Markus,

There are many people out there who did and do a lot to ensure
further existence of InterBase technology in any form (as InterBase
and/or as Firebird), because they love it and because they built
their career on it as consultants and developers. They are spread
around the world and they align themselves more or lest to IBDI,
Firebird, IBPhoenix, Borland or more than one group in dependence
to their nature, skills, interests, time, work and other constrains.
Also their contribution to common case vary in amount and in time.
They all together are called "InterBase community". The fortune of
all is in hands of those who actually do something. People
coordinate their efforts, but community is not a company, military
group or any other classic organization, it's a swarm of individuals.
Community cannot be more than what actually is, a community, a
swarm of hardworking bee's. You cannot transform the community
to company or association as you put it, because the great
differences among community members. But it's possible to find
individuals / small groups with common enough interests to form a
bigger group (that is still part of community). Firebird is one such
group, the group where development take place. IBPhoenix is
another group, one possible group where funding for development
and other activities can "materialize". Association you're suggested
is another possibility. Believe me, there is at least dozen other
possibilities how to accumulate resources to speed us up or help
us to reach the final goal. Many were and are considered, some
are in incubation, some were rejected (but could be implemented in
future when conditions will change), some still waits for invention or
discussion.

You're welcome to contribute with your 00.2c or $1000 as your
constraints and/or interest allow. But you did a small mistake in
your observations/thoughts/proposal, because you're assumed that
formed groups could be easily changed. They don't, they were
formed to fulfil some purpose. You proposed that Firebird should be
transformed, but it's wrong idea. Firebird is what it is, the
development project, just like Linux kernel is. Firebird doesn't really
care about commercial distributions, tech. support,
promotion/marketing etc. as it's not its business. It's a job for other
group(s) formed in community and more or less close to the
Firebird. So, it's possible to form the Firebird Association, but not
from Firebird itself. And in the end about the IBDI. IBDI is the
common place for all, where people are not divided to specialized
groups, so the web and discussions what take place here are what
they are, the total sum of all opinions, efforts and stances.

Just my 0.02c

Best regards
Pavel Cisar

Firebird - the most addictive database
http://firebird.sourceforge.net