Hi all,
Over the past year or so, there have been several occasions where it would
have been beneficial to have had an official organization steering FreeDV
and Codec2 development. For instance, the ARDC does not currently offer
grants to individuals <https://www.ampr.org/apply/#eligibility>, not to
mention the recent discussion about Windows Defender
<https://github.com/drowe67/freedv-gui/issues/213> and what it would take
to get FreeDV "trusted" by Microsoft. I'd like to brainstorm what such an
organization would look like.
First off, what would the mission of such an organization be? This seems
obvious at first glance ("promote the use of open source digital voice
modes on amateur radio"), but what would that entail exactly? A few
potential things off the top of my head:
* SM1000 replacement (faster hardware to support other FreeDV modes, Wi-Fi
support for radios such as the IC-705, etc.)
* General software process improvements (code signing of binaries, hosted
Debian/Fedora/etc. package repos, etc.)
* General advocacy (e.g. presence at more ham radio related events,
Zoom/etc. presentations about HF digital voice)
* Offering grants to individual developers to develop Codec2 and FreeDV
further (e.g. fixed-point ports, improved/more modes, etc.)
On first thought, it seems that a non-profit/501(c)3 structure would be
most appropriate given the mission of such a potential organization and its
dedication to open source, but I'm wondering if some other structure would
fit better. Another possibility is structuring it more like a membership
club (IIRC there was a digital voice club back in the FDMDV days but I
forget offhand what it was).
Anyway, if you have any suggestions or comments, they would be most
welcome.
Thanks,
-Mooneer K6AQ
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