why would not SourceGear make diffmerge open source,

[agomp]

Hello:
why would not SourceGear make diffmerge open source, at least for Linux platforms?

After all, it would be updated, enhanced and Sourcegear could keep the copyright.

Also 64 bits packages could easily be build by ¨open-source geeks¨, for both .deb and .rpm based platforms!
And last but not least, this would advertise broadly the name of SourceGear !
Hope SourceGear just does that, so we could all benefit.

Andre

[John O'Neill]

Andre,

Thanks for the question. Making DiffMerge Open Source is something we've considered. You're absolutely correct that it has many advantages, including encouraging users to enhance and expand it.

There are some complexities, however. For example, DiffMerge is an integral part of SourceGear Vault Standard and Vault Pro, our flagship commercial products, and having that functionality as part of both is a distinct competitive advantage. It took several years of development, and copyright on the source is no guarantee that our competitors won't learn from our work to improve their own products.

If we do decide to open source DiffMerge in the future, we'd want to do it right, with a business-friendly license and the right resources in place to help the community expand the product. We're learning a great deal about all of that today with Veracity, our open source DVCS (distributed version control system). Our experience with Veracity over the next few years will greatly influence our decisions about the future of DiffMerge.

I hope that helps you understand our thinking. Thanks again for your enthusiasm for the product, and your comments.

Warm regards,

John O'Neill
SourceGear