Re: [Fsfe-uk] Renting GPL software

[MJ Ray]

"Jon Grant" <address@hidden> wrote:
> [...] I have a ltd
> company I work through with clients. I'm not aware of the details of a
> coop, but I presume it is like all being directors and sharing the
> profit after a lower base salary.

"Assumption is the mother of all..." (well, you can complete the movie
quote yourself if you don't mind the swearing.)

Fair profit-sharing is part of a cooperative, but it's not only about
money.  Cooperators should also consider the effects on their people
and the wider community.  "Co-operatives are enterprises that put
people at the centre of their business and not capital."
http://www.ica.coop/coop/index.html

Although the UK is home to some of the largest cooperatives in the
world (see www.global300.coop - the Cooperative Group, Nationwide
Building Society, Royal London, Milk Link, maybe John Lewis), they're
relatively rare in many fields, apparently including software
development.  Is this because *a* co-op is confused with "the" co-op
shops; or because the main cooperative-creation legislation is about a
century old and handled by the FSA instead of Companies House; or
because most Business Links are geared up for sole trading and
partnerships and rarely understand company registration let alone
cooperatives?  More of that and much more speculation on
http://www.co-opnet.coop

Hope that explains,
-- 
MJ Ray http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html tel:+44-844-4437-237 -
Webmaster-developer, statistician, sysadmin, online shop builder,
consumer and workers co-operative member http://www.ttllp.co.uk/ -
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