Re: [DIYbio] Re: Genome Compiler

Great to hear; your attitude to development and community engagement is
great, and I look forward to seeing what code you guys do publish.

Small nitpick though:
> and many open and closed software developers use and trust github
> even if github code is not a public repository on github :-).

Github is merely a pretty shell around Git, which is entirely Open
Source. Of course I'd rather Github released all their code into the
public domain, but all that remains closed is basically their web API
wrappers around Git. The security of their site and my code, my access
to my code, and my interaction with other people's code, is entirely
conducted through Git, so I can remain assured that nothing untoward is
going on.

So yea, Github is a contradiction; Open-Source advocates, with an Open
Source platform, but with a Closed-Souce webapp. It's a pain. :)

On 03/07/12 11:37, Omri Drory wrote:
> Hi Cathal, I get your points and don't argue them. As for what we give to
> the community - we give a free app for them to use (or not) + a lot of
> support. All of it come and will continue to come only if we will be
> sustainable. Being sustainable has nothing to do with close/open source -
> many people use and trust Google even if their core algorithms are closed
> and many open and closed software developers use and trust github even if
> github code is not a public repository on github :-).
>
> I want to keep high level of code and creative control on our product for
> now - we will release some of it as open source and we will build API for
> people to develop their own thing. We also don't lock users in - you can
> import and export your data.
>
> As for competition - as I said - may the best software wins. But a
> small/new market - small players with similar DNA (singularity university
> vision comes to mind) can collaborate to fight the dinosaurs in the field
> (cough cough vetorNTI).
>
> We are building our app with people like you in mind (+academics/industry)
> - we wish there were more people like you and more DIYbio as there's so
> much to do and the grand challenge of moving our civilization from finite
> dirty resources to renewable biological ones is huge and requires not just
> new tools/technology, but also many people who can harness it.
>
> On Tuesday, July 3, 2012 1:10:01 AM UTC+3, Cathal wrote:
>>
>> I should add that the same goes for Synbiota if the source remains
>> closed, though GENtle2 looks really good so far (if a little unstable,
>> though it is beta code!). Still not as useful or versatile as GENtle,
>> but not far off, either.
>>
>> On 02/07/12 23:07, Cathal Garvey wrote:
>>> Just for clarity's sake: Are you planning to release your code under an
>>> Open-Source license once it is ready?
>>>
>>> Omri: You may be surprised just how many successful companies there are
>>> that share their code entirely. It's fast becoming the new norm, as
>>> companies realise that:
>>> A) Most customers don't *want* to roll their own: they just want to
>>> trust the platform. Those who do roll their own, probably weren't going
>>> to be customers anyway.
>>> B) More often than not, the software isn't really the product, it's just
>>> the platform. Compare this epiphany to early Rail Tycoons who didn't buy
>>> into Air Travel because they mistakenly believed they were in the
>>> *Rail*, and not *Travel*, business.
>>> C) Competition is good for business. Look what happens to companies that
>>> lack competition; they grow complacent with astonishing rapidity, and
>>> get destroyed by new innovators. Nokia is a good example in the top-tier
>>> domain, but it applies to companies at every level of success.
>>> D) Code bearing a "CopyLeft" license such as the GNU license ensures
>>> that if someone "steals" your code (if that's your attitude though, you
>>> don't get it yet! :)), you can "steal" their improvements right back.
>>> Open source doesn't mean "giving away": it means "sharing", or
>>> "collaborating".
>>>
>>> I'm not saying you guys *have* to go open source. That's your choice.
>>> However, I think you want *us* to think that Open Source is unusual, or
>>> impossible for you, or a bad idea. In that case, you may be barking up
>>> the wrong tree; this community was built on the same principals as Open
>>> Source, and it's what makes DIYbio so great and so surprisingly
>>> successful. We don't covet our work, or our ideas, or our time; we share
>>> it all and we receive in return.
>>>
>>> Anyways; you don't have to accept this mindset, but don't be surprised
>>> if some/many of us opt for the more open platform. I'll still look
>>> forward to trying your webapp at some stage- it looks like it ticks a
>>> lot of boxes as far as design goals are concerned, but as long as the
>>> source remains closed/secret, I don't believe I'll adopt it for my work.
>>>
>>> On 02/07/12 17:39, Connor Dickie wrote:
>>>> Hey Brian,
>>>>
>>>> We do make the entire codebase for GENtle available via GitHub. GENtle
>> is a
>>>> stand-alone web-app that does not require any additional software to be
>>>> useful. Anyone can download it and run it locally or host on their own
>> web
>>>> server. Some developers have already done this.
>>>>
>>>> At the FBI event I demoed GENtle along with our supplementary web-based
>>>> project and team management software that is free to use, but is not
>> open
>>>> source. I should have made that more clear in the demo, and has since
>> been
>>>> noted in subsequent demos that I have given.
>>>>
>>>> Currently we make a hosted version of GENtle available as an open beta
>> that
>>>> anyone can use, but the supplementary tools are still in closed
>> testing.
>>>>
>>>> I hope this clears things up!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>>
>>>> Connor
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Monday, July 2, 2012 11:52:27 AM UTC-4, Bryan Bishop wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> On Mon, Jul 2, 2012 at 10:47 AM, Connor Dickie <ronnoc@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Folks seem to be interested in open source, web-based HTML5 apps
>> these
>>>>>> days so I figured it would be useful for the community to know that
>>>>>> Synbiota has released a Beta DNA editor that works on all operating
>> systems
>>>>>> via the browser - even on a tablet
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I remember checking your github repository out during the FBI
>> workshop,
>>>>> and there was only a small portion of your software up as open source.
>> :-/
>>>>> Maybe Genome Compiler could release even more, like the other open
>> source
>>>>> projects (say, the biolang series, etc.).
>>>>>
>>>>> - Bryan
>>>>> http://heybryan.org/
>>>>> 1 512 203 0507
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>> --
>> www.indiebiotech.com
>> twitter.com/onetruecathal
>> joindiaspora.com/u/cathalgarvey
>> PGP Public Key: http://bit.ly/CathalGKey
>>
>>
>>
>

--
www.indiebiotech.com
twitter.com/onetruecathal
joindiaspora.com/u/cathalgarvey
PGP Public Key: http://bit.ly/CathalGKey


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