I don't get some of the negativity/fears of this announcement.
As the title of the thread indicates, this move is done in order to promote growth! I doubt that
@Erel would take on any investor(s) that did not have the same point of view/vision as he has. I'm not going to second guess him (it is not my place).
As to support, have you folks seen B4J and B4R? Both products are FREE and both products have the same forum support as the two (soon one) paid products in Anywhere Software's arsenal. Also, have you noticed how B4i/B4A/and B4J have more and more in common with each version? Why would that stop? Why would advancements in B4i stop to be migrated to the other platforms if currently B4i/B4A advances are migrated to B4J (B4R is a little bit more specialized - BTW, how did
@Erel find time to freely publish that one?)? Why would this change?
As to opening up the source to the core libraries, what an awesome move! Have you looked at the Git repositories for B4X products (just search for Git on this forum)? They are a treasure trove of information. You may not directly modify them in such a way as to include them in the next version of the product, but they can be used to see HOW the libraries work internally, which in turn can lead to better usage of the libraries (through better understanding). The source can be used to glean how wrapping is done. The source can be used to make better "wishes" for changes/additions to the libraries.
If you are worried that non-payment = non-support, then just buy the B4i license, even if you don't use it. Or donate. Nothing is stopping you from spending your money.
Ok, it's late and I'm rambling. Peace out.