I love and respect all that Patrick and the team of under appreciated contributors have given this community, even those "invisible" members. I have donated a few times but always on a "one time" basis despite that I really would have no essential problem if Slackware became a subscription only distro. It's not that that is actually practical and enforceable, but at least in principle I heartily accept it would be worth it. However if I'm, and I suppose anyone, going to auto pay on a regular basis I would need to know the range of effect more than I apparently can today. I'd need to know Patrick's health is solid or not - physically and financially on the low end and that he isn't sipping Pina Colada's (or custom beers ) poolside more than a few weeks per year.

I do get it that Patrick is at once eminently more available and visible than any top individual of any other distro is and also a very private individual. I'm quite sure he had little grasp back in the 90s where Slackware would drag, lead, and propel him by 2020, but does anyone know how he fares these days? Most of all, even if he just abandoned Slackware altogether (perish the thought!) I would still like to know he is healthy and still excited by his creation. I'd very much like to see him and The Team generously rewarded for their great and important work and sacrifice.

Sorry if I'm just rambling like an old man, but then again, I am one.

1 members found this post helpful.

Pat always has been rather private and rightfully so. There is an extended development team. I am guessing if Pat's health deteriorated he would inform members of the team. My view is "no news is good news."

Pat owns the trademark to Slackware. I don't know how that would unfold if Pat stepped down or retired.

There is no need to be a regular contributor. Annual or occasional help is fine too.

I have a standing payment of one dollar monthly towards Pat. What if thousands of users would as well ...

3 members found this post helpful.

every now and then i just send 20-30 EUR via PayPal. That's it

3 members found this post helpful.

Nice! I was paying $3.00 per month on Patreon. This month I'm switching over to Paypal and I will make a $40.00 payment that I will repeat annually.

1 members found this post helpful.

Well, at the end of the day that is up to Mr Volkerding.

I could imagine the setting up of a vehicle similar to the one that OpenBSD set up when that project had a major funding problem some years ago. A legal vehicle would also allow the sale of subscriptions to companies (c.f the RStudio IDE for the R statistical environment. Free or you can pay $995 per year for a licence - invoice issued by a commercial entity &c)

But I am content to continue the informal arrangements we have at present which do have the merit of preserving options for Mr Volkerding.

I have a Patreon monthly payment set up for the UK equivalent of a 'hipster coffee' per week, which is my estimation of the 'utility' of Slackware to me as an individual end user. I can just let that roll out indefinitely without any action on my part.

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Welp... given a laptop and wireless network he could *both* sip Fine Beers *and* output more Slackware stuff at the same time.
I would be totally fine with that.


Given the rate of updates for Slackware these days I would doubt he's not a good bit excited at the very least.

We're all going in that direction it might seem (ok, I should only speak for myself here).


Thanks
--
KarlMag

Yeah I prolly shoulda added "on the Riviera", Cote d'Azur, or even Ibiza


I should hope so. Current is amazingly solid and promises the very best release to date... but then I may have thought that with each new release

Well each day we are all one day older but you're right... we are also on a trajectory in a "gravity" field.

Hehe... doesn't matter, given lappy and 'net


Well.. I don't think you are or have been wrong on that

Thanks
--
KarlMag

I just sent $40.00 USD to Mr. Volkerding. It feels good to support my favourite operating system.

5 members found this post helpful.

New member here, a user, not a guru or anything fancy. Sending a Christmas check to Patrick.

8 members found this post helpful.

@liquidamber, thanks! We ALL appreciate it when anyone helps out any way they can to keep our beloved Slackware and the BDFL (Pat V.) alive and kickin'!

I've used Slackware as my primary OS on all my systems for 15 years now. If I ever hit one of those Florida Lottery jackpots, Pat V. (and others... Robbie Workman, Eric Hameleers, et al.) is (are) going to be very pleasantly surprised. I figure after 15 years of usage, I own him (them)... BIG TIME!

4 members found this post helpful.

As of 01/2021, upping my monthly subscription from 1 to 10 bash dereference symbols simply because I can and because the preview of Plasma is awesome, and if I know anything about Slackware, it will be done the right way, not the fast way...Waiting to see 15 out!

2 members found this post helpful.

love it!

Hi folks!

Could you speed me up a little bit by not having to read all the pages in this thread since Pat's posting in 2018?

1. Does Pat's PayPal still correspond to the link below?

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/volkerdi

2. What is the preferred way to buy him a coffee? Is it still at his PayPal account?

Thanks!

1 members found this post helpful.