First off, Great job on the 2.2 Beta release and all else going on. I know this is a hard feat and look forward to what you create in the future.
I am still using v1.75 until I feel there is a 100% secure upgrade path. I have also created quite a few modifications that I'll have to completely remake since table structures have been changed.
I am wondering the reason of having two different versions of FengOffice 2.x? I see there are many features not included in the CE version compared with Pro. Normally in an Open Source environment, this is offered the opposite way.
You use the Community version for new & innovative plugins, mods, and features. Once those become stable, you release them in your professional version.
With this business model, you make money from offering hosting & support to developers & businesses. This seems to be the business model used prior to version 2.0.
I now see a strong difference in the direction FO is going with version 2.x. As a member of the Community who has a plethora of code, expertise, and funds to contribute to this project, I'd like the community members to be made aware of the future of the development.
Do you plan on taking CE & Pro Editions in different directions to entice people to make a purchase of your product, or will CE always offer an open source version of the latest build of FO?
I understand developers haven't contributed nearly as much as your team would have liked in the past, but you must also understand that your product is very young and the direction of the entire Feng project has not been made clear to the public. Nor has a proper plugin procedure been developed until recently. With a clear business plan and collaborative communication with members I think you will find that developers will offer stronger support.
Also, focusing on making a seamless transition between 1.75 > 2.2 should be the highest priority over coming up with new features.
I finally got my business to the point that I can contribute some great code to this project, but with so many structural changes in 1.75 to 2.0 - I will be spending easily 6 months of my team's time upgrading all of our features before I feel comfortable contributing large plugins. A few plugins we have developed include an entire Mobile App for Feng - just to give you an example of the type of funds I have put into this platform.
With the ability to add new plugins to version 2.2, I know developers like myself will be happy to aide in the development of this opensource software. However, we only have the intention of helping if it is truly going to be 100% open source in the future with a community edition that is not handicapped.
Please explain how you see the direction of Feng being developed and the effort you expect Community members utilizing the CE version to partake.
