Need to do something Useful

[Tom Poe]

----- Original Message -----
From: Kim Branson <bra369 at pp.molsci.csiro.au>
To: Tom Poe <tompoe at source.net>
Cc: Eric T. Miller <emiller at techskills.com>; Lambe, Dave
<dave.lambe at targacept.com>; Beowulf (E-mail) <beowulf at beowulf.org>
Sent: Saturday, August 25, 2001 8:21 PM
Subject: Re: Need to do something Useful


>
>
>
> the code (some of it is based on work done at the UCSF, its a minimal
> license for academic work type of deal... industry types pay big $$ ) So
> there might be legal hassles for non academic work.
>
> It sure like to set it up as a beowulf.org project, but i would need some
> help...volunteers?
>
> kim
>

Hi, Kim:  Exactly.  Maybe I missed something, but why wouldn't beowulf.org
qualify as a bidder?  My thinking is this, that either through a grant
process, or via a bidder subcontract, a nonprofit organization can compete
with the big guys.  We're set up as a profit-making entity, i.e., Salta
Monte Solutions, Inc., with a Nevada woman-owned small business specializing
in computer-related products, supplies, and services.  We put in a bid on
this, with Beowulf.org as subcontractor, and the "volunteers" make a living,
whatever the government rates would be, and Beowulf.org controls the
licensing requirements that keeps it Open Source.  This is a spinoff of the
type of work done previously for the genomics industry, only I'm suggesting
a way to increase the likelihood of getting the "volunteers" onto a payroll
for a significant contribution to the Open Source community.

Something else to consider would be to form a beowulf.org entity that goes
through and does what all the universities and nonprofits do, and qualify to
bid on projects like this.  Either way, the point is, noone comes into
conflict with academic, nonacademic, proprietary, Open Source, or other
issues, as those issues are explicit within the bid proposal.  If they like
it, they award the contract, if they don't, they don't award the contract.
Beowulf.org simply makes the offer.  And, I think, wins the award.  Thanks,
Tom