Will Invision Power Board still be free?

[SensoVision]

Recently IBP announced that with release of 1.2 FINAL they cease free support in forums for their software and only registered users of IBP would have access to these forums, everyone else would be terminated from database... do you think it's first step in converting their soft into commercial software?
here is original announcement about this:

Along with the upcoming final release of Invision Power Board 1.2, Invision Power Services, Inc. will no longer be offering free technical support services for unregistered users of Invision Power Board.

Posting in what are currently the free support forums will be restricted to those in our customer group only. If you are a registered customer of Invision Power Board and wish to post in the suppport forums but are not in our customers group you will be able to enter your Invision Power Board registration key in your profile and the board will automatically upgrade your account.

Note: All current members in the customer group will have to be removed for the change to work. If you are removed from the customer group simply login to the client area and obtain your Invision Power Board registration code and insert it into your profile. If you have trouble please email info@invisionpower.com and we will assist you.

This change is necessary to allow our staff to focus on providing support service to our paying customers of Invision Power Board. For our free users, who we still value, we are working on enhancing our documentation of Invision Power Board, will be adding informal members-helping-members support, and there are several third-party sites not affiliated with Invision Power Services, Inc. who have expressed interest as an alternate unofficial free support location.

Invision Power Board is still available for a free download and we will work over the next few days to bring alternatives to free support for those who have chosen not to register their copy of Invision Power Board.

These changes will be implemented when the final version of Invision Power Board 1.2 is released.

you can read it here in full. To see more opinions on this subject check also this thread.
So for me it seems that IBP trying to make it's software commercial soon, and as for now the only way to get support for Invision Power Board would be possible through some fan communities or by paying money... I think this step make serious hit on IBP popularity and some of the current members of this software could go to other free boards like SMF(you can find more info about it in this thread) or phpBB.
so what do you think about this?

[Queen Bee]

Hmm, I still think Invision Board will be free. I just think they decided that it was time to focus in on profits. Like they state here:

This change is necessary to allow our staff to focus on providing support service to our paying customers of Invision Power Board.

I don't necessarily consider this a step in the commercial direction, but more a step in the professional direction. I'm certain Invision Board will still be free, but perhaps without the additional support or features.

[SensoVision]

but same statement was done by YaBB SE team but in other manner, they continue free support and if you check their forums you'll see that nothing actually change from the time they bring Charter members to life... Charter members will support them financially and in the same time would get some previledges like earlier access to new versions of software... for me it sounds as better solution. But who knows maybe you right...

[Queen Bee]

Eh, I'm really not one to say. I just don't think Invision Board is big enough to go solely commercial. Of all the boards I visit, IPB is the one I see least. Not that it means anything, I'm merely assuming.

I wouldn't take my own word for anything

I guess we'll just have to see what happens...

[erdnis]

I think they would remain free for a while. I would guess that if they became commercial, they would have to be bigger than they are now. But I don't klnow anything.
If they are going commercial, I am sort of wondering about what they would do to all of the forums that already exists, though. Will everyone that runs IB have to change to some other software? And how would they control that everybody did that?

[SensoVision]

hmm I don't think they ever ask users to pay, if they ever become commercial it would be probably started from some release and wouldn't affect existed baords(at least I don't see other way).

[12noon]

I paid for my invisionboard anyway, but i think they should keep a free version.
 

[mixingsoup]

Would be a bummer if they did try to make us pay but theres many awesome free alternatives out there so it wouldn;'t be something to lose sleep over. I still mis the days of Iconboard though... those were the good days! lol

[SensoVision]

kick me if I'm dreaming It's really nice to see you back JJ, hope to see you more regular now And hope you're doing fine.

[SensoVision]

seems that while I was busy with my first weeks of studies I've missed some major activity on phpBB and IPB... seems that Invision try to buy phpBB and after refusal say that they will utilize their code to make lite version... so for me it seems as another evidence that IPB wish to become commercial software and do this not in ethical way if these letters are authentical... (I can't rip my hand claiming that they are authentic but from what I read it's seems to be authentic and seems that folks from Invision also acknowledge this... so judge yourself whatever it's fake or not...)
here is the letter from IPB to phpBB:

Hello James,
 
This is Charles Warner from Invision Power Services, Inc. I understand
that you own the license rights to phpBB and we are interested in
opening talks about acquiring the rights to phpBB to add it to our
products and services.
 
We are actively looking to acquire products to add to our line and have
investment dollars to spend on these transactions. Your interest is
appreciated.
 
Regards,
 
Charles Warner
Invision Power Services, Inc. - President
charles@invisionpower.com
Phone: +1 434 352-9311

---------------------------------------------------------------

Charles,
 
Thanks, but no thanks.
 
We're not interested in selling phpBB in any way. The whole team is
committed to keeping phpBB 100% Free Software. The goals of the phpBB
project and goals of IPS are in not compatible. We write forum software
because we love it, we're not in this for any sort of material gain
whereas you clearly are.
 
Sorry, but I'll always do everything in my power to make sure that phpBB
remains Free.
 
Thanks,
 
--
- James 'theFinn' Atkinson
Founder & Project Manager, phpBB

---------------------------------------------------------------

James,
 
I assumed you would say as much but I thought I would express our
interest anyway. Good luck in your worthy endeavor.
 
Just so you know, we may be porting phpBB to a sort of "lite" message
board offering with fewer features and abilities. We had thought to
write one ourselves but there is no real need to reinvent anything when
we can utilize your proven base coding with just a little bit of
removal of extra features to make it that lite version we are looking
for. I thought I would tell you now so you were not surprised later.
 
Thank you for your time.

original post could be found here http://www.zefhemel.com/158.php

seems that there was two threads which discuss it but they was hardly edited and don't conatin this text anymore, here they are:
http://forums.foruminsider.com/index.php?showtopic=228&st=0
http://www.foruminsider.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=238&st=0

so what do you think about this all? Is Invision really wish to exploit code written by phpBB? it seems to be possible since phpBB is under GPL and can't be protected effectively by it from such things...

[Queen Bee]

Hmm..

We had thought to
write one ourselves but there is no real need to reinvent anything when
we can utilize your proven base coding with just a little bit of
removal of extra features to make it that lite version we are looking
for.

So explain this to me... They're just going to use previously written PhpBB code, create some sort of IPB "light" version, and then sell it? I can't really see how something like that is legal.

Then again, it doesn't surprise me. The digital world resembles the real world in practically all aspects... We just experience it through electronics instead.

[SensoVision]

yeah that seems that they wish to just take code of phpBB since licence used by this software doesn't protect effectively from such things but for me it's look rather than threat in order to force phpBB to sale it's code rather than give it for free...
probably now IPB loose some of it's fans (those who care not just for code but for overall community and the way it's developing).
Anyway I hope that phpBB would still alive and wouldn't be ripped by anyone.

[12noon]

Not fully on-topic, but a new version of invisionboard has just come out.

[phpbb support]

  One competitor *out*, let's all move to phpBB

[susieq]

OK, I'm not very sure about this sort of thing as in IPB .....so I backtracked it to the source....
just go to:

http://www.invisionboard.com/
and if you read carefully, you probably will spot the answer, and when you do....let us know