Introducing Simple Machines LLC

Started by Joseph, November 27, 2006, 05:50:05 PM

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L.G.S

Congrats for what I understood, but what exactly does it mean other than changing of the copyright???
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RebelRose


PSNick

Quote from: nitins60 on November 28, 2006, 07:41:40 AM
Can any1 share beers with me on this special occasion

Sure hehe, i'll share one with you.. if you come to Argentina :P

Gratz SMF!

Webrunner

Congratulations on this new phase!
Wise decision! :)
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anonim

so, can we expect the 1.1 release now? or at least accelerated?

H

Quote from: anonim on November 28, 2006, 01:31:53 PM
so, can we expect the 1.1 release now? or at least accelerated?

1.1 has been released to Charter Members. Expect a public release soon!
-H
Former Support Team Lead
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Trekkie101

Quote from: huwnet on November 28, 2006, 01:50:03 PM
Quote from: anonim on November 28, 2006, 01:31:53 PM
so, can we expect the 1.1 release now? or at least accelerated?

1.1 has been released to Charter Members. Expect a public release soon!

Well there goes the surprise :P

Great news :D

Panzer-


Joseph

Quote from: L.G.S on November 28, 2006, 12:45:04 PM
Congrats for what I understood, but what exactly does it mean other than changing of the copyright???

The real difference is that as an organization, it no longer needs to rely on the support of Lewis Media as legal representation and holder of the copyrights. It means that the orgnization has matured enough to stand on it's own two feet, and most importantly - it means that the community has a life of it's own!

Although Jeff Lewis and I were the ones that launched SMF, and although Lewis Media has always held the position that SMF will always be free - there are always naysayers (typically supporters of other forum software) who imply that Lewis Media's influence would eventually lead to a paid software model.

This separation is an affirmation of our commitment to always providing free software to the online community. See Value #1 :)
Joseph Fung
Co-Founder & CEO, Kiite
Co-Founder TribeHR, Lewis Media, SMF

Daniel15

Quotetypically supporters of other forum software
There's other forum software?  ;D


Quoteit means that the community has a life of it's its own
We do? :D
Daniel15, former Customisation team member, resigned due to lack of time. I still love everyone here :D.
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SleePy

w00t... Go SMF... ahh.. It makes the copyright bigger.. Now people are going to complain more  :P
Jeremy D ~ Site Team / SMF Developer ~ GitHub Profile ~ Join us on IRC @ Libera.chat/#smf ~ Support the SMF Support team!

Jorin

Quote from: Joseph on November 28, 2006, 02:13:07 PM
The real difference is that as an organization, it no longer needs to rely on the support of Lewis Media as legal representation and holder of the copyrights. It means that the orgnization has matured enough to stand on it's own two feet, and most importantly - it means that the community has a life of it's own!

Sounds great an I really hope SMF will always be free (hope nothing will happen as with Mambo/Joomla a few months ago).

Can you tell me if there is any website with more information about the new organisation and which persons build the team behind Simple Machines LLC (so I can give our users more information about this news)?

青山 素子

I am very happy with the change. The people actively involved in the project now have better control over the direction and I think we will see some great things because of that. I would also like to thank Lewis Media for their support in the past, and hopefully continued good relations as the project continues.


nehcregit:

SMF will continue to be free. It is one of the values of the team and organization.

There is no separate site for the organization currently (and I don't see one in the near future). The people making up the LLC are the project managers here.

For stuff important to the users, not much has changed and I don't think there will be too much visible change beyond the copyright statement at the footer. The same people will continue to develop the software and support it, etc. The real big change is that the project now owns its own legal rights instead of those being held by a separate company.
Motoko-chan
Director, Simple Machines

Note: Unless otherwise stated, my posts are not representative of any official position or opinion of Simple Machines.


Jorin

Thank you for the information, Motoko-chan.  :)

stt442


Niteblade

Now that you're a (L)imited (L)iability (C)ompany, I think the company should issue our shares on the stock market, on the OTCBB or Pinksheets.

I'd buy in for sure.

And it would be a great way for the company to raise revenue.
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青山 素子

If you are an LLC you do not issue stock. They are only owned by the partners in the company and no one else. To issue stock, Simple Machines would need to incorporate.


Disclaimer: The following is my own opinion, and anything I say may not express the views and opinions of any of the partners of Simple Machines, LLC or any other team members.

The main problem I find with a corporation is that once they start issuing stock, then the ownership of the company becomes diluted (stock = ownership of the company) and you have to answer to the shareholders. As is usually the case, the whole point then is to maximize the value of the company (and the stock) for the shareholders. The first, and most obvious, thing at that point would be to move SMF to a paid model. That would monetize the company's assets and please those investors.

If you look at our values, you will see that the first one is to provide our software for free to the public. This is in direct opposition to the goals a corporation has to its investors. The whole point is to not have the risk of corporate influence in that way.

I think for this reason there will not be any kind of stock issue no matter what shape Simple Machines takes now or in the future. It is much easier to stick to core values (do no evil?) when you have a core ownership among people with the same values and goals without outside investors you must answer to.
Motoko-chan
Director, Simple Machines

Note: Unless otherwise stated, my posts are not representative of any official position or opinion of Simple Machines.


HoTmetal

#37
Quote from: nitins60 on November 28, 2006, 07:41:40 AM
Can any1 share beers with me on this special occasion

Sure... I'll drink mine @ 11pm Pacific Time.

Quote from: nite0859 on November 29, 2006, 11:16:47 PM
Now that you're a (L)imited (L)iability (C)ompany, I think the company should issue our shares on the stock market, on the OTCBB or Pinksheets.

I'd buy in for sure.

And it would be a great way for the company to raise revenue.

As  Motoko-chan stated, an LLC doesn't have to issue stock. If you are intrested in learning about LLCs, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limited_liability_company:D This is one of the many advantages of a LLC. It was chosen for its flexability.

Prasad007

That's most certainly great news! I hope SMF keeps growing like so in the future :)

Niteblade

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