> 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
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