If you think about it, there are a handful of key vendors that are of the same class as OpenDNN - must have modules for a majority of portals. Taken to the extreme, if these types of modules are no longer available, it makes for an extremely lean and piecemeal (aka hacked together) CE portal.

Rather than giving me a reason to rush to PE, it causes me to reassess whether CE is something I should continue to invest as heavily in. And before you question me calling (free) CE an investment, I have tens of thousands of dollars worth of module receipts to prove it.

For a couple of months, a radical rewrite of core search has been floated - no reason for that now I guess with the announced "buy versus build" solution. And no easy remedy once Open Search is taken off the market. Where does that leave CE?

Open Doc was elegant in its simplicity. No offense to DMX, which can sometimes be like killing a mosquito with a shotgun - but there again is simply no replacement for this module either. Where does that leave CE?

Let's hope that Will, Chad, Peter, Susan, Mandeep, Bruce, Steve, and BizModules don't get the same call. Where would that leave CE?

What appears obvious to some, seems downright silly to others.

I understand your fears, but I can assure you that DotNetNuke is not moving away from the Community roots that it started from.

Unfortunately everyone would have been in an uproar if DNN had simply written our own Document Management module, people would have said "why wouldn't you just use DMX or Opendoc". So no matter what route things go someone is always going to be upset, that is just a fact of life.

DNN needs to differentiate the PE version a bit more, that is true, and in doing so we are going to alienate some, mostly the vocal minority, but overall it will help make the PLATFORM itself stronger. The better that PE does, the better than CE will become for everyone else. If you don't believe that check out some of the new features being put into the CE (free) 5.3(.1) version.

These features have been needed for a long time. And while people are going to think, but hey can't I buy X module to do that, yes you can, but the features are something that ALL users of DNN can benefit from and thus has been integrated into the core.

When a change happens, like this, just remember, don't over react, try to think of things from other perspectives than just your own, and your own perspective might even change a little.

Chris

(new DNN employee, long time community user and advocate)

I have everything to lose Nina. Nearly everything in my life revolves around this platform and its success. My hobbies have websites that are built on it, my wife has a business who's site runs on it, my salary is now paid by it.

You can believe me or not, but community is what got us all to where we are, and will continue to be that important, if not more, in the future for DotNetNuke.

I won't get into a debate with you any further about my commitment to the community here in the forums. Feel free to find me at one of the DotNetNuke conferences you attend in the future.