tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555947.post3891713037308746311..comments2024-03-14T01:32:43.610-06:00Comments on The Geomblog: Free, Freemium, and PaidSuresh Venkatasubramanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898357513326041822noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555947.post-16021964170331117142013-03-25T14:37:54.538-06:002013-03-25T14:37:54.538-06:00I think this particular issue -- the shutdown of c...I think this particular issue -- the shutdown of cloud services -- actually exposes how important the distinction is between open-source vs. software that is just free (as in beer). If Google Reader had been open-source, Google's abandonment would be just a minor bump in the road, since alternative hosting providers would immediately spring up (possibly for a fee) and development would continue. Instead, now everyone has to switch to totally different platforms. <br /><br />Google could immediately quash most of the worries about Keep if they just open-sourced the code, ensuring it won't die if and when Google abandons it. Of course it's hard for Google to open-source anything these days, since their products all integrate so heavily with each other and with their proprietary internal infrastructure...Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13980020415321791995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555947.post-55639629943391147172013-03-24T21:03:27.686-06:002013-03-24T21:03:27.686-06:00Google, Wikipedia, Facebook, and Twitter are still...Google, Wikipedia, Facebook, and Twitter are still free.<br /><br />Google seems to have a business model that works, so I think they'll<br />stay free.<br /><br />The others--- hard to say.GASARCHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06134382469361359081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555947.post-23011259185890682832013-03-24T18:39:23.454-06:002013-03-24T18:39:23.454-06:00Opensource has hardly ever (or never?) been the de...Opensource has hardly ever (or never?) been the default.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555947.post-45360703641588395192013-03-24T10:16:08.326-06:002013-03-24T10:16:08.326-06:00Wait---what's happening to Evernote? I'm ...Wait---what's happening to Evernote? I'm using it for free now, is there a problem? Thx.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555947.post-31034275810967530142013-03-24T09:55:06.366-06:002013-03-24T09:55:06.366-06:00^ That's a deep comment that I am sure people ...^ That's a deep comment that I am sure people haven't thought about.<br /><br />$10 is not much for a no nonsense minimalistic website that del.icio.us used to be. For two years at least it has lived to the promise.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555947.post-11331315472255357112013-03-24T08:34:56.118-06:002013-03-24T08:34:56.118-06:00Paying for it doesn't necessarily keep it arou...Paying for it doesn't necessarily keep it around.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555947.post-30045483737167181542013-03-24T00:40:07.914-06:002013-03-24T00:40:07.914-06:00Another example of this phenomenon I think is del....Another example of this phenomenon I think is del.icio.us. It used to be one of the great things on the internet as far as I am concerned. However it was destroyed by successive waves of "upgrades" - which I saw as a bunch of developers destroying value to keep themselves busy. After hanging on to it for a while a lot of people migrated to pinboard after paying the initial fee ($10).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com