$code or die writes "ActiveState has launched ASPN (ActiveState [Programmers|Perl|Python] Network). Apart from the neat site design, it offers a wealth of Perl\Python resources at your fingertips. (But we knew where all this stuff was already didn't we?)
They offer ASPN Perl subscription at a reduced $395 and you get the Perl Resource Kit and access to online versions of popular O'Reilly books.
Aside from that, it appears they have also launced v1 of their Komodo IDE."
ASPN is available in three flavors: ASPN Open (free), ASPN Komodo, and ASPN Perl. Subscriptions for ASPN Perl are US$495, or US$395 before April 10.
'code repository'
hfb on 2001-04-06T18:31:29
If AS is going to repackage CPAN and sell it as their own, the very least they could do is offer a link back to CPAN where it is mentioned.
No more free tools from ActiveState
Mark Thomas on 2001-04-06T18:37:55
It looks like you can no longer use Komodo for free, as you now have to pay for "commercial licenses".
Value
pudge on 2001-04-06T18:56:24
What is the value here? For that price I could buy hardcopies of the books, and the data itself I can get for free, right? So
... what is the value I am paying for?
Re:Value... and O'Reilly plug ;)
_bitwise on 2001-04-06T19:12:15
Right on. Not to mention that
Version 2.0 of the O'Reilly Perl CD Bookshelf is due out in May. Searching on the CD is simple and you don't have to be connected to the internet to use it (My first release bookshelf disk lives in my laptop). AND, Version 2.0 has the System Administrator's Guide and Programming Perl 3rd Edition as well as all your old favorites! $69.95 is a lot better deal than $395.
Value of ASPN
JohnJensen on 2001-04-06T21:01:14
There have been a few comments here so I thought I would reply.
- CPAN link: Good point -- we'll add that.
- Komodo IDE license: Komodo is free for non-commercial (eg educational) and evaluation use. For commercial use, you'll need to buy ASPN Komodo, which is $295 ($245 for a limited time).
- ASPN Perl: We think there's a significant amount of value here. An ASPN Perl subscriber gets:
- The Visual Perl plugin for MS Visual Studio, which provides full Perl editing, debugging, etc for Visual Studio developers.
- The Perl utilities, a collection of tools for building Perl software on Windows.
- The Perl Alert, a weekly summary of news in the Perl world and a listing of ActiveState-approved modules.
- An online searchable interface into 9 O'Reilly Perl books. We are working to provide even better integration of this content into our Komodo and Visual Perl IDEs.
- A commercial license for the Komodo IDE.
- All the free online content on the website.
Introductory pricing is $395. Existing Perl Dev Kit owners can get an upgrade to ASPN Perl for $295.
We may need to be doing a better job of presenting this information on the website. If you have any further comments, please feel free to email aspn-feedback@ActiveState.com. We want as much feedback as possible, positive or negative, and value your input.
-- John Jensen, VP Product Management
ActiveState
Re:Value of ASPN
JohnJensen on 2001-04-06T21:10:12
In my haste I neglected to notice that we already have a
CPAN link.
Re:Value... and O'Reilly plug ;)
davorg on 2001-04-07T07:09:36
Version 2.0 has the System
Administrator's Guide and Programming Perl 3rd
Edition as well as all your old
favorites!
Not quite all your old favourites, as
the two versions of Learning Perl seem to
have been dropped.
Might also be worth mentioning that
Safari
will also give you online access to a number
of O'Reilly books - and it is a lot cheaper than
ASPN.
Re:Value of ASPN
davorg on 2001-04-07T07:22:39
But that page has broken tables on it and shows up as a blank page in Netscape (or, at least, in Netscape 4.73 for Windows).
Re:Value of ASPN
pudge on 2001-04-07T11:33:52
But that page has broken tables on it and shows up as a blank page in Netscape (or, at least, in Netscape 4.73 for Windows).
That's because ActiveState sold out to Microsoft! Only IE is supported! ;-)
Feedback on Komodo
solhell on 2001-04-08T05:53:53
Hi, I would like to give some feedback assuming Komodo primarily targets the windows platform (apply similar arguments to other platforms):
First of all, I don't think the editor is ready for the prime time yet. Too slow (I am on a PentiumIII 550 + 256MB mem computer). I can't really imagine a programmer using the komodo editor to create an application. The debugger can be useful though, I am only critisizing the text editor component. It is too slow, especially when you use mouse to select blocks or to move cursor around. It is usable to some extend if you are using the keyboard to navigate. The screen response is very slow (you don't want to click right arrow and wait half a second to see the response on the screen) And still tons of features that I assume as standard in a text editor are missing. On windows my favorite editor is Codewright (). But Komodo editing features doesn't even come close to Ultraedit, which is also a great editor.
Just for the sake of testing, I opened a 20 MB text file (.txt) which only consists of one line with all three editors: Komodo, Ultraedit, and Codewright. Komodo without any open files takes about 20MB memory (probably because of mozilla). After opening the file, the memory consumption become to 60MB (there was an instantenous jump to 140 MB too). Ultraedit with the same file open takes 6MB and Codewright takes 8MB (also has a workspace with 7 projects open in it). The response of komodo is pretty unresponsive to both keyboard and mouse. There is about two second delay when you type something and it appears on the screen. Both codewright and Ultraedit are as fast as they were with small text files.
Anyway, I think the editor is the most important part of the equation. Komodo needs to interoperate with other popular editors (which should be easy), or they should improve the quality and features of their editor. There are actually some nice and unique features already implemented in komodo, and hopefully it will improve in the future with more developer feedback.
Re:Feedback on Komodo
solhell on 2001-04-08T06:06:00
And one more thing: There is no cgi debugger or support for cgi projects yet. Since the IDE uses mozilla, I am guessing that there will be some support. Is there any plans for it?
How about support for sql and DBI?
Give ActiveState credit where credit is due
Starky on 2001-04-10T03:36:25
You've got to give ActiveState credit where credit is due.
They've put together a development environment for Perl hackers, something that the community really needs. Even though many coders will still happily use Emacs or vi for their daily needs, their efforts are the kind of thing that allow shops unfamiliar with Perl to dive into the community with a strong sense of security and support and the resources to adopt Perl without incurring high transition or learning costs.
Even though I'm a Linux user, I've gotten a tremendous amount of value from their products, particularly PerlApp, which allows me to distribute my code to Windows users who don't even know what Perl is.
And as a Linux user, I admire that they've ported many of their tools to Linux, which I hope will be a sound business decision on their part in the long run.
ActiveState, in my opinion, has been a Force for Good in the Perl community. They are aggressively demonstrating that Open Source and making money are not mutually exclusive, have been able to give alot back to the community as a result of their business model, and I wish them continued prosperity.
Nuff said.
Re:Give ActiveState credit where credit is due
Odud on 2001-04-10T08:55:28
I agree with Starky, ActiveState have put a great deal into the community (I guess that they got me started with Perl way back due to the ease of installation on a Windows platform)and it's all too easy to have a shot at them when they try to get something back, or do something in a slightly different way. Combining open source and practicable business is a difficult thing to do and I guess that not too many people really understand how that model works yet.
I guess that the costs are outside the reach of many individuals - but I suspect that they are targetting commercial development here where paying for support is the norm (and the suits seem to be happier the more they are paying).
My two penn'orth.
Re:Give ActiveState credit where credit is due
pudge on 2001-04-10T11:56:38
Hm. I am not sure what this thread has to do with ActiveState, in general. It is about ASPN, specifically.
Re:Give ActiveState credit where credit is due
pudge on 2001-04-10T11:58:22
Hm, I guess I should clarify a little
... I don't think anyone needs to defend ActiveState here, as it is not under attack. ASPN is under discussion, and may need defending on a few points, but I don't think ActiveState being great, or being horrible, has any bearing on whether or not ASPN is great, or horrible. Or something in-between.
