[REBOL] Re: REBOL momentum builds
From: jason:cunliffe:verizon at: 16-May-2002 15:31
Hi Carl
> I just wanted to drop by the list and say hi. I wish I had
> more time to participate in the discussions here. So many
> good ideas and questions! I would like to comment on every
> message...
It's nice to hear from you! I voted. [And posted a review]
> ===New REBOL Licensing
Thanks. Delighted to hear new consideration being given to licensing. Any
opening up like this is great news. I don't want to appear to be looking a
gift-horse in the mouth, BUT imo licensing is a very serious obstacle, as many
posts to this list testify.
If you really want to experience a wider rapid engagement of REBOL vision and
its products, then I argue that a much more drastic simplification of RT
products and licensing is required urgently..
OFFER JUST TWO PRODUCTS:
1. REBOL/CORE/COMMAND/VIEW aka REBOL/VIEW aka "REBOL"
2. REBOL/IOS x-Internet system
REBOL would include /Core, /View /ViewPro and /Command
Licensing [see below] would influence the time scope of access to some features,
upgrades and multi-seat use and costs.
REBOL/IOS
All the other good stuff built on that.
Turnkey business-oriented value and power.
DEFINE _FOUR_ TYPES OF LICENSES
DEMO Oriented to basic discovery of language.
Free trial.
Time limited Download and get on with it. Fun.
Include Shell access and CALL for .exe etc
But No ODBC or ENCAP
DEVELOPER Oriented to individual professional and application dev.
Unlimited time for all features, except ODBC + ENCAP, which have 30
day free trial.
Developers pay for ODBC and ENCAP permanent unlock after 30 days.
Rates to be discussed $500 maybe ?
EDUCATOR Like developer, but tailored for organization not an individual.
Could apply to registered non-profits also.
Assuming better docs become available, REBOL Educator course-ware and
[printed]documentation could be charged for.
This could also open up a developer market too writing modules ala EASY-VID.
Bundle REBOL-ready webserver and HTML infrastructure to make-docs etc. Make it
easy for educators to tryout out, survive their own bureaucracy gets kids and
students hands-on and keep going with at an affordable rate..
COMMERCIAL Businesses. Multiple-user and/or site rates.
All features enabled full time.
How to make sure RT is not being cheated?
A. Implement a low-level messaging within REBOL internals to track license and
keep you and the user updated other status. Make it easy for them upgrade
license this way.
What are you proposing in itself now has been, and is quite reasonable in terms
of real-life cost and value. But no technology exists in a vacuum. People will
drop $200 on the latest xyz but hesitate to spend $50 for a brilliant software
toolkit. Partly I fell this is a mix of greedy psychology compounded by
inexperience/ignorance.
SHELL + CALL : essential for servers
Today the alternatives are many and excellent. Perl, PHP and Python offer free
open easy access to a incredible growing set of modules, libraries, extensions,
APIs, and support communities, books etc. For any kind of server-side use, even
developer experimentation, the free REBOL has a major obstacle by not being able
to do shell and execution of other software. Nobody I have spoken with can make
head or tail of that lack.
ENCAP
The other one which drives people but is lack of stand alone executable. This is
not an issue on Unix/Linux of course thanks to chmod 755. But for Windows is a
serious problem for many. For casual users, educators, I think it is not a
problem. But for many developers and businesses it surely sounds a big alarm
bell preventing their office's adoption of REBOL beyond a fascinating language
and idea.
REBOL/IOS vs. REBOL
In the scheme above, my premise is that if more people could explore REBOL more
freely [that's REBOL/VIEWPRO/COMMAND:+/-ENCAP] they would be much more likely to
appreciate IOS. Businesses especially would value better your turnkey offer and
find it easier to engage it in a committed manner.
best wishes
./Jason
