What if Concrete goes out of business?
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Sorry for the newb question, trying to get a handle...
I am recently learning about concrete and trying to decide if it's an appropriate platform for an e-commerce site I was recently commissioned to set up. I'm looking for something that can be edited and run by my client himself after I've finished (so it doesn't turn into an ongoing project for me). I like the way concrete works in this regard.
But what if Concrete goes out of business or is bought up by Google etc and then ditched ("don't worry, it won't be" isn't an answer). Does the site I set up require integration into the Concrete community (e.g. do add-on modules phone home to authenticate), or will it all maintain functionality on my server even if the Concrete community as we now know it ceases to exist? (allowing whomever the site's future developers are to continue to make use of the sites Concrete5 editing toolbar to edit the site and to manually add/remove functionality directly at the server level)
What is local and autonomously function, and what (if anything) is remotely called. The site I am setting up will handle private user information, so there will be legal concerns if parts of a site built with Concrete would be stored offsite).
Again, apologies for the basic-ness of the question. Much mahalo for your help!
I am recently learning about concrete and trying to decide if it's an appropriate platform for an e-commerce site I was recently commissioned to set up. I'm looking for something that can be edited and run by my client himself after I've finished (so it doesn't turn into an ongoing project for me). I like the way concrete works in this regard.
But what if Concrete goes out of business or is bought up by Google etc and then ditched ("don't worry, it won't be" isn't an answer). Does the site I set up require integration into the Concrete community (e.g. do add-on modules phone home to authenticate), or will it all maintain functionality on my server even if the Concrete community as we now know it ceases to exist? (allowing whomever the site's future developers are to continue to make use of the sites Concrete5 editing toolbar to edit the site and to manually add/remove functionality directly at the server level)
What is local and autonomously function, and what (if anything) is remotely called. The site I am setting up will handle private user information, so there will be legal concerns if parts of a site built with Concrete would be stored offsite).
Again, apologies for the basic-ness of the question. Much mahalo for your help!
**Edit: I answered slow... Franz has the definitive answer here
C5 is an Open Source software. It may be possible (though unlikely) that it may not be developed in the distant future... however, I believe your copy can live on in your server indefinitely. If you buy Add-ons and Themes, you are actually buying the licensed right to install and use them on your site and once installed that is where they live. Your site being connected to the Concrete5 community after its been set up, is strictly for updates etc.
Not being connected will not affect how your site is viewed or how it operates. Keeping your site secure is most likely how secure Your server is.
Just my .02 worth :-)
C5 is an Open Source software. It may be possible (though unlikely) that it may not be developed in the distant future... however, I believe your copy can live on in your server indefinitely. If you buy Add-ons and Themes, you are actually buying the licensed right to install and use them on your site and once installed that is where they live. Your site being connected to the Concrete5 community after its been set up, is strictly for updates etc.
Not being connected will not affect how your site is viewed or how it operates. Keeping your site secure is most likely how secure Your server is.
Just my .02 worth :-)
thank you very much to you (and franz) for your answers. The more I poke around, the more convinced I am. This is a really cool service you guys provide here!
If you connect your site to the community, and you don't have to - it just makes it easier to install add-ons and get updates, we still can't push code changes on to you. You can see if theres an update and choose to update, but we can't force a change on you.
It's not in our goals to get bought by google. We also have no investors, out side of me, and as a business we're in the black. Certainly we're humans, and of course everyone has their price - but look at it this way: If a big company were to buy concrete5, dumping the customers wouldn't be in their interests, would it? More over, if they made some dumb move, the version of concrete5 you have, and all your add-ons, would still be yours and function the exact same way they did today.
I'm always happy to answer this question because I truly believe no one out there (including the big three mentioned above) has a more believable honest answer.
Best wishes,
http://about.me/frz