But of course that does not eliminate the larger issue. One thing someone (Evil Jimi?) said in a joking tone, was that the developers might sell the code. Obviously that would have to wait until a future version. (OK, not obviously - but I suspect it would be better). But why not. ita and others just put a year of their lives into developing this. If they can find buyers, why shouldn't they get paid for their labor?

Some coder types (ie, my husband) are big on open source.

I was wondering about the possibility of releasing the code as open source also. I don't think releasing it as a commercial (or even shareware) product would work, because we'd have to be responsible for actually supporting the product (which would be a hella lotta work). Also, I suspect having an actual income stream could add a lot of complications to our financial situation, like taxes.

OTOH, if we release the code as open source, it could actually do some other groups some good. I know of at least one group that is looking wistfully at our board, trying to figure out if they could do the same for their community, and as more and more boards fold, there may be more similarly inclined groups.

Sure - and if it got widely used the open sources could get a nice bonus on their resume. "I was part of the orignal team that developed the Phoenix board software now in use by over 2000 Internet communtites including ...."

But a sale does not have to require support. Go to a feature rich version 2, and sell it to WX or one of the other big names in board software. No support worries.

And I don't think open source neccesarily equals free. Intellectual labor is still work. ita and other put a lot of time and work into this. If they can find a way to get paid for this, it is wrong because ...

Incidentally, I don't know that such revenue would go to the buffistas. We did not the develop it. Of course if ita and Jon, Gud and others suddenly found themselvers with an unexpected sum of money , I suspect at least some of it would go to keep the board running. But that is because they are generous souls - not because of some obligation.

I think the main virtue of this board is we built it to look and feel and act the way we wanted it to, not that it does anything wildly different to any of the many other online discussion systems out there.

If other people want to set up a board, there are all kinds of off-the-shelf and free systems they can use, in Perl and PHP.

It seems a lot less buggy than most the other systems. And faster too.

I *think* sa said she'd have a look through, but really it would be great if a couple people could sift through them and make sure they're as useful as possible.

I did. It's tonight's I-am-so-glad-I-have-nothing-to-do-let's-help-the-Buffistas project.

since the only solid offer of up to speed PHP/MySQL assistance I've had has been from Burrell's DH.

Why do I find the fact that Cody does Coding so funny? However, it's stuck in my head that Cody's a Coder, Cody's a Coder...which really has very little bearing on the actual Cody, and more on my crazy fondness for puns.

Then you'll be really amused to find out that his family calls him Code. t /natter

I was the one who mentioned selling the software as an alternative to WebCrossing -- which is outrageously overpriced -- but although my tone may have been joking, I was serious. However, in hindsight, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to try and profit financially from the software. The similarities to WebX might cause some ... umm ... snarkiness from Lundeen and Co.. Releasing it as Open Source, then ''profiting'' from the addition to your resumé, might be the way to go.

Question: Is there any way to change my login? I just found out that I will need to change my name and email addy if I want any privacy.

You can change your e-mail address, or have it not made visible. Ask an admin, and one of us will change your name.