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--- developers:bugzilla:sponsored [2015/09/01 23:28]
geojames
+++ developers:bugzilla:sponsored [2015/10/08 21:08] (current)
geojames [Why Sponsored Features Included In Base Code]
@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 ===== Why Sponsored Features Included In Base Code =====
-Many clients have approached with requests to develop a feature for them but that the client would own or control/resell that feature themselves instead of the feature being included freely within the base software.  We turn down such requests for several reasons.
+Many clients have approached with requests to develop a feature for them but that the client would own or control/resell that feature themselves instead of the feature being included freely within the base software.  We turn down such requests for several reasons which we list below.
-Such requests require us to keep custom code separate from the base file set we work with.  Managing different code bases in an active coding environment is time consuming and eventually one branch of the code gets abandoned...and it's not the base code file set.  It's the custom development work.  It's not worth the cost for us or you to maintain a separate code base.
+Such requests require us to keep custom code separate from the base file set we work with.  Managing different code bases in an active coding environment is time consuming, not cost efficient and eventually one branch of the code gets abandoned...and the code base abandoned is not the base Geo file set.  The custom development work is the code abandoned to fall behind the base software.  It's not worth the cost for us or you to maintain a separate code base.
-Once a piece of code is separate it quickly falls behind the base software.  When you do try to include it into a current installation there are always issues.  In many cases some pieces of the custom development need to be recreated just to bring the custom feature up to current code.  That's development time the owner of the separate feature would need to pay for.  As we include all sponsored development into the code base we by practice keep the feature up to date.  We basically eat the cost of keeping the feature up to date in the base code from day one.
+Once a piece of code is separate from the base code set it quickly falls behind the base software.  The base software is under constant development and those changes can have affect in different parts of the code.  And later when you do try to include separated feature back into a current installation there are always issues to be dealt with.  In many cases some pieces of the custom development need to be recreated just to bring the custom feature up to current code.  That's development time the owner of the separate feature would need to pay for.  As we include all sponsored development into the code base we by practice keep the feature up to date free once included in the base file set.  We basically eat the cost of keeping the sponsored feature up to date in the base code from day one.  So while we share a cost to create the feature with you we solely eat the cost of keeping that feature in the base file set.  This can save quite a bit in maintaining a feature as an changing and improving base file set requires constant change in features attached to it.
-Another reason is that the feature actually gets used.  Once a feature is in the code base other eyes see it and can use it.  We've seen many times where once a feature was released, issues in the feature are quickly found and fixed.  The feature gets "stressed" by different environments and different minds using it.  Other clients may also see an opportunity and even sponsor their own improvements to the feature.  All this keeps the feature in use and improves upon an improvement.  With sponsored development of a feature you do have the ability to have the feature coded to fit your business processes exactly which in almost all cases provides you a "head start" to using that feature in an active environment if a head start is needed.  In many features most clients can see a use for it in their business models.
+Another reason is that the feature actually gets used.  Once a feature is in the code base other clients eyes see it and can use it.  We've seen many times where once a feature was released issues in the feature are quickly found and fixed because of other clients poking and testing the sponsored code.  The feature gets "stressed" by different environments, different minds and different business plans using it.  Other clients may also see an opportunity and even sponsor their own improvements to the feature.  All this keeps the feature in use and improves upon an improvement.  With sponsored development of a feature you do have the ability to have the feature coded to fit your business processes exactly which in almost all cases provides you a "head start" to using that feature in an active environment if a head start is needed.  In many features most clients can't see a use for it in their business models.  Sponsoring a feature makes for a feature that meets your needs exactly.  In many cases there is a wrinkle within the sponsored feature that simply makes it unusable within another business plan.  And then again any other clients that do find a use for the sponsored feature generally find a very different use for it so as not to interfere with your plans.
-Please note also that the cost we give for adding a sponsored feature is not the whole cost of that feature.  In most cases we are eating some of the development cost because the software does benefit.  We also keep that feature up to date with the base software which is another cost.
+We as a software company must keep our software competitive with other software in the industry.  If we were to separate code out for specific clients for their own ownership we would be limiting the directions our software sometimes must go to stay competitive.  After all you are relying on our software for your business needs and we wish to be here to supply those needs for a long time.  Doing custom work that the client solely owns limits where we can grow as a company to stay alive in a competitive marketplace providing software support for your current projects and for future projects.  Even if you were to own a feature in our software that doesn't stop others buying software from other companies and adding that same feature to that software.
+We do not want to place limits where the software can go in the future and providing "rights to a feature in the software to one client" severely limits where the software and even we as a company can go.  We are approached with ideas all the time and do not want to limit the software because someone "holds rights" to a specific feature or a specific way something is done.  We cannot limit the possibilities in the software for one project.  We've also found that while some features in the code are similar the business processes using them are vastly different.  So while two or more clients are using the same feature they do so from very different business processes leaving all clients mutually happy with the same feature and never really in "competition".
+Please note also that the cost we give for adding a sponsored feature is not the whole cost of that feature.  In almost cases we are eating some of the development cost because the software does benefit.  We know that others may find a use for the feature and do eat up some of that cost.  And when that feature is included in the base file set we keep that feature up to date with the base software which is another long term cost.
 ===== How we Add Features =====

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