The reason why I started this thread came from a number of different facts:

- the current software, in various versions, has got a number of problems that ideally need development work to resolve.

- a number of attempts have been made/discussed here to stump up cash to do this, implying that some people at least would be prepared to pay for some development work.

- there is no budget for development work on this product, and no amount of money we can knock together here will interest DNNA to divert the resources needed to do this work (they are only interested in bulk production and current products).

- it is highly unlikely that any perceived cost of this work for a free upgrade to a tiny, diminishing userbase of an obsolete, unsupported device will be considered seriously if DNNA has to pay for it.

- the player software cannot be released to open source, but at the same time, the people who have access to it (legally) cannot work on it (this is an oversimplification, but a reasonable summary).

- the empeg team are likely to be highly busy doing their daily development work on flash players for the foreseeable future.

- I am under an NDA to what was SONICBlue, which may/may not still be in force now that the empeg team and the associated IP has been acquired by DNNA.

- I am unemployed, and likely to be so for the near future - but I still have bills to pay.

- I am a pretty experienced C++ programmer (the language of the player application), with the majority of my professional systems work based on many variants of UNIX (the target OS of the player unit - and no, don't nit pick till you have finished reading).

- I started out as an electronics engineer and transited over to embedded software development, so I should be competent enough to do this type of work.

- I cost a lot less than a staff member at DNNA (Rio division) per hour (ie., zero - read on), without diverting a staff member from his daily work.



Here's the proposal: due to my unusual circumstances (NDA, correct qualifications, available to do the work), I would be prepared to spend time on the player software. Since I am under an NDA, the IP of DNNA is protected and would not be released. Hence, I am in a reasonably favourable position to ask for permission to do this work externally to Rio with a suitable level of product confidentiality.

If permission was granted by DNNA to do this, and if the community here enters a contract with me to pay me a salary to live on for a period of time (say, 6 months) then I could survive whilst working on this as a professional project without any fiscal or practical consequence to Rio/DNNA. I have the facilities to carry out this work at home, without Rio/DNNA having to provide this at their cost.

So: you guys pay me, working as a "protected" and priviledged insider, to provide you with an updated version of the software, without any legal compromises or IP violation. I get a job and can eat, Rio basks in the reflected glory, everyone's happy.

Comments?