Ferrous Moon
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Six (or Eighteen) Month Budget
http://www.ferrousmoon.com:80/forums/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=1769
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Author:  Miah [Thu Apr 23, 2009 1:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Six (or Eighteen) Month Budget

DonationsTracker.com - Live Donations Tracking for Onlink Source Control Server
DonationsTracker.com - Make a Donation to Onlink Source Control Server


Well folks, we're in dire need of a fundraiser. Our source control server is on its way out and my laptop was recently destroyed. I managed to get one working by cannibalizing two different MacBooks, but in doing so, I essentially robbed my sister of her MacBook. I can't keep this thing terribly long.

Here are the top priority expenses:
  • Source Control Server ($1,641)
  • Macbook Pro ($2,569)
  • Development Kit ($499)
We also have some lower priority expenses that need covering, totalling $399. This does not include the server costs incurred monthly or living expenses, both of which have been covered by monthly income.

If the above expenses are covered, however, the overall bottom line to $4,778 rather than $5,108, as one of these lower priority expenses is a developer package which comes with a once-per-year hardware discount. Of course, this means that we would need to buy that one first (even though it's third in priority).

Tonight I'll be fleshing out the specifics and how much money I'd be able to give personally. Tycho has given $349.98 and I have (somewhat prematurely) given $1,500 in anticipation of a tax refund check. I have no idea when that will actually come, however. I'll update any time I have new information.

At this rate I'm going to need to take out secondary contracts for development. I have no problem with doing this, but it would reduce the time I have for Onlink to nearly nothing, which really isn't a way to go with this. Any donation would be appreciated greatly to reduce this chance. Likewise, if you or anyone you know would like to buy hosting, we are able to do that too. Just shoot me a line.

This amount isn't as unattainable as it looks, I assure you. I'm looking into alternate avenues of cash, and might be able to have an additional thousand by month's end. It's not guaranteed, but it's certainly possible now.

If you're unable to donate, that's fine. Certainly these are pressing times for finance for all of us. If you're able to donate, we thank you profusely. If not, just consider the bar a progress goal, after which development speed will at least triple (I'm going to have to let my sister use the mac for some evenings, which is the main time for coding Onlink). Stay tuned :)

Author:  Soldier of Light [Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Six (or Eighteen) Month Budget

Ugh. Sadly I'm paying my way through college or I'd be glad to help.

Author:  Vaius [Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Six (or Eighteen) Month Budget

I'd help as well, but unfortunately I'm too young to legally have a real job.

Author:  Switch [Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:13 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Six (or Eighteen) Month Budget

Quote:
I'd help as well, but unfortunately I'm too young to legally have a real job.
Feel lucky. I'm old enough where I need a job, and there ain't any.

I might be getting a £2500 grant from the Uni i'm applying for because of my grades, so if I do I can donate some of that.

Author:  FinalWarrior [Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Six (or Eighteen) Month Budget

Quote:
Quote:
I'd help as well, but unfortunately I'm too young to legally have a real job.
Feel lucky. I'm old enough where I need a job, and there ain't any.
I'm in the same shitcan here, too. Have to leech money off my parents (thank goodness I have parents, I recently came to realize just how much they actually matter to me, and not just on a financial level) for pre-prom dinner monies...

ANd I have to "pay" my way through college (i.e., get a buttload of loans/scholarships/grants) too, once I get going.

Sorry, Miah/Tycho; it's the same deal with me as it has been for the previous donation drives: the mind is willing but the wallet is flaccid. :(

-- Griffinhart

Author:  Rickton [Sat Apr 25, 2009 1:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Six (or Eighteen) Month Budget

Quote:
Sorry, Miah/Tycho; it's the same deal with me as it has been for the previous donation drives: the mind is willing but the wallet is flaccid. :(
It is my considered opinion that "flaccid" is one of the worst words in the English language.

Author:  hans henrik [Sat Apr 25, 2009 10:07 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Six (or Eighteen) Month Budget

could you try use Code::Block IDE with the MSVC express (or) MinGW compiler?
(im not 100% sure what you mean with *Development Kit* but i guess it's M$ visual studio (or) M$VC right?)

Author:  Hammerit [Sat Apr 25, 2009 3:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Six (or Eighteen) Month Budget

Okay hopefully the little something I've donated will encourage others not quite so much involved to give as well ^^.

Author:  Tycho [Sat Apr 25, 2009 4:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Six (or Eighteen) Month Budget

Quote:
could you try use Code::Block IDE with the MSVC express (or) MinGW compiler?
(im not 100% sure what you mean with *Development Kit* but i guess it's M$ visual studio (or) M$VC right?)
Apple Developer Connection Select Membership

Author:  eddieringle [Sat May 02, 2009 1:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Six (or Eighteen) Month Budget

Quote:
Quote:
could you try use Code::Block IDE with the MSVC express (or) MinGW compiler?
(im not 100% sure what you mean with *Development Kit* but i guess it's M$ visual studio (or) M$VC right?)
Apple Developer Connection Select Membership
That gets you a $1000 discount at the Apple Store, correct?

Sorry, I can't donate anything, I'm broke at the moment. My advice, get a bulletproof case for that MacBook (well, your new one I suppose, that one looks toast.)
Also, what in the world makes that server cost so much? Build one for $200 and setup git. (ChaosR could probably do it for less than that.) Unless of course you are paying for source control, which IMO is a waste of money.
Finally, a MacBook Pro? Weren't you guys telling me earlier that a MacBook with some upgrades work just fine?
Sorry for the nagging, but my parents like to grind into my head the importance of getting the most out of your money.

Author:  ghost_sypher [Sun May 03, 2009 1:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Six (or Eighteen) Month Budget

Oh, that's why things are proceeding slowly.

What about raising revenues by placing ads on ferrous moon? Or sponsors? That would propably help a lot.
Quote:
Okay hopefully the little something I've donated will encourage others not quite so much involved to give as well ^^.
Well, I felt ashamed enough to follow through with my months-old promise and finally donate some.

Author:  Miah [Fri May 15, 2009 9:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Six (or Eighteen) Month Budget

As of two days ago, I have received a new mac and am able to return the laptop to the owner of the screen of which I cannibalized. I guess this means I have some news.

First, the MacBook Pro and the Development Kit are both off the table. This is almost entirely due to me having more money than I initially projected and the collapse of <the next 2D engine> development, in which I was going to fund someone to create an engine for a certain side project. This had nothing to do with Onlink in any way, so this collapse doesn't mean anything for its status. What it does mean, however, is that I am a little more liquid if something goes wrong.

I'll be purchasing a few more things for this laptop over the months, all of them intended to protect my new laptop. Yes indeed, this means for the first time, I'll actually be purchasing an extended warranty so I don't have to sink a couple grand for a new machine so quickly.

Second, this machine should have at least two years without the need to buy another (my estimate). It can be equipped to 8GB of RAM (4GB currently) and has an actual GPU rather than an integrated chip. This means that I don't have to drag my feet on Windows development, because (due to the RAM) I can open a VM faster than ever before. I have basically done only development on the Mac side over the last few months because Server 2003 just ran like a dinosaur as a virtual machine. No more with that. If it ever starts slowing down again, I have the option to speed it up again. I think we will be able to continue development without concern for hardware burnout (within reason).

Third, this leaves only one thing left with an urgency: the source control system. Thanks to Tycho, we were actually prepared for this issue. If the server totally dies tomorrow, it won't be the end of the world; it'll only be a headache. We've been using GIT rather than SVN, which means that our source control is decentralized. While more difficult to use without a hub, it's possible to pull branches directly from each other's machine. This means that while we haven't met our needs, we can get away with it for a while. I plan to have a release of 0.2.0 before we need the server.

Fourth, I have a confession. I've been cheating. Sort of. I've been working on the 0.3.x engine, which isn't a terribly good idea as the user skyblownet pointed out to me. He also helped to refocus me on 0.2.0 (more on him later). After thinking about it, I came to a realization: I can actually solicit help from people without needing them to have the DevCD to even witness the code. Because of this, I am opening an opportunity for anyone with a decent C/C++ experience to assist. It will start as grunt work admittedly, but it's the most open chance I've considered to let someone try out for the development team. At least it will keep me from being distracted from my current code base when everyone's been waiting ever so patiently.

Lastly (but not least), we have a new person with the DevCD trying to see what it takes to get on the current dev team. This is skyblownet (again), so wish him well in his code.

Development will either continue this weekend or next week. I needed to go home from work early to sign for the new computer, and I've been making up that time by coming in much earlier yesterday and today. I'm beat. And also pumped. I'll either be coding up a storm or drooling on my pillow by this time tomorrow; I don't know which.

More later.

Author:  eddieringle [Fri May 15, 2009 9:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Six (or Eighteen) Month Budget

I still do not understand why you would ever pay that much for a server.
Quote:
Because of this, I am opening an opportunity for anyone with a decent C/C++ experience to assist. It will start as grunt work admittedly, but it's the most open chance I've considered to let someone try out for the development team. At least it will keep me from being distracted from my current code base when everyone's been waiting ever so patiently.
What would you consider adequate C/C++ knowledge? I ask this because I think I finally understand pointers, at least better than before (this is a good thing for Tycho).

Author:  Soldier of Light [Sat May 16, 2009 6:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Six (or Eighteen) Month Budget

I would be interested in helping. I believe that my c++ knowledge is adequate, though I don't know exactly how much you're looking for or how to demonstrate it.

Author:  Darkknight512 [Fri Jun 05, 2009 5:40 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Six (or Eighteen) Month Budget

Coulden't you use the Macbook with a broken screen as a Source Control Server? You should be able to VNC in to change settings and what not, it's how I run a server at my place, a broken laptop with no screen, I just run remote desktop.

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