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Nick forked a dead project and wanted to keep developing it, but still needed to pay rent and eat (a common problem among programmers). In order to try to both

by burnte 8y ago

Nick forked a dead project and wanted to keep developing it, but still needed to pay rent and eat (a common problem among programmers). In order to try to both continue paying for necessary life functions and work on Synergy, he began asking for money. This isn't evil. The project was abandoned when he came along. I'm not saying Nick Bolton has done everything right, he clearly had little to no business experience before taking this on and was far too optimistic, but he did something no one else was doing: work on Synergy.

deleted 8y ago
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BillyBreen 8y ago
I think you summed it up quite nicely. I developed the original Mac port, I guess about 15 years ago now. I’m pretty conflicted as to what’s happened with Synergy recently, but not because I feel like there’s anything morally wrong in what Nick did. I’m more bummed out because it feels like a market failure, for lack of a better way of explaining it: how could a useful open source project, valued by many and (tbh) not terribly complex, require a pivot to a commercial license to remain viable? I’m as guilty as any for not contributing anything beyond my initial port. But I’m still bummed it’s come to this.
- burnte 8y ago
  I think he just put too many eggs in that basket too quickly. It's a great product, and the cross platform support is killer since Multiplicity from EdgeRunner/Stardock and Mouse without Borders are both Windows only. I think Nick Bolton saw an opportunity, but wasn't necessarily the most qualified person to handle the task. I'm not trying to insult him, but I was around when Synergy was waiting on Chris to release the fabled 2.0 and when Nick Bolton jumped in to try to make a business out of Synergy. His twist towards a commercial license came from the fact that despite it being used by many people, few ever paid. He obviously felt he had to force the issue but clearly chose poorly. This is an itch many people feel, but clearly few wish to scratch. It's frustrating.
YunHi 8y ago
It is not evil to start charging for a open-source product. However, it IS evil, if you abuse the users money just to build paywall tech instead to improve the software. Look up the bug history and try avoiding the spider webs.

by burnte 8y ago

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

BillyBreen 8y ago

I think you summed it up quite nicely. I developed the original Mac port, I guess about 15 years ago now. I’m pretty conflicted as to what’s happened with Synergy recently, but not because I feel like there’s anything morally wrong in what Nick did. I’m more bummed out because it feels like a market failure, for lack of a better way of explaining it: how could a useful open source project, valued by many and (tbh) not terribly complex, require a pivot to a commercial license to remain viable? I’m as guilty as any for not contributing anything beyond my initial port. But I’m still bummed it’s come to this.

burnte 8y ago
I think he just put too many eggs in that basket too quickly. It's a great product, and the cross platform support is killer since Multiplicity from EdgeRunner/Stardock and Mouse without Borders are both Windows only. I think Nick Bolton saw an opportunity, but wasn't necessarily the most qualified person to handle the task. I'm not trying to insult him, but I was around when Synergy was waiting on Chris to release the fabled 2.0 and when Nick Bolton jumped in to try to make a business out of Synergy. His twist towards a commercial license came from the fact that despite it being used by many people, few ever paid. He obviously felt he had to force the issue but clearly chose poorly. This is an itch many people feel, but clearly few wish to scratch. It's frustrating.

YunHi 8y ago

It is not evil to start charging for a open-source product. However, it IS evil, if you abuse the users money just to build paywall tech instead to improve the software. Look up the bug history and try avoiding the spider webs.