> Look! Jmol is mentioned in this ad. (As if Jmol were competing!) Of course Jmol competes, but not for money. It competes for attention and for usage as a molecular visualization / communications tool in the educational market.
With one foot rooted in open-source and the other in a software business, I can certainly understand how Wavefunction feels. Mark my words -- Jmol is going to be huge -- and any company that seeks to turn coin selling a proprietary molecular viewers should rightfully be worried. The way I see it, open source is more akin to changing the rules of the game than actually playing it. It raises the bar, ups the ante, and forces proprietary software companies to constantly deliver ever-increasing value to their customers just to stay in business. It is tremendous fun to pursue, but like any other magic superpower (mind-reading, telekinesis, x-ray vision...), open-source is best when used judiciously and for a good cause. Wavefunction is doing a smart thing by making it crystal clear why SpartanModel outpaces Jmol and Chime in various ways at the present time. For now, their case is strong. But if you extrapolate out a few years given current progress in open-source, I think their concerns are thoroughly justified. With the possible exception of quantum codes, virtually all of the functionality in SpartanModel already exists in open-source. It is just that no one has yet had the time or motivation to tie all those diverse codes together into a usable tool capable of meeting real-world needs. Could some one do it? Of course! But would it be right or good to do so? Now that's less clear... At $30/copy, it is not like Wavefunction is trying to rip people off -- heck a plastic chemistry set costs about the same, doesn't it? If they can make a profit at those prices, then I think they should be congratulated, not obviated -- at least not immediately. Consider... How would you feel learning in a couple of years that Jmol has cost X number of people their jobs across the industry due to a precipitous collapse of revenue streams for molecular viewers? Let's imagine that ChemAxon, Accelrys, Wavefunction, Schrodinger, Cache, OpenEye, Tripos, and Astex all continue to spend millions on developing their own proprietary viewer architectures, can't make a dime, and end up having to lay off developers because Jmol is free, open-source, and adequate to meet market needs? Would that be a good thing? Probably, given the overall positive societal impact of a standard, ubiquitious, free, and open-source molecular viewer. But in the mean time, it will be tough for those developers and their families! Of course, that is just business. New technologies create and destroy markets all the time, and society benefits hugely overall. But the difference here with open-source is that we developers really do have the ability to reshape markets "in our spare time". We have that power, and we wield it volitionally, and therefore I suggest that we should consciously acknowledge and be aware of how our creations impact those around us. Bob, of course we compete -- we compete on terms the traditional competition cannot hope to meet, and if and when we are about to utterly destroy a proprietary product's ability to succeed in a given space, then I think we should have a good reason for doing so. Even when we have such a reason, I see nothing wrong with letting the competition know what's coming, exercising a little restraint with respect to deployment, and helping those poor souls reach higher ground before the tsunami hits. It's just not fair, otherwise. ; ) Cheers, Warren -- Warren L. DeLano, Ph.D. Principal Scientist . DeLano Scientific LLC . 400 Oyster Point Blvd., Suite 213 . South San Francisco, CA 94080 . Biz:(650)-872-0942 Tech:(650)-872-0834 . Fax:(650)-872-0273 Cell:(650)-346-1154 . mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of > Bob Hanson > Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2005 6:17 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [Jmol-users] [Fwd: SpartanModel: An Electronic Model > Kit is now AVAILABLE!] > > Look! Jmol is mentioned in this ad. (As if Jmol were competing!) > > http://www.wavefun.com/products/windows/SpartanModel/SpModelOr > gInst.pdf > > (next to last page) > > I'm not understanding the reference exactly, but it's nice to > see the mention anyway, I think. > > Bob Hanson > > > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: SpartanModel: An Electronic Model Kit is now AVAILABLE! > Date: Wed, 04 May 2005 16:17:11 -0700 > From: Wavefunction Inc <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: Dr. Robert M. Hanson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Dear Dr. Hanson, > > Wavefunction announces the release of SpartanModel, an > electronic model kit. > Making use of computer technology, SpartanModel replaces the > "plastic models" > used by past generations of organic chemistry students, and > extends the utility of molecular models in chemistry > education. A set of easy-to-use builders allow for the > construction and 3-D manipulation of molecules of any size or > complexity. > > Students are not limited to simple organic molecules; > inorganic and organometallic compounds, polypeptides and > polynucleotides are also easily constructed. SpartanModel's > energy minimization procedure uses molecular mechanics to > generate a realistic structure from constructed molecules. > Molecules may be visualized in a variety of model styles from > tube and ball-and-spoke models (displaying bond types), to > space-filling models (revealing size and shape), to ribbon > displays for polypeptides and polynucleotides (displaying > additional secondary structure information). > > SpartanModel determines and displays hydrogen bonds. Models > may be labeled to show element types, mass numbers, charges, > and R/S chirality. Structural information is also available, > including bond lengths and angles, torsion angles > ('conformations'), volume and surface area. SpartanModel > includes a large database of organic molecules. High quality > quantum mechanical calculations have been performed on > database entries providing accurate molecular structure, > properties, infrared spectra, and on-the-fly generation of > graphical displays of electrostatic potential maps. > SpartanModel is compatible with files generated from Spartan > Windows and Macintosh programs and will open and display > molecules, properties, surfaces, and IR spectra calculated > with Spartan programs. SpartanModel is easy-to-use, > versatile, and priced for students. > > > For an instructor's overview of SpartanModel, please visit: > > http://www.wavefun.com/products/windows/SpartanModel/SpModelOr > gInst.pdf > > If you are interested in adopting SpartanModel for your > organic curriculum, and would like additional information, > please contact Wavefunction at [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > SpartanModel puts chemistry at your student's fingertips!! > > Wavefunction, Inc. > 18401 Von Karman Avenue > Suite 370 > Irvine, CA 92612 > www.wavefun.com > --------------- > You received this email because you've previously shown > interest in Wavefunction, Inc. products. If you no longer > wish to receive emails from us, please send email to > "Wavefunction Inc<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>" with the subject > "REMOVE [EMAIL PROTECTED]". We apologize for any > inconvenience this email may have caused you. > > > -- > Robert M. Hanson, [EMAIL PROTECTED], 507-646-3107 Professor > of Chemistry, St. Olaf College 1520 St. Olaf Ave., > Northfield, MN 55057 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.stolaf.edu/people/hansonr > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > This SF.Net email is sponsored by: NEC IT Guy Games. > Get your fingers limbered up and give it your best shot. 4 > great events, 4 > opportunities to win big! Highest score wins.NEC IT Guy Games. Play to > win an NEC 61 plasma display. Visit http://www.necitguy.com/?r=20 > _______________________________________________ > Jmol-users mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/jmol-users > ------------------------------------------------------- This SF.Net email is sponsored by: NEC IT Guy Games. Get your fingers limbered up and give it your best shot. 4 great events, 4 opportunities to win big! Highest score wins.NEC IT Guy Games. Play to win an NEC 61 plasma display. 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