PyMOL Users, For all of you fortunate enough to have recurring annual software budgets, this is a gentle reminder and request for you to consider leaving room in your 2004 budget plans for a PyMOL support subscription (& license for new sponsors).
We have been functioning as an independent open-source software company for a little over six months, and I am thrilled to be able to now state with confidence that as long as present trends continue, DeLano Scientific LLC will endure to support PyMOL and pursue its development indefinitely. We have reached a minimal "break even" point where our current (albeit low) costs are met by current revenue. PyMOL is now officially a sustainable long-term project with a bright future! However, we are not yet running as efficiently as possible because current sponsorship can just barely support one full-time equivalent, meaning that my time is split between support, development, system administration, management of contractors, and (unavoidable) paperwork. This achievement of minimal sustainability is an important milestone, but we are not yet able to tap into the significant gains in productivity that can be had through effective divisions of labor. Of course, I will multi-task for as long as is needed to insure the project's vitality -- that goes almost without saying. However, the greatest benefits to you, our users, will accrue when we can afford separate dedicated people, each focusing on one area: support (training, documentation, site-visits, etc.), development (new features, bug-fixes, customization), or general administration (including preparation of SBIR grant applications to cover aggressive new development projects). My hope is that with gradually increasing sponsorship, we will reach that level within the next year or so. However, control over our growth rate and the rate of PyMOL improvement ultimately lies in your hands. What would you like to see happen with the project? Do you share our vision for accessible and ubiquitous molecular graphics software? Are you willing and able to help bring it about sooner or later? If you have a budget, then please make room for a PyMOL subscription in it. Alternatively, if you are preparing a new grant, then please consider adding a line item for PyMOL along with any new hardware or software purchases. We can provide quotes to help with this kind of advanced planning upon request ( http://www.pymol.org/funding.html ). Thanks to all of you who have already sponsored the effort -- you are making this all possible. Thank you especially for your trust, your patience, and your continued belief in the value of our mission ( http://www.delanoscientific.com/about.html ). Cheers, Warren -- mailto:war...@delanoscientific.com Warren L. DeLano, Ph.D. Principal Scientist DeLano Scientific LLC Voice (650)-346-1154 Fax (650)-593-4020
