Okay guys, first some updates - most of the beta testing is over and the plugin is almost ready for release. We're double checking stuff but it will be in the next few days or week. The hosting solution (which we are now calling Symbiostock PLUS) is already live, but we aren't announcing it yet. If you want to get an idea of how the plugin looks and works, go over to symbiostock.com, create a trial account and you can use it for 15 days without fuss.

You can see a long list of features here (http://www.symbiostock.org/the-symbiostock-demo-is-live/) and you can browse the documentation here (http://www.symbiostock.org/docs/).

As for all the other stuff, I encourage you to read our EULA (http://www.symbiostock.org/symbiostock-eula/) and our Trademark Policy (http://www.symbiostock.org/trademark-guidelines/). The EULA overall basically just says 'we aren't liable if Symbiostock doesn't perform the way you want', amongst some other clauses. Pretty standard, I think I lifted it off RedHat (http://www.redhat.com/en) and ammended it.

The trademark policy was likewise lifted off a few other open source projects and tweaked. Specifically, our fair use clause outlines that anyone using any of the Symbiostock software can, and is encouraged to use the name or logo. The main reason the trademark policy was created was to prevent third parties from creating weird software, claiming to be Official Symbiostock this or that, and causing confusion as a result. In order to grow, open source organizations must do this to protect their users.

Most importantly, I'm going to kind of sever my relationship with the legacy software now because it seems my attempt to include it in the future of Symbiostock kind of backfired. In trying to make sure some of you didn't feel left out, I was trying to keep you included - but as I now understand that the previous version was a unique animal unto itself that didn't limit itself to the software, I'm going to only focus on the new plugin and leave the legacy one to you guys. It's Leo's code, after all, and the new plugin as well as the new project, despite sharing many qualities and a very similar vision, does appear to be a new breed. In accordance with this, I'm also not going to be providing legacy users with discounts on future Symbiostock stuff. As I didn't get any of that revenue, your best bet would be to recover it from Leo. My taking responsibility for the old plugin was kind of a good faith gesture, but as it has not been received as such, I'm not going to keep beating the poor, and very dead, horse.

My best suggestion would be this - if you feel content with the legacy Symbiostock, feel that its performance and output, and overall leadership and consistency was good for you, you should head over to Leo's spiritual successor to it. I genuinely believe you will feel more at home there.

The new Symbiostock project and plugin is professional, aggressive, sharp, and meant to expand. It's central, most focused purpose is to make us less reliant on third parties to sell our media. It is an open source business for a community of business-people.

For any questions, feel free to PM me on the Symbiostock forums. My communications here will be sparse, at best, for the time being.

Robin.

Quote from: r2d2 on May 07, 2015, 14:47

He is dreamin and has dollars already in his eyes.

They might as well have at least one incentive to do something with it.

Yes. Hopefully, this well deserved money comes from image buyers and not out of our pockets