Donations page - More clarity needed.

Hi,

The OpenBSD donations page (http://www.openbsd.org/donations.html),
talks of two things -
.  OpenBSD has no wealthy sponsors, nor a business model.
.  If you have donated to the project and are not in the above list, please
   send mail to [email protected].

The first point highlights the fact that the OpenBSD project (henceforth
referred to as "the project") very much needs donations to continue
working. The second point prompts the donors to send out email to www
at openbsd dot org to get their name listed, and hence we see so many
such emails on this mailing list. People can donate to OpenBSD for
various reasons - for continuous support, for wanting to support AND
having their name listed, or just because they love the OS, or any other
similar reason.

IMHO, this page needs to be more clear on certain donation related
aspects. This will reduce a lot of confusion and unnessary traffic on the
www list. Here are those points (and a couple of suggestions too) -

1.  Clarity is needed on the "conditions" for the name being listed in the
     donors' list. For eg. minimum amount, name expiry time, and so on.

2.  Frequency of update to the list should be indicated so that donors'
     can hold till the next update for their name being listed.

3.  Time bound expiration of the donors' list can prompt donors' to donate
     frequently if they wish to have their name on the list. This will also
     prevent the list from getting huge.

4.  Listing the names of donors' is one way of expressing gratitude, and
     saying a ``Thank You". Rude emails to those who donate and ask for
     their name to be listed should be controlled. Hey, you asked for it in
     the first place. This not only brings disrepute to the project, but also
     may shoo away potential donors'.

     There was a case where a person donated a small amount (according
     to the US dollar value) and he waited patiently for a couple of months
     for his name to appear on the list. Not seeing his name being updated
     even after 3 months, when he queried on www, he got a very insulting
     reply on his personal email which equated his wish for name listing with
     that of free advertising. This small US dollar amount was a big amount
     in the donor's country - sufficient to feed one person two meals
     a day, for 5 days.

In my moral opinion too, it is of utmost importance for the project to be
as clear as possible on money matters' - this will ensure that the project
steers clear of any FUD levelled against it in the future.

I might sound a bit preaching in the email, but I definitely not intend to do
so. These are my practical opinions, based on my real world experiences'
dealing with money and people. I do encourage discussion on the points
mentioned above, and will be happy if the project tries to implement some
or all of them. Alternately, I would also like to be convinced that all the
above mentioned points are invalid, and hold no water as far as the project
is concerned.

Thanks!

Warm Regards,
Amarendra Godbole, INDIA.