MathGroup Archive 2011

[Date Index] [Thread Index] [Author Index]

Search the Archive

CDF limitations and unclear professional strategy

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg120412] CDF limitations and unclear professional strategy
  • From: Fonseca <public at fonseca.info>
  • Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:07:04 -0400 (EDT)

Disappointed...

So much things I heard about CDF applications, and then, well, I have
to classify them as documents... Very powerful documents, and almost
touching the application world but... just interactive documents for
an OPEN market...

Somehow nothing new than what already existed. Not that it is bad (I
personally have already commented a lot of good on the subject).

The problem is that I'm still unable to see how could I use this in an
cooperation environment.

Let's suppose two different scenarios:
1. An application to be distributed to 100 colleagues of the same
company, that, well, to make it simple, just needs to import a gif
image, apply some sort of simple filter, and export it to a gif file.
Very simple application, but not feasible. There isn't even concrete
information on the subject (besides "please contact us").  Have
contacted several times on the subject, and always no solution... Has
this changed? Why so much mystery on the PROfessional use of this
technology (this confirms what I keep hearing from others: academic,
institutes, governments, etc, but not corporate...)? 100 special
licenses for such a simple application?

2. Let's suppose I developed a package that does some awesome stuff,
and really toke me some time to develop it. I use it to write a report
for a client, and I want to give the report as an interactive document
to the client (nothing could be better than CDF!). But the interaction
needs my package (there's no way of previously generating all possible
outputs). So, I can't send it to my client, since I risk having it
copied to my competitors. Each client to whom I send a report needs a
professional version? I mean, each person in the company of my client,
and their consultant partners that will evaluate my report...? Or is
this now the other way around: each report or report revision needs to
be converted at Wolfram for pro functionalists activation on the
standard player (I sign confidential agreements with my client...)?
After all the announcements I have no idea what's the strategy. Did I
missed some information on WR site?

I just resent some questions to WR on the "please contact us", to see
if something changed in the past couple of months (when I last
insisted). Waiting for the answer, but why all the mystery on the PRO
version? What can't WR figure out about a professional strategy?

Can someone from Wolfram clarify this here for everyone? Is there a
strategy for these two very common and simple examples of my world? Is
this only meant for publishing documents on an OPEN environment, or on
a direct revenue strategy (selling each document/application copy for
a not so small price?).

It's interesting that all the examples presented in the site are of
very simple applications, but how can these simple application be used
on a closed corporate environment, if the licensing of the
applications cost more than their internal development cost?

I'm completely in the dark...

I know that I already asked this before, without great success (just
one person answered), but, am I the only one here?

Regards,
P. Fonseca


  • Prev by Date: Computer-Based Math Summit
  • Next by Date: Phase Diagrams and problem probably with NIntegrate (or FindRoot)
  • Previous by thread: Computer-Based Math Summit
  • Next by thread: Re: CDF limitations and unclear professional strategy