Some time ago I wrote about the poor support on a component that I'm using (ProfDHTMLEdit). For some time now, it seems the component (or the author) is dead and buried. I've given up hope for a D2009 version of the control any time in the future.
Now, for me that doesn't matter, since I won't be porting my software to D2009 after all (at least, that's the current thinking). But, what about the other customers? As you can read in the newsgroup the customers are getting more desperate and - if I were allowed to - I would like to help them.
So, what would my (legal) position be? I think I could offer my services as a consultant to an individual ProfDHTMLEdit user. No problems in hiring somebody that will do some work on a component that you purchased with the sources included I think. But, to most people that won't be an option, because it would become too expensive (the control itself only costs $100 or so).
Another matter would be if I would make a D2009 version of the component available for all to download. Let alone if I would sell it. I think there would be some legal problems if I did.
But, when would enough be enough? When would I (or anyone) be allowed to publish a new version of a control that no longer is supported? What are your thoughts?
Bye,
Bart
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14 comments:
- People who have bought this component (full source) are stuck since their is no more support for it
- You are a consultant and an expert in Delphi programming
If people who bought source code are allowed to modify it (see licence / source code copyright) then you can afford your service :
get the money first and then, send only infos of what need to be changed and where it lies...
Instead of offering the whole control why not create a diff patch from source, which a user can run to upgrade the source to D2k9 and then install the same.
Hi Bart,
I am glad you have raised this issue elsewhere away from the ProfGrid support forums. And I really do hope you can do something.
I feel really disappointed with the way I have been treated re ProfDHTMLEdit. I purchased the component (as a delighted ProfGrid user) only a few months ago. He/they took the money happily, I assume, in the knowledge that there wouldn't be a D2009 version without any kind of "are you sure you want to purchase this D2007 only version?" question.
I think there are a lot of frustrated people who are users of ProfGrid components who no longer receive any support or updates. But these frustrations are currently limited to the support forum as we have no other voice and so it's good to see the matter discussed elsewhere.
The most frustrating aspect is that there has been absolutely no comment from Nicholas on whether support has ceased and whether there will or won't be 2009 versions. Nor any reply to e-mails requesting such information. I hope your 'dead and buried' comment was tongue in cheek?
More frustating for myself is that I did not buy the 'with source' option so I cannot even go and do anything about it myself.
And the real irony of all this is that both ProfDHTMLEdit and Profgrid are EXCELLENT components - the grid is brilliant and a core part of my projects for many years which I can now no longer port to D2009 without looking for something else that even remotely has similar features. I have 'grown up' in Delphi using these components. They are like second nature. With hindsight, I wish I did not rely on them now so much and it puts me ill at ease with other 3rd party components which is a shame. But then hindsight is such a wonderful thing.....
So, for one, I would be happy if you took up the mantle of these components - not just ProfDHTMLEdit but Profgrid also.
Legally, I can of course see a problem. But if Nicholas is no longer interested in either of these components then I do not know why he doesn't just pass them to someone else who would continue to mod them for different versions of Delphi or even better to make them Open Source.
But it is nice to see that someone is interested in doing something about this stalemate we appear to be in.
I think if you were to post a link to this blog on both the ProfDHTMLEdit and ProfGrid forums you would receive a lot of support. If nothing else, it may bring some kind of statement or response from Nicholas.
You have my complete and 100% support anyway, Trevor.
@Trevor: please contact me at bart.roozendaal@sevensteps.nl to see what we can do regarding ProfDHTMLEdit. I don't use or have the ProfGrid sources, so someone else need to take that up.
Btw: I am using DevExpress's spreadsheet control and that's excellent. Maybe that is an alternative you can consider?
Bart,
Many thanks for your offer of help, it would be much appreciated for sure. I finish later today for the Christmas break until (hopefully!) the New Year, although I may do a little over the holidays if the mood takes me ;-) So maybe I will take you up on your kind offer and contact you in the New Year when things return to normality if that is okay?
My priority is the ProfGrid though - that is a worry for me. I can manage in D2007 for now, but I do not know for how much longer. I have looked at the demo project off the DevExpress page and it indeed looks very good and so I may look at that also in the New Year esp if you consider their support to be good.
Many thanks once again and have a good Christmas,
Trevor
@Trevor: I consider DevExpress's support the best in the world (next to ours of course :-)). That won't let you down, ever.
I´m one more of the affected users of this component. Thanks for bring this matter up to the public. This is the last component I got pending before moving to D2009. The problem is that there is no component that matches is capabilities out there.
I guess that is a good business opportunity for someone.
hi,
Im Amos from the profdhtmledit forum. i agree that there is no alternative to ProfDhtmledit. i wanted to suggest to create a subforum in my project's forum just for profdhtmledit but i was worried about the legal issues as well.
i still didnt test fully profdhtmledit under d2009 but it is the component that worries me the mosty, all other components are close to support D2009 and their developers are alive and kicking.
i hope Nicholas will wake up eventually... at least to mention that it is ok by him we will take charge of the component
I don't use ProfDHTMLEdit, but you should check the license restrictions. No sense in in exposing your self to litigation if you can avoid it.
How hard is it to port an application that uses ProfDHTMLEdit to PurposeSoft's HTMLEdit component? If it's not hard to migrate, I would just do that and let ProfDHTMLEdit whither away.
Thanks for bringing this up. I have 3 projects that I am waiting to port to Delphi 2009 and the only component that has not yet been updated is ProfDHTMLEdit.
Would it be too difficult to modify the source code. I am guessing we just need to typecast the first variable in the Pos statements. Has anyone else tried porting it yet?
I too was burned by the lack of support on this component and instead reverted back to using tRichView which has long had much better support.
Well, well, well.... For those not already heard about it: go and point to http://profgrid.newsgrouphosting.com/profgrid.htmledit.support/1323/-ANN--Build-2-0-3-10.html
Hello. I found this thread in a desperate search of other users in the same situation as myself, crying for some support from profgrid.
Has anyone managed to find a better alternative to the ProfDHTMLEdit component?
I'm also hoping for someone to take this up if possible. I started out using PurposeSoft's HTMLEdit component and it is quite poor and I'm sorry I bought it. Ater waiting a week after submitting a pre-sales question on the profgrid site, I googled to find this discussion. The profgrid site says that it is updated for RAD studio 2010 though, but there is no trial-version option and I am leery of purchasing a product that I cannot test first.
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