Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] [Board] OSGeo received its 501(c)(4) tax exempt status from the IRS
Great news !! This should probably also be announced on osgeo-discuss Well done ! Norman On Sep 11, 2013, at 9:38 PM, Daniel Morissette dmorisse...@mapgears.com wrote: OSGeo Board and members I am extremely pleased to inform you that OSGeo just received a determination letter from the IRS confirming its 501(c)(4) tax exempt status. Finally, after over 7 years of waiting this saga is over and we can move on to more interesting stuff! The letter also says Effective date of Exemption: November 14, 2005, so if I read that correctly that clears any potential tax implications for past years of operations. We'll still have some filing to do to clean things up (next on my plate), but at least the tax exempt status is retroactive to day one of the creation of the Foundation. Copy of the letter attached. Note that I believe we can ignore the second page which relates to the original request for 501c3 status which we changed to 501c4 but just in case I have asked the attorney to confirm that we can safely ignore it. Daniel (OSGeo Treasurer) OSGeo-Determination Letters c3c4.pdf___ Board mailing list bo...@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/board ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Looking for a one pager write up for Why Open Source is good.
You don't have to wait for a year or more to have access to a bugfix/enhancement of the software, you can try it right away and influence the resolution of the problem. You can influence the direction the software roadmap takes by funding contributions, paying for support, reporting bugs, and registering desired features with the project. On Wed, Sep 11, 2013 at 10:08 PM, Basques, Bob (CI-StPaul) bob.basq...@ci.stpaul.mn.us wrote: Hi All, I'm looking for a one pager write-up for a Booth display for why Open Source Software is a good bet for businesses. Anything I can use freely or pointers would be appreciated. This is intended as an informational handout. I have a start on something below, maybe it's easier for folks to add to these. I'll go off and look some on Google Thanks in advance. Here are some benefits that Open Source software gives you. - You are not prohibited from using Commercial Software in the mix. - The act of using OpenSource software in general is also promoting the Open-Data concept as well as Open-Standards. - You are not requiring other potential business partners to use Commercial Software in order to use your services and get at your data in an unfettered manner, nor to serve their data to you. Interoperability is considerably enhanced. The big commerical packages offer these capabilities as well, but beware of special situations and process additions that still bind your process to a commercial package. - The bigger picture view is that OpenSource should be thought of as a method for keeping business operations open and inter-operable across boundaries and jurisdictions. And to be thought of as a business best practice. It's not about going 100% OpenSource, even though you can if you want to, but to provide a system and mechanisms that work for both proprietary and open technologies. ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss -- Doug Newcomb USFWS Raleigh, NC 919-856-4520 ext. 14 doug_newc...@fws.gov - The opinions I express are my own and are not representative of the official policy of the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service or Dept. of the Interior. Life is too short for undocumented, proprietary data formats. ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Looking for a one pager write up for Why Open Source is good.
On Thu, Sep 12, 2013 at 4:08 AM, Basques, Bob (CI-StPaul) bob.basq...@ci.stpaul.mn.us wrote: Hi All, I'm looking for a one pager write-up for a Booth display for why Open Source Software is a good bet for businesses. Anything I can use freely or pointers would be appreciated. This is intended as an informational handout. I have a start on something below, maybe it's easier for folks to add to these. I'll go off and look some on Google Thanks in advance. Hi, Look for the four liberties of free software. Here are some hints: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.en.html And don't use open, use free: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.en.html Here are some benefits that Open Source software gives you. - You are not prohibited from using Commercial Software in the mix. - The act of using OpenSource software in general is also promoting the Open-Data concept as well as Open-Standards. - You are not requiring other potential business partners to use Commercial Software in order to use your services and get at your data in an unfettered manner, nor to serve their data to you. Interoperability is considerably enhanced. The big commerical packages offer these capabilities as well, but beware of special situations and process additions that still bind your process to a commercial package. - The bigger picture view is that OpenSource should be thought of as a method for keeping business operations open and inter-operable across boundaries and jurisdictions. And to be thought of as a business best practice. It's not about going 100% OpenSource, even though you can if you want to, but to provide a system and mechanisms that work for both proprietary and open technologies. ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Looking for a one pager write up for Why Open Source is good.
On Thu, Sep 12, 2013 at 2:29 PM, María Arias de Reyna delawen+os...@gmail.com wrote: On Thu, Sep 12, 2013 at 4:08 AM, Basques, Bob (CI-StPaul) bob.basq...@ci.stpaul.mn.us wrote: Hi All, I'm looking for a one pager write-up for a Booth display for why Open Source Software is a good bet for businesses. Anything I can use freely or pointers would be appreciated. This is intended as an informational handout. I have a start on something below, maybe it's easier for folks to add to these. I'll go off and look some on Google Thanks in advance. Hi, Look for the four liberties of free software. Here are some hints: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.en.html And don't use open, use free: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.en.html And don't say 'commercial', say 'proprietary' (if that's what you mean). I'm surprised Arnulf hasn't already jumped in on that point! Free and open source software can be commercial. Barry ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Looking for a one pager write up for Why Open Source is good.
You're not dependent on the vendor's business plans, which are determined mostly by their marketing people. AS On 9/12/13, Newcomb, Doug doug_newc...@fws.gov wrote: You don't have to wait for a year or more to have access to a bugfix/enhancement of the software, you can try it right away and influence the resolution of the problem. You can influence the direction the software roadmap takes by funding contributions, paying for support, reporting bugs, and registering desired features with the project. ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Looking for a one pager write up for Why Open Source is good.
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 On 09/12/2013 02:43 PM, Barry Rowlingson wrote: On Thu, Sep 12, 2013 at 2:29 PM, María Arias de Reyna delawen+os...@gmail.com wrote: On Thu, Sep 12, 2013 at 4:08 AM, Basques, Bob (CI-StPaul) bob.basq...@ci.stpaul.mn.us wrote: Hi All, I'm looking for a one pager write-up for a Booth display for why Open Source Software is a good bet for businesses. Anything I can use freely or pointers would be appreciated. This is intended as an informational handout. I have a start on something below, maybe it's easier for folks to add to these. I'll go off and look some on Google Thanks in advance. Hi, Look for the four liberties of free software. Here are some hints: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.en.html And don't use open, use free: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.en.html And don't say 'commercial', say 'proprietary' (if that's what you mean). I'm surprised Arnulf hasn't already jumped in on that point! Free and open source software can be commercial. Barry Haha, busy preparing my presentation Introduction to Open Source for FOSS4G. Plus I had the hope that at some point the message would get across and be picked up by others, and - Voila - it worked. :-) - -- Arnulf Christl http://metaspatial.net -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.4.11 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with undefined - http://www.enigmail.net/ iEYEARECAAYFAlIx1MEACgkQXmFKW+BJ1b2JTACfeHAm1nWfePDnuXFvmYNlm8IX 8mQAn2wEbwTnv+JYyVtq6ulRNiwCHdLY =qWhR -END PGP SIGNATURE- ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Looking for a one pager write up for Why Open Source is good.
On Thu, Sep 12, 2013 at 3:43 PM, Barry Rowlingson b.rowling...@lancaster.ac.uk wrote: On Thu, Sep 12, 2013 at 2:29 PM, María Arias de Reyna ... Look for the four liberties of free software. Here are some hints: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.en.html And don't use open, use free: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.en.html And don't say 'commercial', say 'proprietary' (if that's what you mean). I'm surprised Arnulf hasn't already jumped in on that point! Free and open source software can be commercial. Yes: http://gis.cri.fmach.it/don-t-oppose-free-software-and-commercial-software/ And more scientifically: Rocchini, D., Neteler, M., 2012. Let the four freedoms paradigm apply to ecology. Trends in Ecology Evolution 27, 310–311. http://tinyurl.com/tree-four-freedoms Markus ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Looking for a one pager write up for Why Open Source is good.
Hi Barry, Point taken. But proprietary was harder (for me) to spell :c) I do see the difference though. Bobb -Original Message- From: b.rowling...@gmail.com [mailto:b.rowling...@gmail.com] On Behalf Of Barry Rowlingson Sent: Thursday, September 12, 2013 8:43 AM To: María Arias de Reyna Cc: Basques, Bob (CI-StPaul); discuss@lists.osgeo.org Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Looking for a one pager write up for Why Open Source is good. On Thu, Sep 12, 2013 at 2:29 PM, María Arias de Reyna delawen+os...@gmail.com wrote: On Thu, Sep 12, 2013 at 4:08 AM, Basques, Bob (CI-StPaul) bob.basq...@ci.stpaul.mn.us wrote: Hi All, I'm looking for a one pager write-up for a Booth display for why Open Source Software is a good bet for businesses. Anything I can use freely or pointers would be appreciated. This is intended as an informational handout. I have a start on something below, maybe it's easier for folks to add to these. I'll go off and look some on Google Thanks in advance. Hi, Look for the four liberties of free software. Here are some hints: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.en.html And don't use open, use free: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.en.html And don't say 'commercial', say 'proprietary' (if that's what you mean). I'm surprised Arnulf hasn't already jumped in on that point! Free and open source software can be commercial. Barry ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Looking for a one pager write up for Why Open Source is good.
Maria, Hmm, interesting reading. Thanks for the links. So, would you think saying FOSS is better as a general label? I'l looking at all this from a sales angle for my specific need. A lot of folks have heard of Open Source for example, but I'm not sure how many might be able to distinguish the difference with Free and Open Source . . . that being said, I don't have a problem labeling things as FOSS Bobb From: dela...@gmail.com [mailto:dela...@gmail.com] On Behalf Of María Arias de Reyna Sent: Thursday, September 12, 2013 8:30 AM To: Basques, Bob (CI-StPaul) Cc: discuss@lists.osgeo.org Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Looking for a one pager write up for Why Open Source is good. On Thu, Sep 12, 2013 at 4:08 AM, Basques, Bob (CI-StPaul) bob.basq...@ci.stpaul.mn.usmailto:bob.basq...@ci.stpaul.mn.us wrote: Hi All, I'm looking for a one pager write-up for a Booth display for why Open Source Software is a good bet for businesses. Anything I can use freely or pointers would be appreciated. This is intended as an informational handout. I have a start on something below, maybe it's easier for folks to add to these. I'll go off and look some on Google Thanks in advance. Hi, Look for the four liberties of free software. Here are some hints: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.en.html And don't use open, use free: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.en.html Here are some benefits that Open Source software gives you. · You are not prohibited from using Commercial Software in the mix. · The act of using OpenSource software in general is also promoting the Open-Data concept as well as Open-Standards. · You are not requiring other potential business partners to use Commercial Software in order to use your services and get at your data in an unfettered manner, nor to serve their data to you. Interoperability is considerably enhanced. The big commerical packages offer these capabilities as well, but beware of special situations and process additions that still bind your process to a commercial package. · The bigger picture view is that OpenSource should be thought of as a method for keeping business operations open and inter-operable across boundaries and jurisdictions. And to be thought of as a business best practice. It's not about going 100% OpenSource, even though you can if you want to, but to provide a system and mechanisms that work for both proprietary and open technologies. ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.orgmailto:Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
[OSGeo-Discuss] (Free and) Open Source positives.
All, My compiled list from comments on the list. Thanks everyone. I have a conference booth I'm manning next week that I'm making a handout for based on this input. Bobb * The Four Freedoms: oThe freedom to run the program for any purpose. oThe freedom to study how the program works and adapt it to one's own needs. oThe freedom to redistribute copies. oThe freedom to make improvements to the program and release them to the public. * You're not dependent on the vendor's business plans, which are determined mostly by their marketing people. * Free and Open Source licensing flavors: (not sure how this will be applied to handout as of yet) oGNU oFSF oOSI * You are not prohibited from using proprietary software in the mix. * The act of using free and open source software (FOSS) in general is also promoting the Open-Data concept as well as Open-Standards. * You are not requiring other potential business partners to use proprietary Software in order to use your services and get at your data in an unfettered manner, nor to serve their data to you. Interoperability is considerably enhanced. The big proprietary packages offer these capabilities as well, but beware of special situations and process additions that still bind your process to a proprietary package. * The bigger picture view is that free and open source software should be thought of as a method for keeping business operations open and inter-operable across boundaries and jurisdictions. And to be thought of as a business best practice. It's not about going 100% free and open source software, even though you can if you want to, but to provide a system and mechanisms that work for both proprietary and open technologies. * You don't have to wait for a year or more to have access to a bugfix/enhancement of the software, you can try it right away and influence the resolution of the problem. * You can influence the direction the software roadmap takes by funding contributions, paying for support, reporting bugs, and registering desired features with the project. ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
