Macromedia Flash Server - doubt about license to buy

Author

doubt about license to buy

Spectrumino

2005-04-07, 5:57 pm

Hi all!

First of all, sorry for my English and thanks for reading this.

I'm trying to develope an e-learning tool for my own web-agency. Some
costumers of my firm now are interested so they want to see a working
example applied here locally and, if they'll see it work like expected,
they'll buy my app in large measure.

The FCS license I need to buy from macromedia have to make me able to send
the following data from one client to many, up to 100 and probably more:

1) a webcam

2) a camtasia desktop (alternately at the webcam is good too)

3) a whiteboard developed by me able to share images too

4) a textual chat

5) some others lite tools like a shared pointer to indicate the part of the
screen the teacher want to put in evidence

I'v read on macromedia forum that some guys start to hate that firm cause
they have spent lot of time in developing applications that never born and
only for a reason of fcs license cost.

See this post, for example:
<http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/w...w.cfm?catid=266
&threadid=972338&enterthread=y>
http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/w....cfm?catid=266&
threadid=972338&enterthread=y

My questions are:

I'm doing the same error too?

I'm hard coding an app before realizing that the server isn't affordable for
me and for a possible reselling tomorrow?

Am I so stupid to have thrusted in macromedia only for discovering that they
developed they server only to let us play with "fridge magnets app"?

Are their target only millionaires?

Cause in italy there aren't so many millionaires interested in this kind of
stuff and they always don't ask to small firm like mine to work for them.

I'm really curious to know who bought a big license from them and what kind
of profit he has be able to do whit it cause I don't think it's possible in
this market. I've found some e-learning tolls developed form italy but
they seems toys and I can't ask to them if they are worked at least in a
commercially way.

I'm quite sure on what you'll answer to me

...but the strongh of
desperation, you know....

Thanks, Spectre

<http://www.tcs2000.com/> http://www.tcs2000.com

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Andreas Rønning

2005-04-07, 5:57 pm

To my knowledge FCS does not support desktop sharing in any way.
You'll probably need the enterprise edition. For the rest.

- Andreas

Spectrumino wrote:

>Hi all!
>
>First of all, sorry for my English and thanks for reading this.
>
>
>
>I'm trying to develope an e-learning tool for my own web-agency. Some
>costumers of my firm now are interested so they want to see a working
>example applied here locally and, if they'll see it work like expected,
>they'll buy my app in large measure.
>
>
>
>The FCS license I need to buy from macromedia have to make me able to send
>the following data from one client to many, up to 100 and probably more:
>
>1) a webcam
>
>2) a camtasia desktop (alternately at the webcam is good too)
>
>3) a whiteboard developed by me able to share images too
>
>4) a textual chat
>
>5) some others lite tools like a shared pointer to indicate the part of the
>screen the teacher want to put in evidence
>
>
>
>I'v read on macromedia forum that some guys start to hate that firm cause
>they have spent lot of time in developing applications that never born and
>only for a reason of fcs license cost.
>
>
>
>See this post, for example:
><http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/w...w.cfm?catid=266
>&threadid=972338&enterthread=y>
>http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/w....cfm?catid=266&
>threadid=972338&enterthread=y
>
>
>
>My questions are:
>
>I'm doing the same error too?
>
>I'm hard coding an app before realizing that the server isn't affordable for
>me and for a possible reselling tomorrow?
>
>Am I so stupid to have thrusted in macromedia only for discovering that they
>developed they server only to let us play with "fridge magnets app"?
>
>Are their target only millionaires?
>
>
>
>
>
>Cause in italy there aren't so many millionaires interested in this kind of
>stuff and they always don't ask to small firm like mine to work for them.
>
>I'm really curious to know who bought a big license from them and what kind
>of profit he has be able to do whit it cause I don't think it's possible in
>this market. I've found some e-learning tolls developed form italy but
>they seems toys and I can't ask to them if they are worked at least in a
>commercially way.
>
>
>
>
>
>I'm quite sure on what you'll answer to me

...but the strongh of
>desperation, you know....

>
>
>
>Thanks, Spectre
>
> <http://www.tcs2000.com/> http://www.tcs2000.com
>
>
>
>
>=-----------------------------------------------------------
>Supported by Fig Leaf Software - http://www.figleaf.com
>=-----------------------------------------------------------
>
>To change your subscription options or search the archive:
>http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcomm
>
>

=-----------------------------------------------------------
Supported by Fig Leaf Software - http://www.figleaf.com
=-----------------------------------------------------------

To change your subscription options or search the archive:
http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcomm

Bill Sanders

2005-04-07, 5:57 pm

Spectrumino,

The Professional edition handles up to 2,500 connections w/ 10mb of
bandwidth. You can create a camtasia file, convert it to .mov and then
to .flv and stream the flv file w/ the camtasia movie playing. If
you're careful with the size, bandwidth and everything else you can
handle 100 participants w/ one presenter, but the whiteboard will
gobble up processor and bw like mad. See what you can develop with the
Developer version and if you can get 1-1 on that then you can handle 4
x 10 (40) simultaneous connections with 1-way 250k presentations w/ the
Pro version.

Bill
On Apr 4, 2005, at 5:54 AM, Spectrumino wrote:

> Hi all!
>
> First of all, sorry for my English and thanks for reading this.
>
>
>
> I'm trying to develope an e-learning tool for my own web-agency. Some
> costumers of my firm now are interested so they want to see a working
> example applied here locally and, if they'll see it work like expected,
> they'll buy my app in large measure.
>
>
>
> The FCS license I need to buy from macromedia have to make me able to
> send
> the following data from one client to many, up to 100 and probably
> more:
>
> 1) a webcam
>
> 2) a camtasia desktop (alternately at the webcam is good too)
>
> 3) a whiteboard developed by me able to share images too
>
> 4) a textual chat
>
> 5) some others lite tools like a shared pointer to indicate the part
> of the
> screen the teacher want to put in evidence
>
>
>
> I'v read on macromedia forum that some guys start to hate that firm
> cause
> they have spent lot of time in developing applications that never born
> and
> only for a reason of fcs license cost.
>
>
>
> See this post, for example:
> <http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/w...essageview.cfm?
> catid=266
> &threadid=972338&enterthread=y>
> http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/w...essageview.cfm?
> catid=266&
> threadid=972338&enterthread=y
>
>
>
> My questions are:
>
> I'm doing the same error too?
>
> I'm hard coding an app before realizing that the server isn't
> affordable for
> me and for a possible reselling tomorrow?
>
> Am I so stupid to have thrusted in macromedia only for discovering
> that they
> developed they server only to let us play with "fridge magnets app"?
>
> Are their target only millionaires?
>
>
>
>
>
> Cause in italy there aren't so many millionaires interested in this
> kind of
> stuff and they always don't ask to small firm like mine to work for
> them.
>
> I'm really curious to know who bought a big license from them and what
> kind
> of profit he has be able to do whit it cause I don't think it's
> possible in
> this market. I've found some e-learning tolls developed form italy
> but
> they seems toys and I can't ask to them if they are worked at least in
> a
> commercially way.
>
>
>
>
>
> I'm quite sure on what you'll answer to me

...but the strongh of
> desperation, you know....

>
>
>
> Thanks, Spectre
>
> <http://www.tcs2000.com/> http://www.tcs2000.com
>
>
>
>
> =-----------------------------------------------------------
> Supported by Fig Leaf Software - http://www.figleaf.com
> =-----------------------------------------------------------
>
> To change your subscription options or search the archive:
> http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcomm
>
>
bill sanders | www.sandlight.com | bloomfield, ct | 860-242-2260

=-----------------------------------------------------------
Supported by Fig Leaf Software - http://www.figleaf.com
=-----------------------------------------------------------

To change your subscription options or search the archive:
http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcomm

Brian Lesser

2005-04-07, 5:57 pm

Spectrumino wrote:
>"I'm hard coding an app before realizing that the server
> isn't affordable for me and for a possible reselling tomorrow?"

Yes, FlashCom is an exciting but expensive technology when you compare
it to Open Source Web application platforms like Apache/Tomcat/JBoss etc...

Macromedia does offer an educational rate that you may be able to take
advantage of under some circumstances. For example if you are selling a
solution to educational institutions such as Schools and Universities
you can ask them to buy the server directly from Macromedia at a
discount. It's not a seamless way to do business but it might help. If
you are selling to commercial institutions to do "corporate training" no
discount is available. However, even with academic pricing on the server
you will have to make sure the product is worth doing financially.
Remember you are competing with Macromedia Breeze in that space as well
as with more traditional course management solutions like Blackboard so
it can be tough going. (Blackboard, like som many others, has a
Java-based whiteboard and text chat).

Macromedia is in business to make money. To be successful they must not
only pay for the development of products like FlashCom but must make a
profit every year on them. One of the most difficult questions for
Macromedia must be how to turn Flash into a more profitable platform.
FlashCom is part of that picture. They tried to make money on Flash
Remoting but it was too expensive and too easily reverse engineered. To
an outsider like me, it looks like once Macromedia thought they could
not make money on Remoting (as soon as an Open Source version was
available) they lost interest in it. It took them a long time to update
client-side remoting and I've not heard of any server side changes other
than some desperately needed security enhancements.

My impression from Macromedia's server licencing models (Coldfusion,
Flex, and FlashCom) is that they have lost interest in small developers
doing small projects because they can't complete on price with open
source Java and php or even with .NET. Its a difficult situation for
Macromedia to be in. On one had they control the direction of the Flash
platform but on the other find its a real slog increasing the number of
developers using it in order to sell more copies of the Flash IDE.
Remember, developers can use Open Source or very inexpensive server-side
products with Flash that bring Macromedia no revenue.

Personally, I think their pricing structure is wrong. The activation
barrier for getting involved with their server-side products is to high.
The remoting gateway was an example of that. If it had been much much
less expensive I wonder if we would have seen an Open Source version.
Free developer versions of servers help but they are not enough because
developers want to be able to develop and deploy - starting with small
projects. But then I don't get to read Macromedia's market models or
look at their raw sales and developement cost information.

Yours truly,
-Brian

>Hi all!
>
>First of all, sorry for my English and thanks for reading this.
>
>
>
>I'm trying to develope an e-learning tool for my own web-agency. Some
>costumers of my firm now are interested so they want to see a working
>example applied here locally and, if they'll see it work like expected,
>they'll buy my app in large measure.
>
>
>
>The FCS license I need to buy from macromedia have to make me able to send
>the following data from one client to many, up to 100 and probably more:
>
>1) a webcam
>
>2) a camtasia desktop (alternately at the webcam is good too)
>
>3) a whiteboard developed by me able to share images too
>
>4) a textual chat
>
>5) some others lite tools like a shared pointer to indicate the part of the
>screen the teacher want to put in evidence
>
>
>
>I'v read on macromedia forum that some guys start to hate that firm cause
>they have spent lot of time in developing applications that never born and
>only for a reason of fcs license cost.
>
>
>
>See this post, for example:
><http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/w...w.cfm?catid=266
>&threadid=972338&enterthread=y>
>http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/w....cfm?catid=266&
>threadid=972338&enterthread=y
>
>
>
>My questions are:
>
>I'm doing the same error too?
>
>I'm hard coding an app before realizing that the server isn't affordable for
>me and for a possible reselling tomorrow?
>
>Am I so stupid to have thrusted in macromedia only for discovering that they
>developed they server only to let us play with "fridge magnets app"?
>
>Are their target only millionaires?
>
>
>
>
>
>Cause in italy there aren't so many millionaires interested in this kind of
>stuff and they always don't ask to small firm like mine to work for them.
>
>I'm really curious to know who bought a big license from them and what kind
>of profit he has be able to do whit it cause I don't think it's possible in
>this market. I've found some e-learning tolls developed form italy but
>they seems toys and I can't ask to them if they are worked at least in a
>commercially way.
>
>
>
>
>
>I'm quite sure on what you'll answer to me

...but the strongh of
>desperation, you know....