[ Thanks to David
Walser for this link. ]
“With the release of its new Web-building software, Macromedia
is taking a page from the open-source programming model to
stimulate third-party development of new features.” … While
Macromedia will focus on the applications’ bells and whistles, of
perhaps more lasting importance is the company’s new emphasis on
its “exchange” sites, where both Macromedia and independent
software developers can post extensions to Macromedia products and
download extensions other developers have posted.”
“Macromedia said the exchange concept bore a limited
comparison to the open-source programming model, in which a
software title’s underlying source code is published, anyone can
contribute to the coding, and the resulting product is made
available for free and licensed use.
“People contribute to Exchange for the 15 minutes of fame
because they want to be recognized within the community,” said
Eric Ott, product manager for Dreamweaver. “It’s the same idea
behind why open source works and it’s so successful. But some
groups are creating solutions that they are going to sell. This is
such a big strategy that there is going to be some selling of these
things.”