Fundraising goal reached ...?

[quartertone]

Now that "we have reached our current fundraising goal", does it mean that LibriVox can afford to hire programmers to fix the API finally?

Also: I didn't realize there even was an active fundraising goal/campaign.

Side questions: How much did "we" raise? Where do the funds go? What are the operating costs of LibriVox?

Taking a look at this decade-old post, it lists the cost of the web hosting/etc as $5000/year. Maybe back in 2010 that was a good price, but it seems like maybe overpaying a bit these days. But then I (ie we peons, mere mortals, generic readers) have no idea what kind of hardware/storage/bandwidth/etc LV is currently running on.

It would be nice to have a "Technical specifications" page/topic/wiki_article that outlines the back end specs: hardware, server setup, bandwidth, storage capacity, etc.

[annise]

In what way does the API contribute to our prime directive - recording public domain books?

Anne

[quartertone]

In what way does the API contribute to our prime directive - recording public domain books?

Anne

Your interpretation of the LibriVox "prime directive" is "recording public domain books" - that is, without regard to the listeners.

LibriVox's Objective, as stated on the website is:

To make all books in the public domain available, narrated by real people and distributed for free, in audio format on the internet.

To make available. Not just to make extant. If the goal was only to make the recordings, there would be no reason to publish them. Without our listeners, we might as well just talk into an unplugged microphone.

On top of this, I argue that accessibility counts as a facet of availability. Our goal is to make public domain books available in audio format, and that means making giving listeners a way to find and access those recordings.

So yes, improving the API does advance the "prime directive".


This discussion always reminds me of a quote from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: "It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard.'"

[TriciaG]

Also: I didn't realize there even was an active fundraising goal/campaign.

There wasn't one. It was passive. (That is, there were mechanisms in place for donations, but we didn't promote them.)

Side questions: How much did "we" raise? Where do the funds go? What are the operating costs of LibriVox?

Taking a look at this decade-old post, it lists the cost of the web hosting/etc as $5000/year. Maybe back in 2010 that was a good price, but it seems like maybe overpaying a bit these days. But then I (ie we peons, mere mortals, generic readers) have no idea what kind of hardware/storage/bandwidth/etc LV is currently running on.

There are funds sitting in an account with Internet Archive. The operating costs are minimal at this point (through the generosity of the Internet Archive, who has been hosting us for free for several years now). Since we don't have plans for the money (redevelopment takes not only money and time, but several years of vitality off the lives of the admins), we deemed it wise to close down donations until such time as we have plans for the funds.

It would be nice to have a "Technical specifications" page/topic/wiki_article that outlines the back end specs: hardware, server setup, bandwidth, storage capacity, etc.

We don't even know some of this, since it's through IA.

Now that "we have reached our current fundraising goal", does it mean that LibriVox can afford to hire programmers to fix the API finally?

The last update in 2013 hit a time and budget wall, and some of the admins that were more involved (who have the tech mindset and ability to liaise with the software developer) are still having nightmares over the experience. That's one problem with a purely volunteer organization: you don't necessarily have the ability in-house, and risk stretching your volunteers to the breaking point. The API and other stuff will get fixed eventually, although admittedly not on the schedule that we'd like or that would happen at a for-profit business.