rogervellacott wrote:

> The biggest difference between FB and its competitors, including
> MySQL, is money.

You're completely wrong.
The biggest difference is Firebird quality and features.
That's why I choose to use Firebird over is competitors, and I think
that's why many of us choose it as well.

> Money pays for more developers, more publicity,
> more pressure on ISPs, and also provides the ability to attract
> people like Jim Starkey away from the competition.
>

Let me remind you that even if we accomplish this paying for it, we will
not have any monetary profit from it.
Strange, it isn't ?

And let me remind you that developers are free to join us, anyone is
welcome to publicize Firebird, ISP's are welcome to use it, and Jim
Starkey is free to continue with us (did you notice in is message that
he was telling us that he will keep an eye from time to time?).

> So regardless of the relative technical merits of MySQL and FB,
> MySQL is streets ahead because it has muscle. Its muscle comes from
> an operating model which generates money.
>

Well, I can not use MySQL in my projects. They lack so many features
that I need.
For me, MySQL is not even an option.

> This is what we should be discussing. How can FB generate cash?
>

For me, the discussion is a little bit different.
I have a small company that develops software. I'm using Firebird, and I
have plans to continue my business without many changes in my software.
What I need it's Firebird to "keep in touch" with my software, so I
need to help the Firebird Team much the same way I help my dev team as
well.
Since my company isn't so big, and I still don't make so much money from
it, I help the project most with my time - doing whatever is there that
needs to be done.
But my company is doing business as well, so from times to times I do
have the chance to help the project with money. Other times I help the
project with other things that represents money - Firebird Planet is
hosted in my server, so is CFLP - just to bring some examples.

> My whole business depends on FB, yet I have never paid a penny for
> it.

How can you stay like this so long? Don't you care about your business ? :-)

> And of course, I don't want to pay for it. I sometimes think I
> should make a donation, but I am running a business, not a charity,
> and when it comes to the moment of deciding whether to give money
> away, or hang on to it to help with the payroll, then my charitable
> instincts do not win.
>

You are running a business that makes money with Firebird, and you are
telling us that giving money to Firebird is charity?
Are you in fact running a software business ?

But YES! It's a good idea that you bring here!
I recommend that the Firebird Project stops giving away Firebird as
charity. Let's be real!
Let's run a Firebird Business! Let's do like the guys in MySQL, and
start selling licenses!
I know someone that will buy a lot to keep is business running!
:-)

Artur