Thought I'd clear up a few points.
1. Fractint has always been and will always be open source. This
isn't just due to my opinion, it's because everyone who has ever
contributed to it has done so with the understanding that it WAS open
source. However, as far as my opinion is concerned, I am very happy
it is open source, and if I could, I'd change the license over to GPL
or a similar license. Easier said than done because we can no longer
reach most code contributors. This license change could still happen,
but it would be in conjunction with an extensive rewrite.
2. Thanks for all the kind offers of being willing to pay for
upgrades. Money is not and never has been an issue. Developers
contribute for their own reasons.
3. Right now Jonathan Osuch and occasional other contributers are the
only ones maintaining the program. His interest (and my interest) are
gravitating to Linux, but we are used to maintaining the Linux
version in parallel to the DOS version so we do it. I have never lost
interest. It's just that I have a job and a real life and am getting
older. I still dream of diving back in. I might, or I might not,
we'll see.
4. I don't think the present situation with Fractint is bad or sad.
It's the way life is. Software, like people, have a life cycle. I am
very pleased that this list is still active and many folks still get
pleasure out of Fractint. I suspect Fractint will continue to have a
following. It is even possible that it will have a rebirth on other
platforms. Whether it fades away or has a rebirth remains to be seen.
Either way, I'm happy. Change is the name of the game, especially in
technology. Fractint assumed something like it's present form in
1989, which makes it about 13 years old, so in people years that's
about a millenium. Not bad!! :-)
