Joomla.org - Free Extensions Only? Vote!

[eyezberg]

horus, how do you know these people do not contribute some of their earnings back to Joomla via donations or other? Just asking, as you make assuptions here..
And so many people here are so strongly advocating free and open source extensions taht I do not believe any line needs to be drawn, users will choose themselves. Saying to a dev' "you can only list X extensions" doesn't sound like a good thing to do - where do the others go? Or what keeps me from creating a site per major extension, and list each with a different contact etc..? Just more work for JED team..

[horus_68]

Amy... I will check that!

eyezberg

I think I was clear:

!
I don't know them, and what I'm saying is just an example. As persons they may contribute a lot to the opensource Joomla and community. But as a business... they are just a business.

Its not an assumption. If a business wants to make any statement at this community it should be, first of all, by sharing some work: also here the money should come in second.

I can have all the money of the world, and give away lot of them to charity, it doesn't make me part of something build with other purpose.

The developers my be top helpers on the forum, its not the point, and shouldn't be also about this particular company. I explain why I pick it up!
I've told also that it my bring more work, but my point is:
When will you (us) find that JED can't be a mall free for all?
JoomlaCode already selected non-commercials projects, JED has also special guidelines that can de-list an extension, the way of conduct business could be also one of them.
I don't now the name in english but I believe that its called Fair Trade.

I remind the point of this post, its about JED, and I was one of the first to advocate Free + commercial... but with limits!

It can't be the market to decide! This is a community of members. The question from the star point is: How can a free (independent, member contribution) extension survive if it can't have a place to be noticed?

Let's make an appointment, next May (2008) we will see how many extensions (commercial and free) will be listed at JED, and how many had an update in 4 months!.
Then, with 4000 maybe 5000 extensions we will need to make some adjustments

[vizion2000]

I vote for both commercial and free BUT with this proviso

1. Commercial listed seperately from free.
2. Commercial downloads pay a 10% royalty to Joomla to help finance joomla
3. Joomla includes a module that looks for an encrypted key file in the download and only installs  the extension if the encrypted file is valid.
4. The encrypted file is created during the download.
5. There is no charge for an encrypted file for open source.
6. The charge for commercial encrypted file is 10% of the licence fee for commercial.
7. People who build their own extensions for use on their own site will be able to generate an encrypted file for their own personal use.
8. Joomla does not allow links for commercial.

my two peenorth

[AmyStephen]

Horus -

Commercial extensions have been allowed and encouraged by the Joomla! community. So, I don't think it's right to start naming developers and ask what they have done to deserve to share their products in the JED. There has been no such requirement. I agree that it is ethical to help with community work if one is benefiting - that includes template providers and anyone who sells services using Joomla! and it includes those of us who are using Joomla! for non-commercial purposes, as well. Let's not point fingers at people and question their ethics, though.

The community is asked to share their opinions on this matter in this thread or by using the [email protected] email address. The core team and OSM board will consider these comments and make a decision. Then, we should all get behind this decision - or - find another project to participate with. We will thrive as a united community or we will fail if we start attacking one another.

Since you seem to be one who is trying to figure out "the right way", I am certain you understand my point.  Would you please call for the close of this thread? Let's consolidate our voices into the other thread and trust this process to work.

Thanks for considering,
Amy

[vizion2000]

Since you seem to be one who is trying to figure out "the right way", I am certain you understand my point.  Would you please call for the close of this thread? Let's consolidate our voices into the other thread and trust this process to work.

Thanks for considering,
Amy

IMHO this is the "right place" for this discussion .. please keep it in the joomla forum.

my two peeeenyworth

david

[AmyStephen]

David -

What's wrong with participating in the other thread? I'm not suggesting closing this topic. But, is there really a need to discuss this same matter in two different places? If you don't want to use the big thread, use the email address [email protected].

I don't get to decide, so, don't worry!

Thanks!
Amy

[vizion2000]

David -

What's wrong with participating in the other thread? I'm not suggesting closing this topic. I don't get to decide, so, don't worry!

Thanks!
Amy

But that is just what you did do in this thread...

Would you please call for the close of this thread?

IMHO the big thread is less focussed than this one.. both are useful but this thread is more pertinent.
david

[AmyStephen]

"Topic" - meaning, I am not suggesting you stop discussing the topic, but close this "thread" and join the group who are also discussing this topic in the other thread!

This thread is hardly where the attention is. 

All the best,
Amy

[LorenzoG]

I feel that the discussion in this thread is much more narrowed, namely if the Extensions Directory should only list free extensions or if it should, as it is today contain both commercial and open source extensions.

The other thread - "Can Joomla! extensions be released under non-GPL compatible licences" are a much wider subject as the title state and are much more extensive.

It's good that this thread link to the other discussion, but please keep this discussion on topic. Thanks 

[Pomond]

I voted for both, because I believe that the commercial marketplace (and the commercial viability of the overall Joomla! project) is going to go a long way toward helping the overall effort.  Mindshare and marketshare have a value: By developing commercial extensions for Joomla!, developers are hitching their wagons to the bigger open-source project, and they have a vested business interest to ensure that it  succeeds.  This will result in open-source give-backs (as many commercial developers do), as well as the benefits to  innovation  that competition provides.  (In addition, I think that commercial developers will continually have to be kept on their toes by competition from free extensions, and this will keep improving the overall quality of all  extensions.)

As an end user/administrator of Joomla!,  I will happily pay a nominal fee for a commercial extension to save me hours and hours of trying to squeeze my brain around a problem I don't have the experience and skills to approach in the first place.

[carson3511]

Hello everyone,
I just HAD to jump in on this discussion. We are a commercial component developer and remained that way exclusively for the first year after releasing our first component. We also seen the need to offer back to the community. We have definitely benefited from the GPL licenced components and also some commercially licenced components that we use on our sites. We had a long discussion about releasing the basic version of our LMS as a GPL component for free. We had reservations at first but now we are so happy to be able to "give back" now what we have also enjoyed. I am a believer that any commercial developer that has multiple products can at least offer something to the community. If the joomla.org extensions directory did not have the commercial products listed any longer, then the choices offered to the community would be greatly lost. Right now people can search for what they need and have choices and comparisons between free and commercial components. And let's face it, both have their place in the community. It all depends on what the user's needs are for their application. Some need a more basic free product and others may have the need for a more advanced commercial product that they don't mind paying for if it suites their need.
Just my thoughts
Thanks