> 
> On Nov 27, 2023, at 8:10 PM, charles meyer <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> Has anyone enjoyed success suggesting an application to the  Linux Foundation or other Linux funding projects and then witnessing that application developed into a freely-offered (ro low cost) Linux program?
> 
> I'm curious how that process works.
> 
> Ex. GIMP was developed in Linux before teh Windows version but how did it get started and fully funded?


Most open-source applications start as a personal project, and then other people get involved and improve it.

Sometimes it’s something that a person develops for work (and so might have multiple contributors from the beginning, depending on the scope), sometimes it starts as a school project, or even just someone who has some itch they want to scratch.

If enough people find the program useful, then an existing foundation might pick it up to ensure that it persists, or a company might sponsor it (often hiring the lead maintainer), or a foundation might be created.

Linux itself started out this way, as did many programming languages and frameworks (Perl, Python, PHP, Rails, etc)

I doubt that you’re just going to get a foundation that will make a program just from a suggestion.  You likely either have to start it yourself, or find a programmer who’s interested enough to start it.  Depending on what the application is, if it’s work related you might try to propose it as a project at the local college or even high school (I had to do both an individual and a group project for my master’s degree; the group projects were specifically for outside organizations).

There are also events where they try to get a bunch of programmers together to solve problems for a given community.  (They call them ‘Datapaloozas’ when it’s related to data issues… I think the generic name is ‘hack-a-thon’, but that also includes stuff like trying to add features to an existing application).

They’re usually one or two days, so they’re not meant to deal wigh really huge things, but they might prototype it and if the programmers are interested, they might continue to work on it.  Sometimes they’re attached to conferences (either programming conferences, or ones for the community with problems to deal with).  If you can find one that matches what you’re trying to do, you could try pitching it there.

-Joe

(No sig, as I have no affiliation these days)
(See, I read that email)