I am not a board member, but I would like to let you know what is my opinion on that matter. I think that regardless of which option is chosen, the materials aligned with FOSS principles should always come first.
This is my prefered order (best option on the top (IV), worst in the bottom (V)):
IV. Similar to III, except all such pages reserve the top section for options that adhere to FOSS principles, secondly items that are gratis, and thirdly commercial. As with III, the commercial listings are ordered with highest paid to lowest.
II. The board votes on each paid link proposal individually. (Basically, status quo for how we're doing things so far.)
I. No paid advertisements are permitted. The Inkscape project will consider inclusion of links or references to relevant products as the website maintainers see fit.
III. Specific pages on the website are designated for commercial listings. Each page has a standardized format which all listings must follow for inclusion. These listings are ordered by amount paid, with highest paid at the top. No proposals for links or listings on any other location in the site including headers, footers, or menus will be entertained.
VI. Similar to IV but with a bidding system so prices are set by the highest bidder within a period of time.
V. Ala Carte. Every location on the website is given a price value for being listed for a specified period of time (e.g. 3 months). A schedule is drawn up and placement is sold on a first-come / first-serve basis.
cheers, Felipe Sanches