Don't you just wish Rev would do this?

[David Bovill]

On 05/06/07, Lynn Fredricks <lfredricks at proactive-intl.com> wrote:
>
>
> Adobe "owns" all of the best selling commercial tools for
> producing/supporting content for the Flex platform.


And how did they get there - not by selling software but giving away an easy
to install and useful piece of software?

By open sourcing Flex, they still maintain dominance because so many people
> will use their tools to generate Flex related stuff. Yet they also appeal
> to
> open source/free software communities and can leverage any work generated
> there as a result - that looks good to shareholders, too.


Yes- you could add that they are probably seriously worried by the long term
implications of AJAX style open standards for a pure closed source business
model.

Something that works for one company (or even a group of companies) doesn't
> necessarily mean the strategy is sound for everyone else - those
> strategies
> are built with the structure of those companies in mind. I have had
> clients
> and partners of clients that have emulated Apple or Microsoft for example
> -
> and at best its helped not at all, at other times disasterous.


Nice hand waiving - I guess there is an NDA lurking there somewhere - but
seriously it would be more interesting to here some arguments :)

There is no reason I can see why Rev does not slowly migrate to an open
source business strategy. That migration is dangerous no doubt - but so is
doing nothing. I would argue that Adobe have got that, and the reasons why
they and their shareholders support this strategy apply to the majority of
tool development companies in the age of Web2.0. Exactly how these companies
respond will vary yes - but respond they will need to.

I would add that it is a pity that RunRev did not get this early - as they
have lost a serious earry mover advantage over competitors.