> With Saxon, the license revenue from the commercial product has proved > sufficient to keep the open source product moving forward (and to fund > the development of Saxon-CE). But even with Saxon-CE which is quite > early in its life, it's difficult to justify spending further money on > it with no sign of a revenue stream in sight. I think Saxon is the best XML processing system out there, and I recommend and use it everywhere I can. What makes me feel comfortable is not only the well-tested and reliable features/functions/performance but also the longevity of the product and the rate of new development work. I believe this is due to clever developers, good product/business management and a recurring revenue stream. Similar comments apply to other commercial XML software I respect such as oXygen and Antenna House. Commercialisation shouldn't be feared as a model, although I would always remain skeptical of profit motives, greed and monopolisation. IMHO what is ideal is a business driven by the right motives with an appropriate balance between customer and vendor concerns. I think Mike makes some good points here and I appreciate the wisdom shared. -Gareth |