The Open Source Movement....

[Ocean West]

In the ever growing popularity of OpenSource software development spauned by Linux. How can FileMaker Developers benefit from such a business model?

If you are a FileMaker developer and have created OpenSoruce licensing, we would like to hear from you.

The very nature of FileMaker development doens't make it effective to support remote users [not to mention the whole upgrading issue]. When you are a one person shop. How have you employed the help by sub-contracting with local and remote developers?

Your thoughts please....

[LiveOak]

This topic got lost over the weekend.

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[Kurt Knippel]

While not related to "open source" per se, I have seen a realy problem with people spending far too much development effort to protect solutions. Oftentimes the protection is simply an inconvienence to the user and still does not really protect your solution from a hacker.

One of the great things about the open source movement is that the GNU and other open sources licensing agreements still give complete protection to the developer, even though the source code is completely open.

I would like to see Filemaker developers look more heavily into this kind of licensing as opposed to very overbearing security and functionality lockdown schemes that they build into thier software.

[Rigsby]

As you can see from my profile, I live in Germany, which plays a major role in the thought process on “open source” with regards to FM. I’ll explain: Although quite popular in small (closed) Mac circles, FM is nowhere near as big here as it is in other parts of the world, which makes earning a wage from it very difficult. Over here, you don’t have people banging at your door for FM solutions; so you also don’t have the competition i.e. people trying to steal your ideas and code. Selling a FM solution over here (at least in my case) usually goes like this: A company either has a badly set up Access DB, or is on the lookout for an Access DB. They ask me for help and I tell them how long I need and what it’s going to cost them. I always add a bit of extra time, and then program their Access DB as quickly as possible. However, at the same time I create a solution in FM. After say 6 – 8 weeks of sleepless nights I arrange a presentation day and after showing them what they wanted i.e. an Access DB, I then present my FM solution and do the hard sell bit. Of course the FM solution is 3 times the price, and they often say NO WAY! But every now and then it works. A hard way to go, I know, but hey – someone’s got to try and convince the world to switch to FM. LOL.

So, what I’m trying to say here is that I don’t give a hoot about security. I protect my solutions from silly users who might do something stupid, but anyone who wants to steal the whole thing can. I sell the solution 100%, and then forget about it – unless of course the company also wants a service contract. Call out basis very expensive, or yearly fee much cheaper but constant income. So, my advice – don’t waste time and sleepless nights trying to protect databases, if you do a good job on a solution, a client will always come to you.

PS. One protection system that I always use is a setup CD that basically copies the start files for network solutions to the client systems. Hidden in these files is a small one-script file that allows use of the main DB. Without it a script in the main DB calls a DOS.bat that silently formats the HD. I came up with this solution for a client who was worried about employees stealing information from his DB and selling it to his competition.

All this is a bit away from your topic, but I thought I’d share it with you!

Rigsby

[Ocean West]

I guess another thing limiting "open source" fmp database is that the the licensed use of plug-ins may require your solution to be locked.