On Wed, May 5, 2010 at 3:40 PM, Jon Davis <wiki(a)konsoletek.com> wrote:
We've all been beating around the bush here, the
real question is: What
_specifically_ will the chapter allow us to accomplish, that we can't do
now?
I've expanded
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_California
to try to address your request for specific examples, but I've got
some questions.
3) Equipment for events - The example used was being
unable to get equipment
from the Foundation for Maker Faire. While this isn't entirely correct,
we'll roll with it. Anyways, we've got a bunch of very technical people
whom all have spare electronics which we can throw together (and will,
should the need arise).
I'm not sure what you are trying to say here. At the March Meetup at
Yahoo, I remember you specified two LCD displays and a projector,
along with five computers (e.g. laptops). Is that correct? At the
time, you told me that they should be requested from Danese (as Micha
recorded in the action items) but when I tried to follow up with
Foundation staff after Micha posted the action items, I'm still not
sure what the resolution was.
So, are those being requested from the Foundation or from people's
spare electronics? What is the status of their availability? It
seems unreasonable to depend on people's generosity with spare
hardware; it's hard to tell when those sorts of things are an
imposition. A funded Chapter project would certainly solve the issues
which I experienced.
4) Recruit people - Ok, that sounds like GSOC - any
other specifics?
Yes; again, I'm preparing some initial grant applications according to
the established Foundation process and template. My primary interest
is supporting and enhancing educational applications, like Mediawiki's
Quiz Extension, which provide more bona fide educational experiences
to users than simply displaying non-interactive text and images.
5) Accelerate projects - Well I've got devious
plans to abuse this Chapter
for the aid and benefit of Wikinews, but that isn't exactly high on anyones
list. Besides that "acquiring, and benchmarking a variety of hardware
platforms" ?? I'm sorry, but you're talking about projects that can costs
into the 10 of thousands of dollars - there is _no_ way our chapter is going
to pull this off unless someone has TIGHT connections with a major hardware
vendor.
Right, a lot of expensive hardware, which the Foundation doesn't (or
at least hasn't, so far) have time to spec, evaluate, benchmark, or
test in a way that a funded Chapter project would have the allocated
time and resources for. I, for one, have been and intend to remain
providing technical assistance, advice, and suggestions to Foundation
staff and volunteers, and I know the Bay Area community has a huge
wealth of professional and hobbyist talent in these regards. If you
don't want to be a part of asking the Foundation to support such
efforts, that's fine, but I do, and I intend to ask until I become
convinced that the Foundation is adequately staffed and capable of
performing such evaluations on their own, and that they are actually
doing so. There is no reason we couldn't initially leave such a
Foundation chapter grant request open ended, so the Foundation could
decide the extent to which they prefer assistance with next-generation
hardware validation and benchmarking.
7) Fundraising - Well, yes, we'll need to do this
to support the chapter
itself... but that does't actually assist us in anyway currently.
The point is that there are a huge range of grants, such as
http://tinyurl.com/WikimediaNSF and similar government and foundation
grants, which the Foundation doesn't have the time or inclination to
apply for, but which could easily fund all of the discussed projects
and Chapter staff over a very long term. I think failing to try would
be a pointless mistake.
It seems a little disingenuous to complain that your hard work (which
everyone appreciates) is the only thing that ever makes things happen,
and then in the next breath discourage attempts to help provide
assistance through the established process for doing so at the local
level.
Regards,
James