1 *sponsor.txt* For Vim version 7.1. Last change: 2007 Jan 05
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
8 SPONSOR VIM DEVELOPMENT *sponsor*
10 Fixing bugs and adding new features takes a lot of time and effort. To show
11 your appreciation for the work and motivate Bram and others to continue
12 working on Vim please send a donation.
14 Since Bram is back to a paid job the money will now be used to help children
15 in Uganda. See |uganda|. But at the same time donations increase Bram's
16 motivation to keep working on Vim!
18 For the most recent information about sponsoring look on the Vim web site:
20 http://www.vim.org/sponsor/
22 More explanations can be found in the |sponsor-faq|.
25 REGISTERED VIM USER *register*
27 You can become a registered Vim user by sending at least 10 euro. This works
28 similar to sponsoring Vim, see |sponsor| above. Registration was made
29 possible for the situation where your boss or bookkeeper may be willing to
30 register software, but does not like the terms "sponsoring" and "donation".
32 More explanations can be found in the |register-faq|.
35 VOTE FOR FEATURES *vote-for-features*
37 To give registered Vim users and sponsors an advantage over lurkers they can
38 vote for the items Bram should work on. How does this voting work?
40 1. You send at least 10 euro. See below for ways to transfer money
43 2. You will be e-mailed a registration key. Enter this key on your account
44 page on the Vim website. You can easily create an account if you don't
47 3. You can enter your votes on the voting page. There is a link to that page
48 on your account page after entering a registration key. Your votes will
49 be counted for two years.
51 4. The voting results appear on the results page, which is visible for
52 everybody: http://www.vim.org/sponsor/vote_results.php
54 Additionally, once you have send 100 euro or more in total, your name appears
55 in the "Vim hall of honour": http://www.vim.org/sponsor/hall_of_honour.php
56 But only if you enable this on your account page.
59 HOW TO SEND MONEY *send-money*
61 Credit card Through PayPal, see the PayPal site for information:
62 https://www.paypal.com/en_US/mrb/pal=XAC62PML3GF8Q
63 The e-mail address for sending sponsorship money is:
65 The e-mail address for Vim registration is:
67 Using Euro is preferred, other currencies are also accepted.
68 In Euro countries a bank transfer is preferred, this has lower
71 Other methods See |iccf-donations|.
72 Include "Vim sponsor" or "Vim registration" in the comment of
73 your money transfer. Send me an e-mail that mentions the
74 amount you transferred if you want to vote for features and
75 show others you are a registered Vim user or sponsor.
77 Cash Small amounts can be send with ordinary mail. Put something
78 around the money, so that it's not noticeable from the
79 outside. Mention your e-mail address if you want to vote for
80 features and show others you are a registered Vim user or
83 You can use this permanent address:
91 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS *sponsor-faq* *register-faq*
93 Why should I give money?
95 If you do not show your appreciation for Vim then Bram will be less motivated
96 to fix bugs and add new features. He will do something else instead.
99 How much money should I send?
101 That is up to you. The more you give, the more children will be helped.
102 An indication for individuals that use Vim at home: 10 Euro per year. For
103 professional use: 30 Euro per year per person. Send at least 10 euro to be
104 able to vote for features.
107 What do I get in return?
109 Each registered Vim user and sponsor who donates at least 10 euro will be able
110 to vote for new features. These votes will give priority to the work on Vim.
111 The votes are valid for two years. The more money you send the more your
112 votes count |votes-counted|.
114 If you send 100 Euro or more in total you will be mentioned on the "Vim hall
115 of honour" page on the Vim web site. But only if you enable this on your
116 account page. You can also select whether the amount will be visible.
119 How do I become a Vim sponsor or registered Vim user?
121 Send money, as explained above |send-money| and include your e-mail address.
122 When the money has been received you will receive a unique registration key.
123 This key can be used on the Vim website to activate voting on your Vim
124 account. You will then get an extra page where you can vote for features and
125 choose whether others will be able to see that you donated. There is a link
126 to this page on your "My Account" page.
129 What is the difference between sponsoring and registering?
131 It has a different name. Use the term "registration" if your boss doesn't
132 like "sponsoring" or "donation". The benefits are the same.
135 How can I send money?
137 See |send-money|. Check the web site for the most recent information:
138 http://www.vim.org/sponsor/
141 Why don't you use the SourceForge donation system?
143 SourceForge takes 5% of the donations for themselves. If you want to support
144 SourceForge you can send money to them directly.
147 I cannot afford to send money, may I still use Vim?
152 I did not register Vim, can I use all available features?
157 I noticed a bug, do I need to register before I can report it?
159 No, suggestions for improving Vim can always be given. For improvements use
160 the developer |maillist|, for reporting bugs see |bugs|.
163 How are my votes counted? *votes-counted*
165 You may vote when you send 10 euro or more. You can enter up to ten votes.
166 You can select the same item several times to give it more points. You can
167 also enter three counter votes, these count as negative points.
169 When you send 30 euro or more the points are doubled. Above 100 euro they
170 count four times, above 300 euro they count six times, above 1000 euro ten
174 Can I change my votes?
176 You can change your votes any time you like, up to two years after you
177 sent money. The points will be counted right away.
180 Can I add an item to vote on?
182 Not directly. You can suggest items to vote on to Bram. He will consider
183 fitting your item into the list.
186 How about Charityware?
188 Currently the Vim donations go to |uganda| anyway. Thus it doesn't matter if
189 you sponsor Vim or ICCF. Except that Vim sponsoring will allow you to vote
193 I donated $$$, now please add feature XYZ!
195 There is no direct relation between your donation and the work Bram does.
196 Otherwise you would be paying for work and we would have to pay tax over the
197 donation. If you want to hire Bram for specific work, contact him directly,
198 don't use the donation system.
201 Are the donations tax deductible?
203 That depends on your country. The donations to help the children in |Uganda|
204 are tax deductible in Holland, Germany, Canada and in the USA. See the ICCF
205 website http://iccf-holland.org/donate.html. You must send an e-mail to Bram
206 to let him know that the donation is done because of the use of Vim.
209 Can you send me a bill?
211 No, because there is no relation between the money you send and the work that
212 is done. But a receipt is possible.
216 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: