Spectra OpenSource

Notícia fresca pescada no Daemonite:

A Macromedia anunciou que o Spectra, um poderoso, mas já antigo (?) – o ponto de interrogação é para dizer: isso é controverso! – CMS (Content Managment System), será licenciado de forma aberta, com uma licença pública, a Macromedia Spectra Software Licence, que é baseada na Apache Software Foundation license. O Spectra poderá ser baixado e modificado livremente na MM.com. Parece que houve uma verdadeira derrocada para o modelo de licença aberta nos principais players de CMSs, na plataforma ColdFusion inclusive, nos últimos tempos. Será que os dois eventos (o último foi o FarCry, aliás, feito pela Deamon, veja um posto a respeito no Blog do Frutig) não estão relacionados?…

Em tempo: a Macromedia anunciou a “aposentadoria” do Spectra no ano passado, mais ou menos concomitante ao anúncio do CFMX. Depois disso disponibilizou-o como um “comunity source project” e agora como open-source. Ótima notícia para mim! E para você?

Clique no link abaixo (Continue reading…) para ler a mensagem do Tim Buntel, product manager da MM, sobre o assunto, incluindo um mini FAQ sobre esta novidade.


As you know, Macromedia announced in May 2001 that there would be no new feature-additive releases of Macromedia Spectra. To allow Spectra applications to run on top of ColdFusion MX, Spectra 1.5.2 was made available in December 2002 as an update release distributed through SpectraSource for existing Spectra 1.5.1 customers.

Macromedia is now pleased to announce that the full source of Macromedia Spectra is to be released under a public open-source license. The source will be available as a free download with which you can build and redistribute Spectra applications as allowed by the Macromedia Spectra Software License (based on the Apache Software Foundation license).

We plan to release the full product as soon as possible as a free download from the SpectraSource site (http://spectrasource.macromedia.com). The final scheduling is still being planned, but we anticipate release by fall of 2003. Watch SpectraSource for details as they become available. This notice will be posted there within the next day or so. ”

If you have any questions or comments, email spectraopensource@macromedia.com.

*Macromedia Spectra Open-source FAQ*

What does this open source announcement mean for me?
If you already have an investment in Spectra, you can maintain or expand your applications as well as benefit from the support of the Spectra community. If you do not have an investment in Spectra, give it a try – you can now use as many or as few parts of the framework as you like in your ColdFusion applications. ”

What will the free download contain?
The full Spectra product code will be available with the exception of several OEM technologies, namely the Ektron HTML editor and the Sybase SQL Anywhere database.

*Will this version require an existing installation of Spectra? Will it require ColdFusion MX?*
Details regarding the distribution have not yet been finalized, but our intention is to provide a version of Spectra that does not require anything besides ColdFusion.

When will it be available?
Final release scheduling is still being planned, but we anticipate release by this fall. Watch SpectraSource for more details.

Will macromedia continue to offer technical support for Spectra?
We will continue to provide technical support for Macromedia Spectra through December 31, 2003 to customers holding a purchased license of Spectra 1.5.1. Please note, however, that support will not be available if you modify the core application source code.

How does Open Source compare to Community Source?
Originally, Spectra was organized around a community source model where Macromedia owned the software source, but contributions come from the developer community and were vetted against the company’s own standards, and then included in future releases. Once the open source version of Spectra is released, the complete source will be available as a free download with which you can build and redistribute Spectra applications as allowed by the Macromedia Spectra Software License (based on the Apache Software Foundation license).

Thanks!

Tim Buntel
Product Manager
Macromedia ColdFusion Server


2 Comments on “Spectra OpenSource”

  1. Ricardo Navarro disse:

    Ótima notícia!!!

  2. Só um comentario:
    YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!

    Só falta saber se posso instalar esse troço no meu provedor (ou vou acabar tocando o terror com os mapeamentos já criados)