# FreeBSD and community support



## miks (Jun 17, 2009)

After reading 6th comment in (http://ivoras.sharanet.org/blog/tree/2009-05-06.virtualbox-on-freebsd.html) I visited FreeBSD website with wish to donate something for FreeBSD in general. 
But in FreeBSD website there is only very little link in upper menu called "donation".
Generally I see big problem there, because everyone is admitting that developing needs some kind of donations/financial support, but there is little or no so called "marketing" about this problem.
I know FreeBSD users/system administrators who are willing to donate, but there is no clear message (like in Wikipedia early this year) in website, that this superb OS need donations to compete with big corporations backed linux versions.
For example - it's sad to accept fact that there still is no XEN support in FreeBSD, while everyone around (Solaris, tons of Linux distributions)  have it.
Just my 2 cents.


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## mk (Jun 17, 2009)

virtualbox is in ports from few days, xen is coming with 8R for the moment (if no delay).
every 3 months there is report of how funds are raised - goal and current state.

P.S. about the latest and greates - "Although desktop users can accept a certain amount of instability in return for better performance, servers must be stable, even if it means using "last year's" chipset component" this is from Upgrading and Repairing Servers by Scott Mueller.


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## trasz@ (Feb 5, 2010)

There is a fundraising campaign ran by FreeBSD Foundation at the end of each year.  But yeah, could be marketed better.


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## DutchDaemon (Feb 6, 2010)

I do believe that the publicity on this forum 'caused' a record-breaking number of donations in 2009. That list is seriously long compared to 2007 and 2008. Hopefully this trend will continue.


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## trasz@ (Feb 6, 2010)

Well, the list of 2008 donations was much longer than the 2007 one, too.


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## PseudoCylon (Feb 7, 2010)

trasz@ said:
			
		

> There is a fundraising campaign ran by FreeBSD Foundation at the end of each year.  But yeah, could be marketed better.


I think so too. Also, I think FreeBSD has potentials. The big problem about linux is GPL in terms of marketing(?). As you know GPLer sues companies and they are getting aggressive. But, there are bunch of companies cannot accept GPL. All we need to say to them is "If you don't like TUX, use Beastie." Some companies use lawyers to argue about "kernel extension clause". Abiding BSD lisence is painless and cheaper. Decision making people just don't know Beasie.

Then, we might get developers as donation. They say 75% of linux code were contributed by paid developers from corporations. Cash is sweet, but donation doesn't have to be cash. But, this might not  what FreeBSD wants to head.

Yet another just my 2 cents.


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