[software] Update from Donor.com

[Josh Berkus]

Folks,

So, going forward, my question is: do we want to wait for the Donor.com 
code, or proceed as if it wasn't coming?

I notice that the FSF is raising money for donor software.

Pros for Donor.com:
-- Mature functionality already in production for several NPOs
-- Lots of donor/fundraising features we'd never get around to 
implementing on our own, like credit card processing, subscriptions and 
grant administration
-- Clean multilayer programming (they claim) which provides a clear and 
well-documented API for custom interfaces, including existing wxPerl and 
command-line interfaces.
-- Supports umbrella organizations
-- Established name in the non-OSS NPO sphere and business model
-- Is owned by a 501(c)3 and is planning to open source

Cons for donor.com:
-- Large complex codebase with 15 years of legacy functionality
-- Completely custom API which doesn't go through the database layer, 
making things like ad-hoc reporting dependant on donor.com project support.
-- Does not do full accounting; tracks revenue only, so we would still 
need to harness it to an accounting system.
-- We haven't seen the code *yet.*

Possibly the best way for me to proceed is to simply assemble a complete 
specification, and we can match the specification against the software 
when we get it.  Or should I assume that either Donor.com or CiviCRM are 
good enough, and focus entirely on accounting?

--Josh Berkus