were "cheated"? No...they were just willing to offer more for what they wanted.
  
  Also, if someone already has a large pledge and another wants the same functionality, there is no incentive to "share" the pledge, reducing the cost for the original pledge.
  
  Developers then set their "bounty" for the project with an explanation of it, and the tech/licensing and more.
  
  IE
  
  DEV 1 FEATURE A - $500
  DEV 2 FEATURE A - $1000
  
  
  Then, pledges just pledge a percentage - ie, 50%, or 100%.
  
  Pledges get to "vote" on the developer proposals on the same basis that they pledged (showing their "cost" if the proposal is accepted). Once a super-majority has voted for a proposal...developer gets a "lock" on the project.
  
  Once pledges are at 100% of the feature cost, more pledges reduce the per percentage cost:
  
  Pledge1 50% of A - $50 at first
  Pledge2 50% of A - $50 at first
  Pledge3 50% of A - $33.33 now...Pledge1/Pledge2 reduced to $33 now, too.
  
  Pledges don't know how many others have also pledged...they just know that their absolute final cost will be Equal to (if pledge reaches 100%) or LESS THAN (if more than 100% is pledged) their initial pledge .
  
  Or something along those lines (although perhaps in the case of overpledges, the bounty increases at some percentage of the overpledge, so more pledges raise the bounty, but also decrease the cost for all involved some percentage.) Also, you could have "minimum" pledges...although, I'd assume most the code will be GPL...so once its freed...everyone has it anyway...and many will get it for $0 then.
  
  Its an interesting thing to think about...
  
  Now, considering the size and complications of coordinating all these pledgers and developers, it perhaps should have a 5% kickback to the pledge network - time to maintain the system, kickback to Zikula, or whatever

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• HalbrookTech
  
  

  • Rank: Developer
  • Registered: Dec 31, 1969
  • Last visit: Jun 01, 2010
  • Posts: 6859

  Posted: Jul 11, 2008 - 04:36 AM

  When I was developing, I made quotes based on release of the project. I gave discounts if the project was to be GPL released or if I was given permission to release it under a commercial license. In the first case it was a way of thanking them for contributing to PostNuke, in the 2nd case, they got a discount because I could make more $ down the road.
  
  --
  Home Page | Find on Facebook | Follow on Twitter
  

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• AmmoDump
  
  

  • Rank: Team Member
  • Registered: Dec 07, 2003
  • Last visit: May 09, 2010
  • Posts: 2703

  Posted: Jul 11, 2008 - 04:40 AM

  uheweb

  Bounties ... some may pay more..some less. Does that mean those paying more were "cheated"? No...they were just willing to offer more for what they wanted.
  
  Also, if someone already has a large pledge and another wants the same functionality, there is no incentive to "share" the pledge, reducing the cost for the original pledge.
  
  Developers then set their "bounty" for the project with an explanation of it, and the tech/licensing and more.
  
  IE
  
  DEV 1 FEATURE A - $500
  DEV 2 FEATURE A - $1000
  
  
  Then, pledges just pledge a percentage - ie, 50%, or 100%.
  
  Pledges get to "vote" on the developer proposals on the same basis that they pledged (showing their "cost" if the proposal is accepted). Once a super-majority has voted for a proposal...developer gets a "lock" on the project.
  
  Once pledges are at 100% of the feature cost, more pledges reduce the per percentage cost:
  
  Pledge1 50% of A - $50 at first
  Pledge2 50% of A - $50 at first
  Pledge3 50% of A - $33.33 now...Pledge1/Pledge2 reduced to $33 now, too.
  
  Pledges don't know how many others have also pledged...they just know that their absolute final cost will be Equal to (if pledge reaches 100%) or LESS THAN (if more than 100% is pledged) their initial pledge .
  
  Or something along those lines (although perhaps in the case of overpledges, the bounty increases at some percentage of the overpledge, so more pledges raise the bounty, but also decrease the cost for all involved some percentage.) Also, you could have "minimum" pledges...although, I'd assume most the code will be GPL...so once its freed...everyone has it anyway...and many will get it for $0 then.
  
  Its an interesting thing to think about...
  
  Now, considering the size and complications of coordinating all these pledgers and developers, it perhaps should have a 5% kickback to the pledge network - time to maintain the system, kickback to Zikula, or whatever

  
  I will pledge 5 dollars towards the development of this system.
  
  --
  David Pahl
  Zikula Support Team

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• dks
  
  

  • Rank: Softmore
  • Registered: Feb 07, 2003
  • Last visit: May 31, 2010
  • Posts: 404

  Posted: Jul 11, 2008 - 08:54 AM

  Here's how a bounty system works.
  
  If someone needs a feature for a commercial project that they're working on they may post a request with a bid of (just an example) $300. If someone else thinks that feature might be nice for their hobby site, they may add $50 to the pot.
  
  If there aren't any developers that will do the work for $350, then the work doesn't get done. End of story.
  
  If shortly after someone else sees this feature request and adds $250 to the pot and a developer decides that the time required is worth $600, then he takes the job and delivers the feature.

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