Handling the Integration backlog

[system]

Hi everyone!

Lots of free software projects would perfectly fit the goals of our open calls via nlnet.nl/taler and would be perfectly suited for a GNU Taler integration. But either we aren’t aware of them yet or the community around these projects is not aware of our project or does not have the developer capacity to engage in writing a proposal and doing the integration with their core team.

This integration backlog aims to collect projects that fit the mentioned categories above so we can hopefully match developers with projects, projects with our open calls etc. to get GNU Taler integrated into as many free software projects as possible, before GLS’s opens their gates and makes Taler publicly available.

Projects

Whatever the software, it’s important to keep in mind that only merchants located in one of the available regions can accept GNU Taler payments.

Please add your project if you need some support as the following:

Project	Type	Region	Needs	Announce	contact
Forgejo	Git forge	Any	Integration Manager, Dev	Integration Backlog - #2 by Kris	http://codeberg.org/
beabee	Monetization	N/D	Dev	Integration Backlog - #14 by sascha.foerster	@sascha.foerster
CiviCRM	CRM	Any	Integration Manager, Dev	Integration Backlog - #5 by htgoebel
Alokai (ex-Vue Storefront)	ecommerce Frontend	any	Integration Manager	Integration Backlog - #6 by htgoebel
OpenOlitor	agriculture ERP	Germany	Integration Manager	Integration Backlog - #7 by htgoebel
juntagrico	agriculture ERP	Germany	Integration Manager	Integration Backlog - #7 by htgoebel
CSA-Admin	agriculture ERP	Switzerland	Integration Manager	Integration Backlog - #7 by htgoebel
Tapir	agriculture ERP	Germany	Integration Manager	Integration Backlog - #7 by htgoebel
Faircamp	music store frontend	Any	Integration Manager	Integration Backlog - #11 by Kris
MetaGer	search engine	Germany	Integration Manager	Integration Backlog - #12 by htgoebel
Liberapay	tipping platform	Any	Integration Manager, Dev	Liberapay, Ko-fi, Tipeee… What about GNU Taler?

Integration Managers

What is an Integration Manager exactly? GNU Taler is quite a complex system and NGI TALER has its own set of interactions to fund and support integration projects. Being an IM requires to have a good technical understanding of it all while being close enough to their Integration Project(s) to be an adequate interface between their own team and the GNU Taler’s and NGI TALER’s ones.

Their role is to ensure their team’s ability to complete the integration successfully:

1. check that the project will be made available in your region and can comply with the regulatory constraints according to its location
2. check with the team whether to use an existing Merchant Backend or to self-host one
3. make sure to have an Integration Team ready to work consistently with the level of the grants
4. write an application to the Open Calls for the software project
5. coordinate the integration process with the NGI TALER progresses

Pseudo	Availability	Regions	Introduction
Add your @pseudo here	X days/week, from ? to ?	GNU Taler Geographical Availability	link to your introduction post on TALER ICH

Integration Developers

Integration Developers are technically capable of integrating the GNU Taler Backend API into the backend of their project.

Pseudo	Availability	Environment	Introduction
Add your @pseudo here	X days/week, from ? to ?	Frameworks, OS	link to your introduction post on TALER ICH

Merchant Backend Operators

Integrating GNU Taler in a project first requires a Merchant Backend server. Since GNU Taler Merchant Backend can be multi-tenant, one can either self-host it or simply use the API of an existing one. Merchant Backend Operators are sys admin knowledgeable with the whole GNU Taler architecture.

Pseudo	Availability	Environment	Region	Introduction
Add your @pseudo here	X days/week, from ? to ?	OS	GNU Taler Geographical Availability	link to your introduction post on TALER ICH

Helpers

Sometimes you just need guidance or sound advice to help you cope better with the load of information. Helpers can provide those! They know the docs, the people, the architecture, the institutions, but they are not capable of playing the aforementioned roles. These are the people you can feel free to get in touch with throughout your integration process.

Pseudo	Availability	Speciality	Introduction
@Ada	full-time	NGI TALER, Book sector	Introduce yourself here - #2 by Ada

[Kris]

Forgejo would be a good candidate, similar to how Github has Sponsors integration.

The people behind it from Codeberg.org (a German non-profit) seem to be aware of Taler and were generally interested when I mentioned this on the Fediverse, but they seem to lack contributors willing to tackle this.

[LeoW]

Ah okay, very interesting to hear. Thanks for sharing!

[LeoW]

Another project that I know off and my initial reason to start this thread is beabee home - beabee.
It is a tool for “Community Relationship Management to run a community-first newsroom” which allows you to also set up a membership scheme with monetization (@sascha.foerster pls correct me if I am mistaken).
Here I also know that there is interest in an integration but missing resources to do it on their own.

[htgoebel]

Another candidate is CiviCRM, which I know is used at several NGOs. Having TALER in there would support donating anonymously. List of experts - don’t get irritated by the ones near the top are USA-based. There are several in the EU, too.

[htgoebel]

<smart-ass>

• Searching the web for “open source shop software” yields several " these are the best" listings.

<\smart-ass>

Out of these, Vue Storefront might be interesting. It is just a frontend platform for headless commerce. It only powers the frontend, and users will need a separate solution to power the backend of the online store (e.g. Tryton). Thus when adding TALER here, many sops could profit regardless of the backend they use. (OTOH, if I 'd use a backend like Tryton, I don’t want to have the frontend handling payments.)

[htgoebel]

A bit of a niche is software for community supported agriculture (Solidarische Landwirtschaft). Anyhow, these people might be open for non-capitalistic payment methods (please ignore the inherent contradiction).

• OpenOlitor seems to integrate payment. Contact in Germany: sunu
• juntagrico seem to include buying and recall shares online, which would require payment
• CSA-Admin seems to be used in Switherland a lot. Seems to include a small online-shop.
• For Tapir I have not clue whether they include payments (beside buying coop shares).

Source: Vergleich Solawi-Verwaltungssoftware :: Netzwerk Solidarische Landwirtschaft e.V.

[natacha]

Indeed CiviCRM would be a great candidate we are already in contact, will make sure they are aware of the open call rythm.

@LeoW

Another project that I know off and my initial reason to start this thread is beabee home - beabee.

Please can you ask them to register on ICH we will then be able to support them and maybe think on ways to associate them with supporting interested people.

@htgoebel

CSA-Admin seems to be used in Switherland a lot. Seems to include a small online-shop.

I do not know about them at all but we certainly can reach out

[LeoW]

Oh thx, these seem super interesting! @Eleftherios @natacha

[Eleftherios]

@LeoW , if useful, I had sent already a cold-email/reach-out message to them on April 2024. Used their hello@beabee.io email.

[Kris]

Faircamp

Might be another interesting software to have Taler support in.

[htgoebel]

The search provider MetaGer might be interested. Since September they offer search only paid, but without advertisements and - as they claim - anonymously. Anyhow (of course the only anonymous payment method they provide is cash.

BTW: Are there alternatives like MetaGer in other countries?

[Ada]

Hi,

@Kris

Faircamp

Might be another interesting software to have Taler support in.

Indeed I also came across it and thought the same! By the way, did you see that earlier post by @how?

Decentralize the Music Industry (and make it crumble)

Music is not a market. Culture is not a market. Music is a commons, that have accompanied humans since the beginning of our journey on this planet, inspired by the birds, insects, the winds in the trees and across valleys, the flows of water down to mountains to the ocean, the flows and rhythms beating within us, in our bodies and hearts and minds. Music grows into us all through our hearts. It’s time to reclaim music from the industry. It’s time for musicians we love to receive they fair sha…

[sascha.foerster]

@LeoW

Another project that I know off and my initial reason to start this thread is beabee home - beabee .
It is a tool for “Community Relationship Management to run a community-first newsroom” which allows you to also set up a membership scheme with monetization (@sascha.foerster pls correct me if I am mistaken).

Hi @LeoW you are correct. The beabee team is open to developpers who want to integrate TALER into it.
Beabee is OpenSource: beabee · GitHub
We use it under https://abo.bonn.digital/join

Usecases:

• send some currency with TALER to the community members.
• so they can spent it for instance in small portions on articles read.
• Or vote for projects in a kind of crowdfunding.

If someone is interested, I can help to get into contact with the dev-team directly!

[Ada]

Hi everyone!

Liberapay was again in my mind lately and they to had the same situation.

So this thread is much appreciated and I summarized this thread in this table:

Opportunities

Project	Type	Needs	Announce	contact
Forgejo	Git forge	Integration Manager, Dev	Integration Backlog - #2 by Kris	http://codeberg.org/
beabee	Monetization	Dev	Integration Backlog - #14 by sascha.foerster	@sascha.foerster
CiviCRM	CRM	Integration Manager, Dev	Integration Backlog - #5 by htgoebel
Alokai (ex-Vue Storefront)	ecommerce Frontend	Integration Manager	Integration Backlog - #6 by htgoebel
OpenOlitor	agriculture ERP	Integration Manager	Integration Backlog - #7 by htgoebel
juntagrico	agriculture ERP	Integration Manager	Integration Backlog - #7 by htgoebel
CSA-Admin	agriculture ERP	Integration Manager	Integration Backlog - #7 by htgoebel
Tapir	agriculture ERP	Integration Manager	Integration Backlog - #7 by htgoebel
Faircamp	music store frontend	Integration Manager	Integration Backlog - #11 by Kris
MetaGer	search engine	Integration Manager	Integration Backlog - #12 by htgoebel
Liberapay	tipping platform	Integration Manager, Dev	Liberapay, Ko-fi, Tipeee... What about GNU Taler?

@LeoW if you want, do you allow me to make your first post an editable wiki so that we can use it as a permanent summary where the table would stand?