FreeLists / 4d_rad / [4d_rad] Welcome and thanks

[Steven Horst <shorst@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Welcome to everyone who has signed up for this list.  I hope it will 
not need to be a list that goes on for a long time!

My intention in setting up this list is that it will provide a forum 
for those of us in one of the niches that the new Engine and plug-in 
licensing strategies from 4D does not work well for.  Ideally, we can 
come up with a proposal that would meet our needs without 
undercutting other aspects of 4D Inc.'s business.

***I have spoken with Brendan about wanting this to be a private 
list, and not to have people from ACI listening in.  This is not 
because I feel any antagonism towards them (indeed, I think they 
would like to hear a proposal that would work for everyone), but so 
that we can feel free to discuss things like financials that we would 
NOT want to share with anyone we were going to be trying to negotiate 
a deal with later.  Of course I can't control where people forward 
emails from this list, but I can control who subscribes to it.  And 
in any case, Brendan seems to have agreed that this is an acceptable 
idea.***



I would like to suggest a plan of action that goes from trying to 
reach consensus on the basic NEEDS of businesses like ours, to the 
FEATURES we need in a licensing model, to the SPECIFICS (like 
financials) of how a such a model might be developed.  (I can't 
stress too heavily that the things that most concern ME are NOT 
directly about PRICE.)

One way of looking at the kinds of issues we might talk about would 
be represented by teh following outline.  (Can you tell I'm a 
professor??)

I.  What are the features that a licensing model must/mustn't have 
for businesses like ours:
A.  Legal issues: can I legally distribute my software under this license?
B.  Fiduciary issues: can I (as CEO) distribute (or develop) my 
software under this model and still discharge my responsibilities to 
shareholders in my company?
C.  Longevity issues: does this license allow me to distribute as 
long as I need to, and at known cost, independent of what might 
happen at 4D Inc. or other companies in the meantime?

II.  What kinds of licensing models can meet these needs?
A.  Unlimited deployment in time and number/profit sharing
B.  Annual/perpetual licensing
C.  Pre-paid/after-sale payments
D.  OEM/General public terms

III.  Financials
The questions to be asked here will depend on what comes up in I and II.
=========================================================================
Steven Horst, Ph.D.
Founder, President and Chief Software Architect
IntelliGents, LLC -- Essential Software for the Academic Community

400 Plaza Middlesex #338
Middletown, CT  06457

mailto:shorst@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.intelli-gents.com

fax: 401-712-5542