On Tue, Sep 5, 2017 at 1:18 AM, Jean Flamelle eaterjolly@gmail.com wrote:
Essentially, the point of libre software is that anyone can change it to do what they want the program to do, and, if someone doesn't have the know-how, they can ask someone else.
The point of libre software is the freedom to do those things. Those things you list are the outcome of having that freedom. I'm nitpicking but I think that distinction is important.
That's the heart of the idea. There should be an organization not-unlike an artists' guild, where people can go to and commission customizations to libre software.
I'm not sure 'guild' would be the right word for such a group, due to the negative connotation of the word in some contexts. Writer's guilds and trade guilds, for example, are quite philosophically different from what the FOSS community does. It could be said that they respected neither freedom nor the art in which they were practicing. Traditional and modern guilds have been criticized for being cartel-like and rent-seeking.
The word might have more or less stigma depending on locale. Where I live, it's a pretty derogatory term in that context.
As far as commissioning software goes, I think that a lot of end-users of open-source software that don't necessarily program or contribute much would probably like that idea, if they had some sort of a system to organize those ideas. If it were a website, maybe it would look sort of like Kickstarter and/or Indiegogo, but where people could vote without giving any money, as an option, with possibly a donation button and donation amount tracker indicator, where the user could donate in bitcoin or some other hopefully more convenient manner.
There's work that I would commission today if there were a popular platform to put it on. Certification would be a plus, but honestly, if it's licensed GPL or similar, I'm already more than happy can't can't really ask for much more than that.
Hardware? That's a whole 'nother story. That's what really deserves well- written and well-followed standards. That's where free and/or libre organizations should be focusing their time. Current standards for it are:
1) vague 2) not 100% libre 3) Violated without repercussion