RE: Re: bundling software with TSVN?

This is just some ways you could pull a little bit extra.

Don't provide documentation inside the main installer, make all documentation online. In the online documentation use some contextual advertising.
This has some benefits.
You get to find out the most problematic areas of TSVN, maybe snot-loads of people have issues with merging (it still does my head in) having a spike of hits on the merging documentation may indicate a problematic ui.
The community gets a slightly reduced in size installer.
You get more context advert impressions in your documentation.
In case this annoys too many people, make documentation a optional extra.

Place discrete donate buttons in key areas of the user interface.
Installer, TMerge, Check Out, Check In, Browser, basically everywhere.
Nothing big just a 'click link' in the bottom left hand corner of the window.

My final point was allow donations from multiple currencies. People are a little apprehensive in donating in a foreign currency, maybe they get woops that only cost me less than a dollar, or worse, im not going to eat this week. I am not saying you should have a link for every currency under the sun but cover the big ones.

Another thing, seriously look at 'Professional' vs 'Home' use licences - and enforce them via licence keys. Create a library that handles the licensing (obviously licence it in such a way that I cant pull the code and make my own key-gen) and delegate to that library for checking | enforcement.

If a 'Professional' licence is only valid for 1.6.* versions then they don't get to upgrade to 1.7.* -
Another way 'Professional' licences get as many upgrades that their 'subscription' allows them for, make their subscription a year long.
You could also do something with 'seat licence' a corporate can buy a year long subscription for 50 users - enforce that by an online activation | enforcement process.

Sell yourself, say my organization needs a certain set of functionality - I pay you to develop it.

-----Original Message-----
From: Simon Large [mailto:simon.tortoisesvn_at_googlemail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, 12 March 2008 12:18 p.m.
To: dev_at_tortoisesvn.tigris.org
Subject: Re: bundling software with TSVN?

On 11/03/2008, Stefan.Fuhrmann_at_etas.com <Stefan.Fuhrmann_at_etas.com> wrote:

[snip long and considered arguments]

> If you want to give it a try - go for it! The outlook
> is excellent. Just don't start by trying to swim with
> the sharks (a.k.a ad companies) ...

What he said.

I don't believe anyone has anything against you making money from
TSVN. There are possibly more active developers now than there have
been in the past, but it is still very much your work and even if you
are the sole beneficiary of any income I don't think anyone would
begrudge that either.

I think there is a lot more we can do in terms of asking for a
donation. I agree with Lübbe that putting a suggested donation might
well help. At the moment donations are only mentioned on the website
and at the back of the manual. A reminder in the installer would not
hurt (but definitely not a nag screen).

There is no question that TSVN is worth a reasonable donation, but I
think most people don't think of it, don't get around to it or work
for companies that don't have corporate PayPal accounts ;-)

Bundling the shopping toolbar will make TSVN look bad in many people's
eyes, even if the app itself is benign. I refer you to section 3 of
http://tortoisesvn.net/why_spend_time_on_opensource_projects
written by a highly respected software developer ;-)

Simon

-- 
       ___
  oo  // \\      "De Chelonian Mobile"
 (_,\/ \_/ \     TortoiseSVN
   \ \_/_\_/>    The coolest Interface to (Sub)Version Control
   /_/   \_\     http://tortoisesvn.net
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: dev-unsubscribe_at_tortoisesvn.tigris.org
For additional commands, e-mail: dev-help_at_tortoisesvn.tigris.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: dev-unsubscribe_at_tortoisesvn.tigris.org
For additional commands, e-mail: dev-help_at_tortoisesvn.tigris.org