Ashley, These were good comments and a good read. Thanks for your efforts in giving us this information.
Paul Tretter ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2002 8:33 PM Subject: [REBOL] Re: Licensing, components > > Just caught up on 5 days of mail, so I'll comment on a few posts at once ;) > > > The only reason people will use REBOL these days is because they have > fallen in love with the language and love to explore. > > RAD. The ability to develop a [relatively] complex GUI-based application > without being forced to use a database component from company B, an imaging > module from company C, etc is a godsend. Everything can be done in REBOL > and it can be done quickly. > > UI. The user-interface can be made to look exactly the way you choose. In > my case, it allows me to deploy apps across Win95, 98, ME, 2000 and XP > without worrying about the subtle API and UI changes. > > Consistency. Even on just one platform, windoze, most software has at least > a "Win95, 98, ME" and a "Win2000/XP" install / usage section in the manual. > Because REBOL apps use REBOL building blocks as opposed to API building > blocks, this is not an issue for REBOL apps. My documentation can use the > one set of screen shots and instructions to cover all flavours of windoze. > > > I believe that if more people knew of real-world ENCAP uses, they would > be more willing to trust and buy it without trial. I have no idea who uses > it, how well it works, what's really involved and cannot even read the docs > on it. I can find no examples 'Made with Encap'. > > Could not be simpler to use. Just run the encap program, enter the source > script name (eg. test.r), the target name (eg. test.exe) and hey presto you > have a 550K standalone executable. This executable is in fact the REBOL > interpreter with your script(s) tacked on the end. > > As for "made with encap", here we get interesting. In the niche industry I > am targeting the UI is *the* selling point of my app and I do *not* want my > VB and C based competitors to know "how it was done and how so quick". > Encap, for me, is not only the means by which the source code is protected > but also the means by which the "production process" is protected. > > This *commercial* consideration may conflict with my *hobbyist* instincts > to tell the world about REBOL, but I figure that spending time trying to > sell REBOL-based applications is more beneficial to RT (and me) than > talking to end-users about a particular deployment technology. Folks are > interested in what your application can do, not what it is written in. > Competitors *are* interested in what it is written in as they can then > market against it (eg. "that REBOL app over there is really just an > interpreted script, while our app is a highly optimised C executable", > etc). Sales prospects are rather taken with the concept of a single, > "optimised" 550K executable and no supporting DLL's. > > > ftpgadget is the only application that I am aware of that is encapped. > > There are others, like mine, that are sold via channels other than the > internet. I have just come back from a 5-day trade fair where my encap'ed > demo was seen by hundreds of sales prospects, many of whom do not even have > an email address let alone buy software over the internet. > > > I'd recommend it for software projects of all sizes. Last time I > checked, it was $499 plus 10% commission on all sales of products where > Encap was used (or something like that). > > Note that this fee is a yearly fee and is applied against the 10% owed. ie. > if I sell $8,000 worth of software in a year then I owe RT $800 less $499. > While I don't suggest the royalty scheme is the best way to gain large > developer support, it does have the advantage of a low entry cost ($499) > and like any franchise (eg. Macdonald's) if the franchise does well then RT > does well and the developer still retains 90%. > > > What improvements/changes do you recommend for Encap? > > Ability to change icons (it comes embedded with the standard "R" icons at > 16x16, 32x32 and 48x48) and "Version" text. While other tools can be used > to [interactively] modify the encapped executable, it would be better if > encap excepted scripted parameters to do this (ie. a simple and complete > build process). > > Sample install / uninstall scripts that handle pathing, icons, registry > entries, etc. While I don't expect the likes of "Install Shield", I do > expect an installer that prompts for an installation directory and places > an icon on the user's desktop. > > -Does Encap work across platforms? > Each platform requires it's own version of encap. > > -How do you control that? > Purchase encap for each platform you intend to market for. Note that higher > sales will effectively let you obtain encap on other platforms "for free". > eg. $10,000 in sales covers the cost of encap for two platforms, even if > most sales occurred on only one platform. > > -Any issues with /View > None. > > -Does Encap work with all versions of REBOL? > Encap "contains" the REBOL interpreter. Latest encap includes latest > release and beta versions. It is not encap itself that is beta, but the > "interpreter" instance it binds to your script(s). > > -How big is the minimum executable? > 550K on windows. After adding 160K of scripts, this went to 554K. I was > suitably impressed! > > -Can you generate Encapped dynamically under Rebol script control? > Yes. Roll your own. > > -Does Encap have any built-in icon features for GUIs? > No. DIY. > > -Double click starting from icon on Win32 and MacOS? > No. DIY. > > -What control for time limiting, password or license key control of > executables? > DIY. > > -What sort of docs, examples do you get? > Installation and usage manual of about 4 pages, plus a test / sample script > to encap. > > -Does 10% commission apply to non-profit, non-commercial or educational > projects? > 10% of nothing is nothing. If you charge something, 10% goes to RT. > > -How is licensing/commission managed? > See above. > > -Is that 10% of the final product price? > REBOL based component only (if structured correctly). > > -What happens if your product is free? > You pay $499 per year for Royalty membership. > > -If you are a developer for a client with end-user customers, is just one > Encap > license needed? > Yes. Encap is a development licence, not a runtime licence. > > -Who is responsible for the Commission in that case, and how is it assigned > and > tracked? > The seller of the encap'ed program is responsible. > > -Have you used it with PayPal closely in any way? > No. > > -Does Encap help promote REBOL or is that left entirely up to the > developer? > Unless modified, the encapped executable retains the REBOL icons and > version text. > > - What have you built with it? > Image Management software for the medical industry. > > - Client and end-user reactions to the product? > They love the UI of the application and don't know [or care] that it was > written with REBOL. > > - Client [and end-user] reactions to the license commission? > Not their problem. They pay an RRP that includes all third party licence > fees, etc. Again, the 10% royalty fee is the concern of the *seller* only. > > > Anything else? > > Don't go into business without a good accountant and lawyer, and operate > out of a company structure. ;) > > > Regards, > > Ashley > > -- > To unsubscribe from this list, please send an email to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] with "unsubscribe" in the > subject, without the quotes. > -- To unsubscribe from this list, please send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with "unsubscribe" in the subject, without the quotes.
