Sandboxie's future

I ve asked tzuk about the future of sandboxie and whether or not he will eventually sell it to bigger corp which can potentially screw us lifetime license holders over. He never replied and I think my thread went missing Anyways his response to a similar thread initiated by you was more cordial; http://www.sandboxie.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=8403&highlight=haul

so what do you guys think, is he in this business for a long haul or is he planning to get a big bonanza and sell us out?

Who knows.

What would you do if there is a company offering you 10000 for taking over the business, rights and sources of your program?

Rico,what I thank is he would rather suffer a week with a abscessed tooth than see his "baby" controlled by others.

At the same time I thank he is a business man.

These things are just hard to call.

In any event I do not thank things have reached the point we need to thank of "end game" possibilities.

noor

noorismail wrote:what I thank is he would rather suffer a week with a abscessed tooth than see his "baby" controlled by others

Well said

See guys, I went through the whole BoClean becomes Comodo BoClean thing.

All of the anger,folk's feeling betrayed about lifetime paid licenses that became free,and all of that.

Then there was the really painful Melih-vs-Keven stuff at the end..

Thank Providence,we are no where near there!!

Really,all we have is a developer announcing a different licensing scheme.

No, I believe what we are seeing is more than just a new licensing scheme, this is a completely new Sandboxie, with fresh ground rules and an imposed new relationship between developer and client. A popular product is often more than the software alone; It is also (in this case) the shared philosophy, "history", goals, culture, infrastructure that has contextualized and defined Sandboxie and that has changed now fundamentally. A definite schism has occured in the Sandboxie culture of momentum and congruity and I don't think that things will ever be quite the same again. Users of all "persuasions" have experienced an unexpected shock, this is suddenly, no longer, the "co-operative" "homogeneous" "interactive" "venture" that advocates of Sandboxie initially embraced. Sandboxie achieved great status today not only because it's a great piece of software with a brilliant, dedicated and focused developer but also because it has been carried into battle by disparate followers as a symbol of a "movement" and that is where it's much of it's strength lies.

Very interesting comments patrick. You have made some very valid points, although I (as a keen supporter of tzuk and Sandboxie) would hope that all this "dust" will settle quickly and we simply come to realise (once more) what Sandboxie really is - a great piece of security software that is still great.

Great thread guys. I really do not want to toot our horn,
over much, but its great to have a place where we can have
this level of dialog.

I thank the dust will settle,Sanfboxie will stand tall.
I also think the "feel" if not the "substance" may not be the same.

noor

I see the issue regarding online activation exists here as well. Some nice posts in here, with some great 'tempered' responses. I will add my thoughts, because of the temperment

@Patrick, you seem to have a good 'feel' for the large picture. I can agree with a lot of your thoughts.

Sandboxie is, IMO, in danger of losing some its followers who are more sensitive to any program 'needing' to be online to be fully functional. That is the heart of the matter I believe. I am one of those who prescribe to this philosopy. I hold fast to it when I can for the simple reason that I believe security stems from what software you run. And the sure-fire way to have security like that is to have software that does not 'reach out' by itself.

But one also has to examine the software in question. I don't see Sandboxie as a tool that I will not trust. I don't worry that the author will create a security flaw or attempt some nefarious activity. It is simply a principle to follow, but one that can also have exceptions.

I think there is a portion of users who might quit using Sandboxie on pure principle. I believe if the online activation/validation is seamless and painless, the majority will stick it out, especially if some significant new content is added in the future. If no new content is added, I believe a lot of people (likely myself included) will stick with 3.46 for quite some time. Should the activation/verification bring any issues, and I do mean virtually any, I think a pretty decent percentage of the user base will write it off as 'was the best' and may stop using it -- IF there is an alternative.

I would love to hear what option Tzuk had considered in addition to this model. In realistic terms, this was probably the easiest/safest solution, but perhaps there were other options. We just don't know. It is easy to cast a judgement when you only see one side of the story. You can call me a fanboy I suppose, because I have a lot of respect for the application, more so that just about any other in the same category. But that doesn't mean I accept every decision as 'the most best-est ever'. I question this road but don't think it will lead to the death of the product.

It is hard to get any technical product into the hands of the average 'button clicking Uncle Joe', whether a firewall or Sandboxie. These people have problems with maintaining an AntiVirus, let alone a program that actually needs thier input to be properly configured. It is probably safe to assume Patricks vision, that the vast majority of Sandboxie users are above average in knowledge. I really don't think these people have an alternative right now -- that is what makes Sandboxie so great -- simple and effective. I have seen mention of GesWall and even DW and MD. I can use them, many can use them. But, they require more effort to do so IMHO, and that is the point of using Sandboxie for me -- I have the skill to use something else but lack the desire any more to go through the 'pains' of using something more complicated.

Only time will tell. If reports start filtering in after 180 days of 'no problems, didn't even know it happened' then most likely the status will remain the same. If the reports are 'problematic' then we will see the mindset of many to 'want' to let go of the product, but won't because they don't have an equivalent alternative. Which means whoever would come up with a good alternative would likely have a great startup.

Sul.