Michael just a thought : why not take the open source route, you probably get more out of selling supports for companies that use your software and the community can help with new patch to fix and expand features of your source code. Look at Blender 3D use their business model and it has been sucessful!

Hi Phonx, giving the product away for free and selling support only seems to me like a very complicated and uncertain business plan.

I don't want my business to be complicated and uncertain, I want my business to be simple and easy to manage.

The most simple and straightforward way for me to structure my business is just to sell the software directly.

So that's the main reason why I didn't want to make MoI an open source project.

It's great that it worked well for Blender, but it just does not fit with the way that I want to work.

At any rate, I couldn't actually make MoI open source even if I wanted to since the geometry library that I'm using is not open source.

- Michael

OK that your take, to me the business of opensource is working well; the reason I said that is because I am a BLENDER USER and a very devoid one I might add. Think of the spawn of idea that other can do with your source code (there are great opensource library available too!) just look at apache, php, python, zope, enhydra, blender, wings3d, etc. What I want see is that you allow the community to help to grow your product and then some big company would sponsor the projects. I am sure you can get more return and still be respected for being founder!

I love your product moi3d to me is the next gen of cad\cam that is why I want to opensource it so we could advance your and the community idea faster. This is not about money issue, but the building of great product that need to grow and I belive opensource your code with alternative library might take your further. I'd still buy moi3d if it close source and may be autocad would buy you eventually- then we are lost forever.

Hi Phonx - I certainly appreciate the sentiment that you want MoI to grow in capabilities more quickly.

However, growing quickly and maintaining a simple UI design are very difficult things to balance with one another. In many ways these are opposite forces from one another.

In a certain sense I actually really like a more slow controlled growth because it really helps with the UI design aspects of the software.

- Michael

Hi Michael;

As a follower of Blender 3D development I can tell you that you are still in control and can dictate what go into your code, in blender we have a number of coders that made the final decision what can go into each release and we have a test branch that people can experiment with new features and eventually some of the features in the branch are merged into new release and so on. I have been followed the blender development since when it was not opensource and went bankrupt before Ton came up with idea of raising $100000 by donation from blender community (they did it within less than a month! from memory) to release Blender into opensource. Other failing commercial projects has been copied this model since or even just go opensource route and concentrated on selling support and services.

Since then Blender 3D has been downloaded more than 200000+ (2006 figure) and has been sponsor by danish governement and other bodies. I think Blender Foundation has been growing by reap and bound after opensource would speak for itself. Well at least it has create a knee jerk reaction in the 3d community that commercial products has to released water marked version of their products for people try for free!

Other projects also has donate their source code to further Blender growth such nurbana, sharp sculpt, and many others.

I have raise this issue with you a year since and I think you should consider it. I don't know what is your aim for this product but I think it is a revolutionary product that need to be foster and live on. Opensource will ensure its enternity.

Hi Phonx, I certainly realize that there are many advantages to open source, and that it can work really well for certain projects. It has definitely has been a great success for Blender.

However, it just does not line up with my own particular goals and style of working, sorry...

- Michael

Hey Michael;

It is great to talk you - like I've said it is your choice. Looking forward to the release and wish you all the best with such a great product.

Regards

Phonx

Thanks Phonx!

I definitely appreciate your goals for asking about making it open source - to make MoI successful and lasting and bring improvements to it.

Thank you for your feedback!

- Michael