(2004-05-17) Software And Service

SixApart's new MovableType pricing structure has lots of people up in arms - they seemed to think it would stay free forever. Expectations management for the Open Source SmallCo.

Jeff Jarvis thinks the anger is an inevitable byproduct of SixApart being both in the software and service (TypePad hosting) business. SixApart has never wanted others to become major-league hosts of Movable Type software because the founders have long planned to make a business from paid hosting. And that's fine... except now that they are charging for their software, the conflict of interest immediately comes to the surface: SixApart is not selling generous licenses to MovableType because it does not want to affect TypePad's business; it does not want to enable competitors (even small ones) to TypePad and it still wants to motivate people to move to TypePad (and pay a monthly fee instead of just a one-time fee: an annuity, we call it in the biz). But that, in turn, is clearly hurting the software business. They are in inherent conflict.

Marc Canter thinks Jeff is wrong. I vowed then, that I'd participate in ALL stages of the food chain (Value Chain) - from the moment when the idea is created, to the pitch that gets the project going, to the designs and architecture of the project, the implementation and MOST importantly the iteration, refinement and testing required to evolve a really great Digital Lifestyle Aggregator. That's what I'm dong right now - and it's the only way to guarentee that your ideas come to actuality.

• this reminds me of the Dave Winer Platform build-out strategy as noted/appreciated often by Phil Jones.

Dan Bricklin is watching the discussion.

Mark Pilgrim is Framing this as a Freedom issue. In the long run, the utility of all non-Free software approaches zero... "Freedom 0" is the freedom to run the program, for any purpose. Word Press gives me that freedom; MovableType does not.

Mark Bernstein replies Free is not special. I want the value of the software to exceed its price, whatever it is. The price point of zero is not more special than the price point of $736.29.