This is a repost of an article we published today on the toggle blog. Its our experiences of running this project over the last few years:
On 1st May 2008 we launched Pixie, our open source content management system. Or as we like to say: "small, simple, website maker". Two years on its time to share our experience of running a free to own open source project.
Continue reading An Open Source Education...
I thought it would be a good idea to post an update on where we are with the Pixie auction. Our first listing on Flippa ended without a winner. Rather than give up I have re-listed Pixie one more time to see what the outcome is. The second auction is due to end within the next week.
I also received an invite today for a service called Flattr. Flattr is one of the first services I have seen that addresses micro-payments sensibly. I am extremely interested to see what the implications of such a service are for the open source world. I am going to be testing Flattr right here. If your on board all you have to do is press this button:
I would also be very grateful if anyone had any suggestions for the future of Pixie. I am not overly hopeful that the auction will end successfully. If this is the case then I will be looking for new energy and ideas for the project. If you have any please post them in the comments. I am looking for project management ideas and volunteers rather than feature suggestions.
And finally we are still looking for feedback on the 1.05 beta. You can download and give us feedback on this version of Pixie in the forums.
It has been a whole year since I last posted a showcase of Pixie websites. Time flies! The good news is I have been secretly squirrelling away lots of great examples and its time to share them with you. This is a great post for me to end on before the results of the Pixie auction in a few days time and to make it extra special I am showcasing many more sites than usual.
Continue reading April site showcase...
Those of you who keep a close eye on Pixie will realise that I have not been particularly active with the project since around December. Despite this the project has seen two releases and momentum has been fairly strong. This momentum has been dependant on the hard work of others and I am extremely grateful for the support and input the project has experienced. As part of this flurry of activity we are hoping to release 1.05 in the very near future. You can already try the beta that will address some of the problems we have seen in 1.04.
It has been quite a turbulent and reflective start to 2010. In January I was not sure what or where I would be focusing my energy this year. Today though I have a clear path and direction. That path is toggle (my company) and I have been lucky to see it survive a recession and begin to flourish.
Since the start of the year the future of Pixie has been constantly at the back of my mind and in the last few weeks I have finally made a decision. My involvement with Pixie is likely to dwindle as toggle grows and I do not want this to have a negative impact on what has been a very successful start to an open source project. Its not been an easy decision but I have decided to pass Pixie on to new management. I have decided the best way for me to do this is via online auction - you can buy the project, brand and source code on Flippa.
Without a doubt the project has been a success. On a personal level for getting toggle off the ground - Pixie was the launch platform for our first year in business, it has been deployed by us on many many websites and continues to work flawlessly. On top of that it has been downloaded well over 27,000 times, translated into 18 languages and awarded second place in the Packt open source CMS awards for 'most promising open source cms'. Pixie has stood its ground against larger projects with more funding, more support and bigger communities. I am hoping who ever decides to take Pixie forward will have the vision and ideas to continue with this trend. Pixie deserves it.
So this is the start of a new beginning, we are treading into unknown water and it will be interesting to see what the outcome is. I am not going to disappear overnight, I intend to keep helping out in every way I can. Its been a fantastic ride and I thank you all for sharing it with me.
