Thanksgiving - no donation this year

ralphbsz said:
I don't think the forum is thought of as the official channel where the foundation speaks ex cathedra.
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My complaint is that they don't come here at all. You would think that their first place to hang out would be on their own forum linked to on their own web site and hosted on their own domain name. I'm not talking about being able to contact the developers or decision makers but that the developers and decision makers are on.....ugh.......Reddit of all places.

If I ever had a WTF moment, this would be high on that list.
 
Old German saying: man muss die Leute dort abholen, wo sie stehen. You have to pick up people where they're standing. I think it originally was intended for things like a bus service.

The reality is that Reddit is, for better or for worse, the largest discussion place on the internet, by far. It has left forums far behind (with the exception of detailed technical discussions, and some forums that are mostly trading / for sale). It is also the best indexed by search engines (including, again for better or worse, the AI input scrapers). If the management of the foundation has only so many hours to spend interacting "on the internet", then Reddit should probably be their first choice. You don't have to like it, but that's the reality.
 
I don't know why people think that the people who run FreeBSD have to be here. I don't believe anyone is better than anyone else, whether those who run FreeBSD or us otherwise per se regular folk. I do believe that they do need representatives to check on things here, every once in a while, and communicate back and forth though.

No one demanded to speak to Bill Gates when we used Microsoft Windows in the 90's. We didn't ask to have Steve Jobs talk directly to Apple users when they got on Apple's chat programs.

It's very nice when we interact with someone, such as who makes music, in person or in chat online, but that's more of a privilege than an expectation. Though, I don't hold them as above other people.

Sometimes it's nice online, when I read about some people's work, and I end up interacting with them for a moment.
 
sidetone said:
I don't know why people think that the people who run FreeBSD have to be here. I don't believe anyone is better than anyone else, whether those who run FreeBSD or us otherwise per se regular folk. I do believe that they do need representatives to check on things here, every once in a while, and communicate back and forth though.

No one demanded to speak to Bill Gates when we used Microsoft Windows in the 90's. We didn't ask to have Steve Jobs talk directly to Apple users when they got on Apple's chat programs.

It's very nice when we interact with someone, such as who makes music, in person or in chat online, but that's more of a privilege than an expectation. Though, I don't hold them as above other people.

Sometimes it's nice online, when I read about some people's work, and I end up interacting with them for a moment.
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We'll all just regular people who love FreeBSD!
 
bakul said:
Have you sent an email to the foundation stating your objections and pointing out how asking for unnecessary details can stop people from donating? That might have more of an effect than posting here.
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This is a great suggestion! Email to info@freebsdfoundation.org with your feedback and suggestions. The Foundation recently changed the online donation service. I'll have to look into it, but asking to upgrade to monthly is new. It's possible this is something through the third-party application. Otherwise, the questions at the beginning are to allow donors the option to make their donation one-time or recurring, feedback in the comments, and on behalf or in memory of someone. The options I see listed are similar to our previous online donation platform, but we are always open to feedback and improvements! We don't want to make this a pain for people who want to support the Foundation's work. Regarding providing the donor's name, it is required for the US tax system. If someone chooses to make their donation anonymous or opt out of the newsletter, that is completely honored.
 
fmc000 said:
I made my December donation a few days ago and, apart for been asked twice to make it recurrent, everything went smooth and I didn't have to give away my address and so on.

Edit: nice touch: my name is already visible in the donor list, I guess it's probably added automatically.
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Thank you! We'll have to look into why it asks twice. Donor's names are listed unless the donor opts out. Most folks like to show their support for FreeBSD. :-)
 
drhowarddrfine said:
On a sad note, and I mentioned this before some time ago, this morning it was brought to my attention by a former employee of mine that Percival and Deb Goodkin post on Reddit of all places. Percival stated that he hangs out there but not here. Why is that? Why is Goodkin posting there and not here? And there are others. This is their own home!
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I'm posting here. :-) It's difficult to keep on top of all the platforms, but I try. The best way to provide feedback to the Foundation is through email: info@freebsdfoundation.org. Why am I on reddit? It's the best place for me to get running information!
 
drhowarddrfine said:
And again my point is totally missed. I wouldn't compare Gates and Jobs to the people I mentioned either
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Your point wasn't missed. It's that you like one project, and the others aren't open source. It's about ego, but you will make every excuse, and justificetion, to say it's not. It is like asking Bill Gates or Steve jobs to chat with their customers on their products.
 
I demand that the board members of FreeBSD acknowledge us by coming in here!

Ego. But deny it, and deny that.

There's no reason that it be insisted on and then to feel neglected bc they aren't in here.
 
drhowarddrfine said:
Does that mean this place is not a good place?
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Wait - are the FreeBSD Forums a good place for getting information about marathons and trail races? I'm already on Reddit because that's the best place for me to get information on races I'm running. When I'm there, I usually check out the FreeBSD channel. The FreeBSD Forums is an excellent place for community engagement. I should check it out more often, since it's a good place to understand users' challenges and issues. There are more technical folks from the Foundation on the forums.
 
POSIX.1 said:
That's exactly what I thought when I read it. And note her exclamation mark. She really does mean it. Right, dgoodkin ?
So let's improve her experience with our unique FreeBSD Forums.
I'm curious to see if she has the courage to ask questions here too.
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That's my mistake. That wasn't my intention at all (I tend to use too many exclamation marks)! The real reason that I'm on reddit more is because I get a daily email summarizing discussions happening in the channels I follow. It's mostly running races that I follow. But, the email includes the FreeBSD channel, so I see what discussions are happening there too.

Regarding asking questions, I hope that a person doesn't need to have courage to ask questions here. When I talk to people about FreeBSD, I tell them this is an inclusive and welcoming community. However, I'll fulfill your curiosity by asking questions or sharing my experience when I start installing FreeBSD 15.0 on my Framework laptop once I receive it. What questions do you think I should ask?
 
dgoodkin said:
The FreeBSD Forums is an excellent place for community engagement. I should check it out more often
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This is my whole point and concern. When I have former employees text me, "Did you see this?", where people from the Foundation or lead developers posting announcements and helping out on Reddit but never/rarely posting here, it makes me ask the question, "Why?" Why aren't these people checking this forum out more often?

Ed Maste used to post here on a regular basis (and I know he had to stop cause he became just too busy but he explained that back then) but he doesn't post on Reddit either, afaik. I perfectly understand many of them spend more time developing than hanging out on social platforms but I would think their own home base would be a first choice.

Yes, yes, a presence is needed on other media to help spread the word but I hope you and others get my point. More than once I've heard that people brag on reddit that FreeBSD people post there and not here meaning we aren't worthy. To me this is alarming.

There are some really, really smart people here but sometimes even really smart people need some help from above.

Notes:

I never go to reddit except by accident; either someone sends me a link or it's the result of some search and I don't realize it. People here know how I feel about reddit.

I did, just now, check to see when I was last there on purpose and it seems I logged in last 14 years ago.

I'm hearing more from "former employees" cause we're talking about getting the band back together, hence an uptick in this talk cause they're looking around at 15.0 and all the new stuff.

This also means I'm typing as fast as I can between meetings and sleep--just like you! 😁
 
dgoodkin said:
The FreeBSD Forums is an excellent place for community engagement. I should check it out more often, since it's a good place to understand users' challenges and issues. There are more technical folks from the Foundation on the forums.
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Hi dgoodkin, welcome! Do you think it might be worth yourself or one of the more technical folks from the Foundation doing an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on the forums, where forum users get to ask any FreeBSD project-related questions that only someone from the Foundation can answer? Would certainly help with community engagement. And if it's successful (on both sides), perhaps make it a regular thing i.e. annually. Thoughts?
 
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