Hello, I found Framework’s open-source sponsorship program and wondering whether it applies only to the companies with established legal entity, or also to private persons?
I make open-source print server devices, the development of which have provided a bunch of upstream fixes for CUPS, SANE, AirSane, box86 and other related printing and scanning projects.
The profit is split between open-source printing stack, and also used to fund new driver development (here’s the most recent one).
You may think that such an old and economically-important feature as printing should undoubtedly be backed up by a large company, and it was true in the past, but the current situation is as follows:
- CUPS and all related projects is supported by 4 unpaid volunteers
- SANE is developed by a single unpaid maintainer, many existing scanner drivers are not maintained
This leads to comical bugs, such as when the user tried to print landscape in 3 different programs and got incorrect results as all of 3 are buggy.
Right now OpenPrinting team is several years into brand new CUPSv3 development, which is vastly more modern and secure, but unfortunately supports only so-called driverless modern printers—all the legacy ones would be supported only via additional converting software which also needs to be created, packaged, tested, and delivered to the users, or won’t be supported at all in the closest future.
All CUPSv2 stuff (which is a current version in all Linux distributions) is in feature freeze, but still requires bug and security fixes—it incorporates support for all driver development paradigms from all UNIXes since 1999, and has an enormous tech debt.
CUPS and SANE are the part of virtually every Linux/BSD desktop and workstation, and some Linux servers. Michael Sweet, the lead of CUPS development, estimate total CUPS installations as 1 billion.
That said, kindly consider:
- Sponsoring OpenPrinting team and SANE project
- Sponsoring my project (I fix bugs and send all the fixes upstream to the relevant projects, and also write new printer drivers myself or fund such efforts, for which I have to buy printers most of the time)
- Creating a common funding pool for all printer/scanner related projects and allocate money to each of the existing and new projects
I filled the sponsorship form last week, but it lacks any input fields for additional details, that’s why I decided to post here.
P.S.
It’s been several times when Framework was asked to make a printer.
Right now there are several Chinese companies which either certified well-known old print engines from other companies, or developed their own ones. The hardware is OK, but the software is usually on the bad side.
There are at least 3 companies which manufacture domestic laser printers, and one which make ink printers.
Maybe it could be an opportunity for Framework?
