"groups come in all forms and as a result have very different requirements.... The response of the service providers has compounded this problem ... they all se

"groups come in all forms and as a result have very different requirements.... The response of the service providers has compounded this problem ... they all seem to want to own the group and lock it in." I guess the title was a rhetorical question! It's hard for a small design group to understand the universe; the imagined 'solutions' are limited. And it's hard to design a set of tools that people can use to evolve their own solutions. But it's a hard problem. Simplistic 'answers' will fail. I'm reminded of many attempts at educational software. Too often the programmers clearly had a limited view of what constitutes education. You can't design your way out of your own limited perspective. Research has to precede theory; else you wind up with solutions to the wrong problems. Proprietary solutions tend to be more passionate about making money than at helping people. Bass-ackwards.