Miro Needs Help (from you!) « Miro

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Miro Needs Help (from you!)

September 13th, 2007 by Nicholas Reville

PCF, which makes Miro, is a non-profit organization. That means no one can own us and we don’t take for-profit investment. That also means that we rely on donations to fund everything we do. We’re working towards Miro 1.0 and we are making big improvements to the Miro Guide, but we’re running very low on funds right now.

We’ve set a goal of raising $50,000. Can you help? Make a Donation to Miro.

We’re also experimenting with promoting the fundraiser in the Miro Guide, since it’s the place where we connect most often to our users. I made this video for the fundraiser– intended for the Guide, but I’ll post it here too.

Fundraiser update:

Thanks to everyone who has donated to Miro so far! We have raised about $5,000, which is a great start. As someone who’s been working on Miro for years, it’s so exciting to see that people care enough about the project to donate money to it. Thank you so much.

But we still need a lot more support to reach our goal, so if you can give, please do!

The video is updated too:

I’m Convinced! I will donate.

Comments to “Miro Needs Help (from you!)”

Anchorman says:

September 13, 2007 at 3:10 pm

I posted this news to digg.com. The link is here.

http://digg.com/programming/Open_Source_Video_Platform_Needs_Your_Help

Realist says:

September 13, 2007 at 10:59 pm

If it’s free, then nobody should have to pay anything for it. It’s just wrong to ask for money for software. We don’t pay for music, or movies or warez, so why should you get any money? So you’ve got a mission, and you don’t have investors. Love ya, babe. But you don’t deserve any money. SOFTWARE DOESN’T COST ANYTHING. If we give you money, beggar, then the RIAA and all those other pricks will say we should pay them, too. Haven’t you ever heard of Larry Lessig? Or Michael Geist? If you pay, you’re a sucker and a dope. It’s all free. You work for free, too. Wise up.

nmdmatt // libérerMédias » Help Miro says:

September 13, 2007 at 11:21 pm

[...] is looking for donations. They’re trying to raise $50,000 to pay for programmers and designers to make Miro [...]

Captain Reality says:

September 14, 2007 at 12:14 am

Hey, if it’s money you’re looking for – do an IPO. Sell stock for your organization and let those willing to donate (those who give a damn) guide the future of the product. Don’t beg! There’s no free ride in life, you gotta pay the piper one way or another. Bite the bullet and do it like the big boys. But understand, that means you need to perform on a monetary basis through ads or whatever to make the product “free” and “open” but “profitable”.

Captain Reality says:

September 14, 2007 at 12:16 am

BTW – Realist is an idiot waiting to be caught for stealing – nothing but a common and ignorant thief!

Realist says:

September 14, 2007 at 12:32 am

Sure, I’m an idiot. Common and ignorant? Dunno about ignorant but COMMON sure is right. There’s MILLIONS OF US and we steal all day and all night and nobody but nobody can stop us. Not the RIAA, not the MPAA not the cops the UN or your mama. We’re taking it ALL. All the music, all the movies, all the warez, EVERYTHING. We take it round the clock and we don’t pay ANYTHING and we’re not going to stop! The record companies are dying and the movies are next. HA HA HA HA and I’ll bet you’ve got a copy of Limewire and you use it all the time too! Oooh give us money, give us $50,000, our hearts are pure, ooh this is a non-profit, ooh we’ve all got big shiny halos.

NOBODY CARES – least not us. We steal! We take! We never pay because IT’S ALL FREE. If you can’t get caught IT’S STEALING BUT WHO CARES?

And when all the record companies and all the movie studios and all the game makers and software makers are broke and all the programmers and designers are out of work we LAUGH OURSELVES SICK cause it’s so much fun to make all you self-righteous tightass rich bastards get angry. You get SO angry! You point your fingers! You lecture! You tell us off!

DOESN’T WORK, DOES IT?

This is SO much fun. Please flame me and get really really angry. It’s the FUNNIEST thing there is.

Remember, it’s all FREE, and you never have to pay. And you software guys WORK FOR FREE SO I CAN STEAL. If you’re giving it away with your stupid open source policy that means you never wanted to get paid in the first place.

WE ARE UNBEATABLE. YOU ARE BEATEN. YOU WORK FOR FREE AND THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT.

Hey, have a nice day.

Hammerspace » Blog Archive » Miro needs your donations to build the future of Internet video says:

September 14, 2007 at 12:34 am

[...] Link [...]

free software supporter says:

September 14, 2007 at 1:06 am

although Realist seems to be egging people on there’s truth to what he says.
bu that’s the point of open source.
to let people use it, how they want
when they want
where they want
with no restrictions and no judgment.

It cost’s money to make software, people need to use computers in order to write the code. you need compilers, to compile the code. you need beta testers, you need a website, bandwidth, hosting. There is a lot of money that goes into giving you “free” software.

But at the same time, if you truly support the idea of open-source and free software you have to realise, it’s not just about legal terms, it’s a philosophy too. Someone who wants to not donate, download illegal stuff whatever, that’s his right.

So let realist say his piece. He’s one of the people the open source community fights to protect, just as much as anyone else. That’s the whole point, not to make everyone think alike, bu to let everyone have he freedom to choose.

me I’ll choose to donate, but I won’t for a second condemn anyone who chooses not to

domelhor.net says:

September 14, 2007 at 4:38 am

Campanha de angariao de fundos para o Miro Player…

O leitor Miro precisa de cacau para continuar a melhorar e para isso pede a ajuda dos internautas. No mbito da minha campanha de dia 15 de Setembro proponho que se ajude o projecto de open source de que mais gostarmos (no necessariamente com massa)….

Second Life Loser » Blog Archive » Miro needs your donations to build the future of Internet video says:

September 14, 2007 at 6:14 am

[...] Link [...]

Miro braucht Unterstützung | FreieNetze says:

September 14, 2007 at 7:17 am

[...] Um alles freies Projekt, das von keiner Firma kontrolliert wird, qualitativ mit den Großen Anschluss halten zu können, benötigt er aber immer weitere Unterstützung. [...]

nkb says:

September 14, 2007 at 9:16 am

umm – I’m happy to donate to your cause if I understand more about it – reading “realist” freaks me out – a non-profit wouldn’t get grants to encourage people to steal as this lady or gentleman cleary gets randy from doing…and if you are getting grants then this must be benefiting the community at large.

so how is it not a contribution to promote stealing? how do I know if I’m downloading illegally and legally?

p.s. mr./ms realist – I do not have limewire.

JBM (Do it) says:

September 14, 2007 at 12:29 pm

NPR/PBS is the world of free Radio and free TV.

They don’t throw ads at you. They don’t make you pay. But once a quarter they beg to stay alive. There is always a cost. If you want something for free then ignore the begging you are free to do so.

I say put it on the guide for a week or so then take it off. When NPR and PBS do a fundraiser it is a major disruption. After they do what they need to do, then they go away and things are perfect. I think the disruption is necessary and the balance of not mentioning it the rest of the time makes their service better.

Do it.

Captain Reality says:

September 14, 2007 at 2:21 pm

At least Realist realizes he’s an idiot.

I think there’s a disconnect in that people don’t realize – there are two different systems at work here. One is open source – free software to be used by whoever wants and by using it, they support that system. The programmers are doing it out of the goodness of their hearts or are getting a nominal pay by a grant or some other sort of funds. It’s a good system and I support it. I’ve used freeware before and even donated a few bucks to those I felt deserved it, but that was voluntary.
The second system is licensed software (payware)- Symantec, McAfee,Novell, etc. The guys who are in business to make money with their software. We show our support for them by buying the software and the upgrades if we continue to support it. It’s called free enterprise and it drives our economy. Both systems work and neither is better than the other. The corporations invest the money to give us what we want to drive dollars to the bottom line and please the shareholders. We wouldn’t be where we are today without it.
I think the disconnect comes when one believes in the open source system and wants to use licensed software. I can use it, but because I don’t believe in paying for software, I just won’t pay for it. But to say you can use software for free even if it’s licensed is absurd. It’s illegal. Just imagine going into Best Buy and jamming an iPod and a Razr in your pocket because you believe they should be open source and trying to walk out. Busted…end of story. The same thing could be said of your neighbors belongings – it’s “open source” so I’ll just take it from his house. But would you really steal your neighbor’s belongings? The whole concept of intellectual property was developed to protect from just that sort of action. We live in a society of rules by choice.

I’m not angry, Realist, just making a philosophical point. You’ll do what you want no matter what I say. I do find it humorous that you hide behind the net as a cyber criminal, but I challenge you to walk into a licensed software developer with a policeman in tow and admit you steal software with the same fervor you displayed in your post. That I would really find humorous. As for everyone else, keep in mind the difference between the systems and support accordingly what you feel is right.

free software supporter says:

September 14, 2007 at 9:34 pm

Captain Reality
Well said

sam says:

September 15, 2007 at 3:08 pm

i have donated. thanks for miro. keep up the good work.

Brian Rowe says:

September 15, 2007 at 7:43 pm

Thanks, Miro is a great project. I donated $20 and posted to the Freedom for IP blog. I also use the player for most of my video and all my Fair Use needs.

-Brian Rowe
Freedom for IP
2L Seattle University School of Law

dkcreatto says:

September 16, 2007 at 2:45 pm

First of all I felt Realist and Captain Reality both are saying the SAME thing in DIFFERENT manner.

How? Lets see. Realist says that ALL are FREE and WE STEAL EVERYTHING, by this he is making us TO JUDGE our ACTS ON NET/any where we steal. It shows GENERAL THINKING and tries to STOP us from STEALING.

On the other hand “Captain Reality” says the same by giving the PHILOSOPHICAL POINT OF VIEW, asking us to relate both OpenSource/Freeware and Shareware/Payware.

“”I say that– can you let others take your money, appliances, furniture, car, or even a pencil for a penny?? I say NO. I cant.”"

Jonathan Gibson says:

September 17, 2007 at 10:07 am

Every society needs a Jester to bring would-be Kings down to earth, and the Realist mimics this role with gusto. Aside from the obvious psychodramas that compel him/her/it to make juvenile raspberries from the audience, our societies have a time-honored role of the Joker – who breaks rules, taunts authority, colors outside the lines, breaks into theaters other people build and run. Time honored youthful antics. However, quirks in this adrenaline-junkie personality fools our clown into thinking that floppy hat is a crown. While a loud costume can sometimes gain access to people’s property, at some point it’s clear goofy face-paint doesn’t give title to things not given and not valued.

I once sold CD-ROMs of image libraries, but that business ended when Realist-types decided to ONLY take and stop paying people for their efforts. I don’t want to be a policeman, nor lawyer, so unlike the Farmers Market where the Realist probably would NOT be inclined to steal an peach from a vendor’s cart – and I can’t afford to chase after every transgression our Sad Clown confesses to. True, ‘copying’ bits freely while leaving the original is not theft like at the supermarket, but it still cheapens all the good work by countless people to make such creations possible – it kills the ‘paid for’ market The Fool pantomimes about as though some die-hard advocate.

If-Only-You-Were-A-True-Realist – Here’s your circle-jerk logic: Your driving developers and film producers into Real Estate and big-box store Door Greeters w/your an exultant take-take-take model only escalates ever-larger corporate legal budgets, thus limiting creative producers from making money and ALWAYS restricting the quality and variety of art and commerce by raising the costs for small indies. Congratulations, you make more shite for yourself to kvetch about and then feel all righteously dirty over. Cheeky.
You remind me of the clueless wanderers who show up at Burning Man without even suntan oil and expect everyone to take care of them like a 150-pound infant farting at the Club Med singles bar. In fact, you’ve spoken like a true solipsist, if not an if-I can-see-it-it’s-mine communist for all the blather about getting paid to program code. By your logic you stole all your mother’s years and energy raising your-sh*t-don’t-stink butt and are laughing into her face at Holiday meals – she’d have to be a hard grizzled member of the grifter crowd to hold that stain up for praise.

I made money, I hired people, paid taxes, etc, and glad to create an industry – but I was not a “rich bastard” any more than I suspect this blow-hard is. No man is an island, or economy, but I was raised dirt poor in a floor-less cabin and am as self-made as a modern man can be. Face it Realist, your a spongy parasite in our ecosystem and your nothing special, or new. This post is for everyone reading this and I care not one wit if you reply.
What your actions reveal is the failing of our corporate-capitalist model to satisfy the human condition. The music and media business has long showed it’s narrow and limited range of vision – witness Hollywood & NY walking away from on-line distribution for a decade only to cry foul as Apple invested in iTunes and took up their slack {profits}. Between America’s rapid de-industrialization and tech out-sourcing it’s obvious our financial system is falling over in a heap even before this neo-Depression settled over us and we simply must sort out a better way to reward people for work done – especially work that is given to the Commons which makes all our lives better… like the Internet has.
Time I have, and will give. I’d give money to Dtv, but my stock of Wraptures CD’s is still piled deep in my garage and this entrepreneurs’ bank account remains embarrassingly low {something about no-demand for what has been copied endlessly}. I do like the Gift Economy model and volunteer my time and effort in many ways – and glad to. In fact, after posting this I’m fingering over to the sign-up sheet and see if my video GUI skills and/or management cycles are useful to the cause.

It’s time for everyone who doesn’t agree with so-called Realists to step up and give what and where they can. I’ve got a SOG tool and pry barnacles and leeches away daily.
Can anyone spare a blow-torch?

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