Hi Paul,
Thanks for speaking up with words of optimism. :)
Our goal with Preview is to get it out there and see if more people
respond just as you have. If we can find an audience who can see the
potential, that will help open doors.
In the short run, you and others can help us find that audience. Help us
evangelize! If you have a blog, write about it. If you know someone who
you think might like using it, turn them on to Chandler. Help them get
over small obstacles when first using it, and report back to the group.
Let us know what specifically is exciting, helpful, useful about
Chandler, and let us know where small improvements would make Chandler
better.
I have been working with Mitch, the management team, a few board
members, and other friendly knowledgeable folks outside of OSAF on what
might come next on the path to sustainability. We are working on it.
Preview is the big step before taking other kinds of actions; we need to
see how people respond. Preview just came out, and it will take a little
time for this all to play out. We'll be discussing sustainability
options on a private strategy list; the details aren't going to show up
on the public lists.
You are correct that some folks are a little weary after the release. I
hope the desktop team developers take a few days to re-engergize where
they need to. I myself will be re-engaging in this thread next week.
Cheers,
Katie
Paul Lathrop wrote:
I've been watching this discussion with interest and a little bit of
trepidation. Before March, I hadn't known much about OSAF; since then
I've been deeply impressed by the work you are doing. As such a newcomer
to the community, however, I'm nervous about speaking out.
Perhaps I don't understand the issues involved; after all, I'm still
largely an outsider. That said, as I've watched the discussion evolve,
it seems like there is a lot of focus around what to do with Chandler -
and all of it seems based on the assumption that when the current round
of funding runs out, it's "game over" for OSAF. This defeatism is
somewhat surprising, because when I look at OSAF I see great potential.
I wonder why there isn't more talk on how to eliminate that deadline
that is hanging over your heads. Why not discuss ways of getting *more*
funding, or how to turn your product into something which generates a
revenue stream? Why not consider some hard decisions that might enable
you to streamline your process and organization? Why not set aside the
software for the moment and take a good hard look at the other issues
that surround *any* development effort, whether it be open source or
closed, commercial or non-profit?
Chandler is innovative. There is nothing like it out there right now. It
is the only piece of software that comes close to working the way I
work. I have *never* been as organized as I've become since using
Chandler, and your vision of what Chandler could be fires my
imagination. Great! You've got the hardest part done - creating
something new and wonderful that people want to use. I hope that you
haven't burned up your passion in that creation, because the next step
is to get other people (yes, people with money) to believe in that
software, too.
I can't say I understand the thoughts that led to the decision of ending
your funding at the end of 2008. What I can say is that from where I
stand it looks like an opportunity to rethink your process, refine your
organization, and create a sustainable business model to support the
innovations you have worked so hard to create.
Here are some suggestions:
1) Phillip Eby wrote on much the same subject today. He says "Confusing
'users' with 'revenue' is a mistake." Listen closely, I couldn't have
said it better.
2) Focusing on revenue is not necessarily evil. You do not have to
abandon your values in order to make money.
3) Take a metaphorical step back and a not-so-metaphorical deep breath.
You've all been coding, or managing coders, full-steam for years. You
needed that focus to get Preview out the door, but what you need now is
a wider perspective.
4) Try to remember why you love being OSAF. Many of you probably feel a
little burned-out right now and need to re-kindle the passion that led
you to join this effort in the first place.
Anyway, I hope I don't seem too presumptuous, and would be happy to lend
whatever skills I have to helping OSAF tackle the challenges it faces
now. I hope that there is more optimism in OSAF than I've felt through
reading this discussion, and I hope that I've been able to add some
outside perspective. I believe that you have a powerful vision.
Regards,
Paul Lathrop
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