Business Application Framework

[Terence Heaford]

The view of an Open Source User follows:

I have come to LiveCode from SuperCard on the Mac and was attracted by the KickStarter campaign which would provide LC as Open Source.

I contributed the minimum amount as LC is for my personnel use and I doubted the sincerity at the time.

I did consider LC earlier than this but the product for me did not perform as well as SuperCard and I could not justify a licence, so Open Source was eventually the way in.

I have also played with XOJO and obtained a license cheaply through a deal but that has now expired although the programme still works AND STILL COMPILES.

When the XOJO licence expired I seriously considered renewing it because at I think 99$ for a Mac only licence, was reasonable value.

I cannot justify the serious outlay for an Indie Licence in LC (annual) which would revert back to a potentially crippled Open Source version at expiry of the Licence.

How many potential customers like me are LC missing out on?

Financially I do not feel the pain because I only contributed a small amount but I do still feel cheated.

I feel:

The LC Management had this plan all along and deliberate kept it to themselves during the KickStarter Campaign.

They would not have reached their goal if they had exposed their full plan during the KickStarter Campaign.
If I was one of those who contributed major financial outlay to the KickStarter Campaign as a believer in Open Source I would be feeling really p*****d with LC.

LC are not really believers in Open Source, it was just a way to obtain money to keep the business going.
That’s why I only contributed the minimum amount. I just had a feeling about it having watched LC from afar with their struggles with different licensing arrangements in the past.

LC intend to limit the objects in LC Open Source and sell the others add add-ons.
I am still not sure how this sits with Open Source?

I believe the licence for businesses earning above an amount should be sufficient unless it’s these businesses who are cheating LC?

LC will not gain more Licensees via. the Open Source route as people will not try LC if it is seen as crippled when compared to paid.

Do LC now intend to provide a trial version of the paid LC?

If I am typical of an Open Source user then LC will not gain anything rather the opposite.
Because of this I am considering getting out altogether.
They may have got something, if a cheaper licence was available but now they have no chance because If this comes to pass then I feel they are not trustworthy now or going forward.

Continually changing the licensing arrangements for a product also leaves a potential licensee with a nagging doubt about the viability of the company, as to me it points to a company wrestling with ways to make more money to keep the business going.

How long is acceptable before LC switches from Open Source to a paid only model?
With perhaps a no longer updated Open Source LC available but kicked into the long grass.

Anyway thats my 5p’s worth.

I now await to be slammed by RG. I won’t take it seriously.

All the best (and I mean it)


Terry