Rekall not longer available from theKompany.com

[Todd Stephens]

Why side with the company if it's not paying its programmers? The
business model was charge for the software and use some of the cash to
pay the programmers. If the programmers aren't getting paid, the
correct pro-consumer sentiment is to call for the software to be
released for free.

Well, we don't *know* the facts for sure. The OP is obviously a former
employee of the company, and his credibility is shadowed -whether justly
or not- by being disgruntled. I say he is disgruntled because someone
with no bone to pick would not have gone around posting as he did. And
his assertion that Rekall is not available from theKompany is incorrect
as I went to their site today and it is indeed for sale there. But, I
again have to ask how this is related to the Python language?

 

[Todd Stephens]

The OP was about Rekall, not Kapital or BlackAdder. Rekall _IS_ in
Python.

Sorry, typo on my part. I meant Rekall, and thank you for clearing it
up.

 

[Todd Stephens]

Rekall is the topic of discussion, and it's Python. Looks pretty cool
too -- a niche that badly needs filling by something Open Source. Well,
it still does need filling since Rekall is commercial...

I meant Rekall, but somehow typed Kapital Anyway, it does indeed look
like a great app. I am patiently waiting for the KOffice team to put
Kexi in a production state, but I don't think that is at all Python
related.

 

[Todd Stephens]

I went to their site today and it is indeed for sale there. But, I
again have to ask how this is related to the Python language?

Others have answered this.

 

[John Dean]

We had to let John go this last week, we tried to do it in an amicable
fashion, but John had and has been enganged in this type of activity
for a bit now.

Unfortunately, this is not the truth and Shawn knows it.
1. I wasn't let go, I quit
2. Shawn and I had a resellers agreement
3. Shawn was fully aware that I had set up a Forum to provide support. This
is/was something I had been trying to get him to do for many month, without
success

Everything in this email is a complete fabrication.

The facts speak for thenselves

John cannot legally sell the Rekall software, nor does he own it.

This is not completely true. I have no agreement, either written or verbal
with regards to the status of Rekall.
TKC only have rights to the Rekall name. The copyright of the software
itself is owned by Mike Richardson
Rekall will be release under the GPL under its original name KBase

I'm sorry for any confusion this might have caused anyone, but we're
still here and will be here for a long time to come

It is just a matter of time before TKC goes under and that time is very,
very short

 

[John Dean]

I don't see much controversy here. If the work was done for theKompany,
then it is a work made for hire, no? In that case, theKompany owns the
rights to the software.

The copyright was never signed over to TKC. As with all agreements there is
a requirement on both sides. Therefore, since TKC failed to honor it's side
of the agreement that agreement is null and void and Rekall, now know as
KBase reverts to it original owner. There are other issues which I shall no
go into at the moment which nullifies TKC claim of ownship

 

[John Dean]

Here are some facts which I can back up with copies of email sent to the
team by Shawn Gordon

1. I worked for TKC for a little over 2 years
2. The first 2 months I recieved not a single cent in payment
3. The 3 month I was paid the equivalent of one weeks pay
4. I never once in two received a full months money
5. In June we were all told to find alternative employment until TKC gets
back in it feet again
6. My last pay month was May 2003

Both Mike and I are willing to write off TKC debt if Shawn agrees to allow
us to release Rekall under the GPL.

 

[John Dean]

Rekall is total dependant on Python, hence the reason for the discussion
Kapital is based on KDELibs, Python not included nor is there any Python in
any embedded app, save tkcRekall and tkcRekallLite

 

[John Dean]

Rekall is to be released under the GPL

 

[John Dean]

If the programmers aren't getting paid, the
correct pro-consumer sentiment is to call for the software to be
released for free.

And it will be, you can be certain of that.

 

[John Dean]

Let me clarify a small point. TKC have refused to withdraw Rekall from sale.
Rekall V2.1.0 the latest version is not available from TKC. Disgruntled as I
am I wish TKC the all the very best regarding sales of all their other
products, but we owe to ur user base to inform them that the latest version
and all subseqent version of Rekall will not be available from TKC

 

[John Dean]

Nice sales and markets pitch but not exactly true if you compare that with
this email snippet dated 18.8.03

John I told that we are flat broke

7.8.03

I meant to talk to you yesterday. There is like $50 in the account right
now. last month was our worst sales month in over a year

22.8.03

I'll answer all the various emails at once. This has been a pretty
terrible summer for sales thus far, June and July were some of our worst
months in almost 2 years

And there are lots more of the same. They make interesting reading,
especially in the context of the what is said onn the TKC web site

 

[GrayGeek]

Here are some facts which I can back up with copies of email sent to the
team by Shawn Gordon

1. I worked for TKC for a little over 2 years
2. The first 2 months I recieved not a single cent in payment
3. The 3 month I was paid the equivalent of one weeks pay
4. I never once in two received a full months money
5. In June we were all told to find alternative employment until TKC gets
back in it feet again
6. My last pay month was May 2003

Both Mike and I are willing to write off TKC debt if Shawn agrees to allow
us to release Rekall under the GPL.

Are there other, licensed technologies combined with ReKall, such as
database drivers, etc., which would cripple a GPL version of ReKall?

 

[John Dean]

Are there other, licensed technologies combined with ReKall, such as
database drivers, etc., which would cripple a GPL version of ReKall?

I would say not. We include drivers for MySQL, PostgreSQL and xBase. We do
have drivers for DB2, Oracle, Informix, Sybase, and ODBC, but I suppose they
would have to be sold as commercial plugins, much as we don't want to

 

[Paul Rubin]

I would say not. We include drivers for MySQL, PostgreSQL and xBase. We do
have drivers for DB2, Oracle, Informix, Sybase, and ODBC, but I suppose they
would have to be sold as commercial plugins, much as we don't want to

I'd say screw it. Just ship with what you have and don't worry about the other
stuff. It will get taken care of, like it did for the Perl DBI package.

 

[GrayGeek]

I'd say screw it. Just ship with what you have and don't worry about the
other
stuff. It will get taken care of, like it did for the Perl DBI package.

I don't know. I'd love to convert totally to Python (I am using
Boa-Constructor) but right now I am having a hard time finding an Oracle 9i
driver that works. Neither cx_Oracle for Python 2.2 or the one for 2.3
work. They fail on the import statement. I don't want to use jpython's
driver.

 

[John Dean]

I meant to reply to you privately but.
Anyway I take your point and I guess that is what we will do

BTW Didn't we meet once at a Perl User Group meeting when I was still
working for MySQL? Monty and David were giving a talk if I remember

 

[John Dean]

Dima
You know as well as I know that you did not spend 3 years doing a re-write,
3 months may be. You were only assigned to the project because of all the
complaints that were coming in

 

[Paul Rubin]

I meant to reply to you privately but.
Anyway I take your point and I guess that is what we will do

BTW Didn't we meet once at a Perl User Group meeting when I was still
working for MySQL? Monty and David were giving a talk if I remember

I'm not sure who you're replying to. If you mean me, I don't think
we've ever met. I've never been to a Perl User Group meeting.

 

[Paul Rubin]

I don't know. I'd love to convert totally to Python (I am using
Boa-Constructor) but right now I am having a hard time finding an Oracle 9i
driver that works. Neither cx_Oracle for Python 2.2 or the one for 2.3
work. They fail on the import statement. I don't want to use jpython's
driver.

Maybe you can use MxDB or whatever it's called, if you want to
use something non-free (e.g. if you were willing to use TKC Rekall
in the first place, and since you're using Oracle anyway).

I think it's a ridiculous deficiency in Python that it doesn't come
with database drivers in its standard library. Maybe someone can port
over the ones from PHP or Perl DBI. I'd be willing to do that if
funding and access to a development box with the relevant databases is
available.