Other It's time to grow

Erel

B4X founder
Staff member
Licensed User
Longtime User
I’m very proud in the continuing progress of B4X tools. I’m also very proud to be part of this amazing developers community.

In the last couple of years, I have a growing feeling that B4X tools do not realize their potential. While there are all kinds of development tools, B4X offers a unique set of features: simple, powerful, mature, great community, RAD, native, cross platform and more.
B4X tools are an excellent choice for a wide range of real-world use cases.

So, the question is how to make B4X more popular? Obviously, it is not a simple nor a short-term task.
A clear growth barrier is the fact that unlike most development tools today, B4A and B4i are not free. This wasn’t the case 10 years ago.

The big announcement today is that B4A will become free in a few weeks. The framework - set of internal libraries, will be open sourced.

We will accept contributions for B4A like currently done with B4J.
We've also secured funds from a US investor who shares my vision of making B4X a popular development tool. These resources will allow us to further expand.

How can you help?

Help us spread the word about B4X.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes

Martin Larsen

Active Member
Licensed User
Longtime User
Syd Wright said:
but for the rest won't serve much purpose if there is no way to also modify the source code.
Click to expand...

Erel doesn't say you are not allowed to modify the source. He just says that you can't commit changes upstream. You can modify it for your own use, and probably let others use your modifications as well.
 
Upvote 0

Didier9

Well-Known Member
Licensed User
Longtime User
José J. Aguilar said:
I was saving to update my license. This way, I will make donations.
Click to expand...
Yep, that's the way to do it
Erel, make sure there is a prominent link to the Donation feature!
I made a donation for B4J last year but at the moment, I can't find the link...
 
Upvote 0

Ferbis

Active Member
Licensed User
Longtime User
Syd Wright said:
Maybe Erel can also reflect on my recommendation (in thread #109) to consult with the B4A developers before taking the final decision and to consider enabling developers to become shareholders in Anywhere Software.
Click to expand...

I am of the same opinion as Syd. That is the idea I was trying to say in thread #44.
We all know that Erel is the father of the creature but we must not forget that much of the success has been the great community of which I am proud to belong. People who give their time to help others to make their b4x journey successful. I am sure that having the community as part of the equation will help Anywhere to always have a fulcrum in this great new challenge.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

joaquinortiz

Active Member
Licensed User
Longtime User
I feel, with this announcement, the B4A, it will turn not stable. And it will keep future bugs and no body will have the commitment to repair future bugs. That´s I´m affraid of this announcment
 
Upvote 0
R

RWK

Member
Licensed User
Longtime User
Alexander Stolte said:
The next step are a all in one B4X IDE? ??
Click to expand...

And the step beyond that should be a maintained library download in that IDE... for sure that would need some manpower (m/w/d)

5 Thump Up Erel...

By the way.... I hope that "investor" is more like a supporter (like in admirer) so that you can focus on B4X work ; on a real investor, who cares about growing value an return on investment, it a real small step to get lost in thinking on satisfying the investors wishes...that one will steal you 50% on your productive time with ease.
I hope you will not get lost in the Mills of the financial economy. But I believe in you.

Greetings
Rainer
 
Upvote 0

ThRuST

Well-Known Member
Licensed User
Longtime User
 
Upvote 0

advansis

Active Member
Licensed User
Longtime User
I hope BIG investor hasn't secured funds to kill one of its competitor... I hope the project can continue with the same quality and attention. Ad maiora.

PS. What about B4i ?
 
Upvote 0

Kevin

Well-Known Member
Licensed User
Longtime User
Wow! No doubt, B4A/X deserve to be wildly popular and for very good reason! I kind of figured they were, but there is always room for growth. I've often joked to myself that Erel and all involved must be making a fortune on B4A/B4i and deservedly so!

While I share some concerns that others have posted, I do trust that the right decision has been made. I've been away from programming for about 5 years due to some personal issues and only recently got back to it. Even though I wasn't using B4A at all over those 5 years, I happily continued to pay for the updates every single time my update license expired.

I realize that many programming tools are in fact free these days, but considering B4A's capabilities, I always felt that if anything it was under-priced. While I realize that renewing licenses add up, I recall being a poor teen/early 20s-something and plunking down several hundred dollars each for VB3, 5 and 6. Although eventually even MS made .NET free.

I'm hopeful that this will be a good thing for us all, and I really appreciate all of the hard work that has been put into B4X. It's very clearly a labor of love, as it should be for all of us, whether we are creating the tools or using the tools to create!
 
Upvote 0

freedom2000

Well-Known Member
Licensed User
Longtime User
Impressive news !

I will for sure spread this information everywhere I can.
The trade off between OSS and closed one is really not obvious.
I am sure that you made the good choice and whish you a long long B4X life

Keep up the good job
JP
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar Threads

  • Question
Android Question Can B4X develop apps with system performance?
Replies
9
Views
1K
It.Behrooz
S
  • Question
Android Question Multi-user development
2
Replies
26
Views
3K
Sandman
  • Question
Other Any plan of open source of B4X IDE in future ?
Replies
7
Views
1K
AnandGupta
  • Question
Other B4X will become free, what is My contribution to help it grow
Replies
5
Views
2K
Erel
I
  • Question
Android Question B4X newbie..please help with my questions
Replies
6
Views
1K
Erel
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…