Questions and Answers about Vim registration and sponsoring

If you do not show your appreciation for Vim then Bram will be less motivated to fix bugs and add new features. He will do something else instead.

How much money should I send?

That is up to you. The more you give, the more children will be helped. An indication for individuals that use Vim at home: 10 euro per year. For professional use: 30 euro per year per person. Send at least 10 euro to be able to vote for features.

What do I get in return?

Each registered Vim user and sponsor who donates at least 10 euro will be able to vote for new features. These votes will give priority to the work on Vim. The votes are valid for two years. The more money you send the more your votes count (see below).

If you send 100 euro or more in total you will be mentioned on the "Vim Hall of honour" page. But only if you enable this on your account page. You can also select whether the amount will be visible.

How do I become a Vim sponsor or registered Vim user?

Send money, as explained here, and include your e-mail address. When the money has been received you will receive a unique registration key. This key can be used on the Vim website to activate voting on your Vim account. You will then get an extra page where you can vote for features and choose whether others will be able to see that you donated.

What is the difference between sponsoring and registering?

It has a different name. Use the term "registration" if your boss doesn't like "sponsoring" or "donation". The benefits are the same.

How can I send money?

See this page.

Can I pay monthly?

Yes, if you use PayPal. See the subscribe page.

Why don't you use the SourceForge donation system?

SourceForge takes 5% of the donations for themselves. If you want to support SourceForge you can send money to them directly.

I cannot afford to send money, may I still use Vim?

Yes.

I did not register Vim, can I use all available features?

Yes.

I noticed a bug, do I need to register before I can report it?

No, suggestions for improving Vim can always be given. For improvements use the developer maillist, for reporting bugs see ":help bugs".

How are my votes counted?

You may vote when you send 10 euro or more. You can enter up to ten votes. You can select the same item several times to give it more points. You can also enter three counter votes, these count as negative points.

When you send 30 euro or more the points are doubled. Above 100 euro they count four times, above 300 euro they count six times, above 1000 euro ten times.

Can I change my votes?

You can change your votes any time you like, up to two years after you sent money. The points will be counted right away.

Can I add an item to vote on?

Not directly. You can suggest items to vote on to Bram. He will consider fitting your item into the list.

How about Charityware?

Currently the Vim donations go to Uganda) anyway. Thus it doesn't matter if you sponsor Vim or ICCF. Except that Vim sponsoring will allow you to vote for features.

I donated $$$, now please add feature XYZ!

There is no direct relation between your donation and the work Bram does. Otherwise you would be paying for work and Bram has to pay income tax over the donation. If you want to hire Bram for specific work, contact him directly, don't use the donation system.

Are the donations tax deductable?

That depends on your country. The donations to help the children in Uganda are tax deductible in Holland, Germany, Canada and in the USA. See the ICCF website. You must send an e-mail to Bram to let him know that the donation is done because of the use of Vim.

Can you send me a bill?

No, because there is no relation between the money you send and the work that is done. But a receipt is possible.