eZ Open Funding
Friday 09 June 2006 1:31:00 am
As an example, one of our customers needed a content diff function for eZ publish. This functionality would allow users to request an overview of changes between different versions of a content object. The historical time-line would be limited by the number of previous versions available for any given object. The differences between the selected versions would be displayed. This kind of functionality is essential in many quality management systems (QMS) as well as in other related areas.
Given that the eZ publish Roadmap is already fully loaded, this kind of functionality could not be prioritized by our core development team. However, our customer suggested that other members of the eZ ecosystem might need the same functionality and be willing to share the costs of having the project done "on the side" (that is, outside of the main development Roadmap). Within a short space of time, three customers and two partners agreed to provide the required funding and the project was underway. This model of cooperation forms the basis of the eZ Open Funding initiative.
We are currently working on several development projects that are being funded in this manner. Some are ongoing, others are currently in need of funding. Rather than organizing these projects privately, we have decided to open up the process of joint funding and give our partners, customers and community the opportunity to participate. The following sections show the model we are proposing; please feel free to submit comments and suggestions.