[MrBuddyCasino]

I agree it would make sense, but is the real problem not how to allocate that money?

Who decides how much the Postgres guys get, or if its worth to support yet another NoSQL store? Involving politics seems like a surefire way into mediocrity. How to get around that?

[edraferi]

Maybe the government could provide the funding as a Tax Credit for donations to platforms like snowdrift.coop, just like donating to other non-profits works. Companies / Individuals would make their own decisions about what to support, and the government would foot the bill through them.

Obviously the government would create a class of acceptable organizations to donate too, rather than designating a single platform / portal. In this way it would be just like the new crowd equity system.

[MrBuddyCasino]

I like that idea, power to the people.

If there was a way to do so without complicating my tax filings, that would be even better.

[quadrangle]

Sounds great to me! If only I had the power to set tax law…

[jmnicolas]

Just by funding established projects.

In your example the new NoSQL store should prove itself before being funded.

[dyeje]

How does it prove itself?

[jmnicolas]

By being here in at least 5 years and being actively used by a non trivial number of companies / organizations.

Think of all the javascript frameworks appearing nowadays. How many will have a significant user base in 5 years or even still be maintained ?

You should get gov money once you are a reference in your field. Postgres and OpenSSL certainly are.