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Hi! This is a great program! Thanks  As I read in some messages in this forum, Andrey does not have a lot of time to develop this marvelous application. I wonder why it isn't made available as an open-source project. Are there any plans in the short term to make it open-source? That would provide SMath many advantages over any other software of the same kind, and plus, it would develop very fast. If there are no plans to make it open-source, why is that? Thanks
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  Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 09/01/2010(UTC) Posts: 102   Location: Oregon, USA Was thanked: 5 time(s) in 5 post(s)
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Guest wrote:If there are no plans to make it open-source, why is that? Because, at this point, Andrey wishes to retain ownership. I certainly don't blame him for that. It allows him more options for the future, if he ever decides to sell all or some versions of Smath as commercial products. For myself, I hope that Andrey either makes Smath open source or commercial in the not-too-distant future. As an engineer, who is just starting to use Smath for work, the future of Smath will become very important. As more of my work is recorded in Smath worksheets, I am concerned that development of Smath continue long into the foreseeable future. When development is invested in only one person and in a project that does not provide financial support for the developer, there is no assurance that development will continue. And as Smath develops, it will become more difficult to convert Smath worksheets back into MathCad worksheets later, if Smath development should cease. For open source to work, a group of interested developers would be needed that could continue the work should Andrey's interest in Smath reach its end. I am not sure that such a group exists. I know this may not be popular with some users, but going commercial with some or all versions of Smath is a good option. Mathcad is a very expensive product. Andrey could charge a modest price that many, including myself, would gladly pay for this fantastic piece of software. Perhaps academic users would be able to use the software free-of-charge. This will give Andrey the support he would need to continue development well into the future. (Care would need to be exercised to avoid perceived copyright infringement of MathCad's GUI.) Of the two options, open source or commercial, I would tend to think that open source would be best for the users in the long run. But that is by no means certain. Also, Andrey has the right to do what he thinks is best for himself. He deserves to reap the benefits of his hard work, should he choose to do so. I know I have expressed these opinions before, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share them again. Regards, Will Edited by user 17 August 2010 23:55:12(UTC)
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Will Massie
Mechanical Engineer
Oregon, USA |
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Rank: Guest
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I think that, with such a nice software, a lot of interested developer would like to participate improving what is already done. There is nothing similar as open-source software. I don't think finding interested people would be a problem at all. But I sure understand that Andrey may not want to make the source code available, although it would be a great jump for the development of the application. Cheers
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  Rank: Administration Groups: Developers, Registered, Knovel Developers, Administrators, Advanced Member Joined: 11/07/2008(UTC) Posts: 1,616  Was thanked: 1978 time(s) in 666 post(s)
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Hello. It seems everything already said  Just want to add one thing. As I already told somewhere, if I will see that I can't continue development, I will share the source code immediately. Regards.
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Rank: Guest
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Thanks. You are doing a great job
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Rank: Newbie
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Joined: 20/12/2010(UTC)
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Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands
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I would like to ad one consideration. I for one think there is a good reason there is hardly any cheap math program available. A lot of home user's are still doing illegal cracked versions of the commercial math programs and so far not much is being done about that. For the commercial users the price tag is often somewhat less of a hurdle. Therefore i am not sure if mawelian is right about a small price tag generating significant revenue.
On the other hand, open source software can sometimes partly be developed through grants, see SAGE for example.
I just wanted to share this thought with you,
Best regards, Merlijn
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  Rank: Member Groups: Registered
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Location: Northern Adirondacks
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Hi Andrey
Words are cheap so I sent you $25 US dollars via PayPal to say thank you. If I could get my money back for my student license of MathCAD 15, I would send more.
I'm a retired veteran with a welding shop trying to develop some alternate energy products. I love working with numbers but am a bit slow and need to be very organized. SMath is what I need and will now allow me to work from my desktop and laptop, something MC will not allow me to do.
The business end of what I am doing is not fun but is a reality I must face to finance the engineering which I love.
Open Source would be great for us, but where would that leave you?
Maybe there is a business model somewhere between retaining ownership and open source.
Even if it became open source, you could probably make a living as a consultant or developer as it would be so widely used.
... maybe just sell iPhone apps .....
I think You will do OK, You have a fine product.
I wish you the best and thank you for your efforts.
John
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