[TxMt] Are there any plans to make TextMate free and open source?

[Justin French]

I'd much rather see TextMate remain closed source –– the model  
currently in use is perfect.  Allan works on the heart of TextMate  
(an extensible text editor architecture), then we (the community)  
contribute open source bundles that provide TextMate with features  
which are very focused to a specific language or market.

TextMate (to me) is already the perfect balance between a closed and  
open source.  You can still contribute to TextMate's functionality  
(via the Bundles), yet Allan can maintain control over the main  
direction of the application.

Justin


On 28/08/2005, at 8:13 PM, Kris Khaira wrote:

> Are there any plans to make TextMate free and open source?
>
> The benefits of this would include:
>
> * Having multiple developers voluntarily fixing bugs
> * Bugs get zapped quicker
> * Features can get added faster (after volunteer developers are  
> carefully chosen)
> * Everyone gets to see under the hood
> * If someone doesn't like something, he can create a branch of  
> TextMate, and this can also serve as a test branch for the trunk  
> release.
> * Being open source is the ultimate sign of self-confidence in your  
> software's security and stability.
>
> And how you can still profit:
>
> * Google Ads
> * Popularity
> * Technical support
> * Donations and funding from individuals and organisations relying  
> on TextMate.
>
> I mean no disrespect to Aaron and the other guys at Macromates. I'm  
> suggesting this because it might actually improve TextMate without  
> incurring a loss on its developers. And after Mozilla Firefox's  
> success, I believe that anything is possible.
>
> Just my 2 cents. Please correct me if I'm out of line. Either way,  
> I plan to keep on using TextMate after the demo runs out. :)  
> Everytime I use TextMate I'm reminded why Mac OS X applications rock.



---
Justin French, Indent.com.au
justin.french at indent.com.au
Web Application Development & Graphic Design