Open Community Letter to Borland Management가 작성되고 있습니다.
하루가 다르게 계속 버전이 올라가는군요.

정황을 잘 모르시는 분들을 위해 이런게 왜 만들어지고 있는지 잠깐 정리하자면...
오래전부터 볼랜드의 C++ Builder개발자들은 C++ Builder의 차기버전 개발을 원하고 있나봅니다.
문제는 경영진에서 '경영'상의 판단으로 C++ Builder X를 밀고 있죠.. 이번 BorCon 2004에서 이런 소문+추측은 기정사실로 드러났습니다. 어쨌건 볼랜드 경영진들은 기존 C++ Builder 사용자들의 눈치를 살피며 C++ Builder의 차기 버전을 개발할 것인지 확정하는 것을 차일피일 미뤄오고 있고 BorCon에서 알려진 바에 의하면 올 해 12월15일 이전에 결정을 내린다고 합니다.

이러한 상황에서 기존의 Open Letter to C++ Community가 아닌 반대로 Open Community Letter to Borland Management 가 만들어지고 있습니다. 일종의 서명운동이라고 보시면 될겁니다.
아직 내용이 확정되진 않았고 계속해서 Draft버전이 올라가고 있습니다. 적당히 때가 되면 번역을 하든가(-_-;;;;) 해야겠지만 일단 내용이 계속 변경되고 있는 만큼... 링크와 내용 전문을 올립니다.

주소: http://www.simventions.com/gustavson/
전문:

Open Community Letter to Borland Management (Draft 1.5)
It's hard to be all things to all people, but I've made an initial scratch on the open letter from the development community. Feel free to provide appropriate feedback.

To: The Borland Management Team
From: Community of Developers Using Borland C++ Builder
Subject: C++Builder – Mission Critical to the Development Community... Imperative to Borland’s Future C++ Market Share

Among software developers and those that they support, there is overwhelming consensus that Borland Software Corporation should continue development, maintenance and updates of its Rapid Application Development (RAD) focused C++Builder product line. This letter outlines the key issues as to why C++Builder is a Mission Critical application for developers, and, ultimately, the customers whom developers support. This letter also outlines why it is imperative that Borland rechannel its direction and resources into updating and delivering this mission critical product. Underlying to the statements made in this letter is the essential business case and rationale for Borland to recommit to the C++Builder product line.

The development, maintenance and distribution of the C++Builder product line, which was focused on RAD development for the Microsoft platform, must be restored. Take into account the vast and significant number of developers and their customers who rely on products that have been built using the C++Builder product line.

These customers*, who use and rely upon C++Builder built software include:

- U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)


Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC)
Naval Air Systems Command
U.S. Army Research and Development Engineering Command (RDECOM)
U.S. Marine Corp System Command (MARCORSYSCOM)
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

U.S. Coast Guard
- Major Players in the Space Industry

the European Space Agency,
Astrium,
Alenia Spazio,
Alcatel,
SAAB Space.
NASA/JPL,
Lockheed Martin
- Crime Control / Criminal Investigation / Forensic Sciences

Many UK police forces
Several UK and US government security agencies
A number of customs units in Europe.
- your customer/client goes here

Borland’s lack of communication and commitment among the C++ development community over the course of the past two years has and continues to adversely influence decisions being made by these and other organizations, individuals and associated stakeholders. As a result, alternative tools, languages and vendors products are receiving greater consideration for future product development. Unfortunately, the “investment” made by those customers who either purchase software that was built using C++Builder technology (such as the VCL) or bring on board contractors or consultants who use C++Builder to accomplish their service tasks is grimly being seen as a “loss” due to Borland’s lack of commitment to their product and lack of communication to the large following of developers who use Borland products for C++ development.

For those organizations choosing alternative options, skilled developers using Borland’s C++Builder product line will require to be retrained and re-skilled for other development environments and languages.

Legacy or “long lived assets” that have historically continued to be budgeted for maintenance support and extensions, are now considered to be in jeopardy of future funding. Many of these legacy or long live software assets can be considered mission critical applications.

For example, the U.S. Navy relies on software built using C++Builder for integrating critical system assets, supporting real-time and after action analysis of combat system capabilities, and providing front-end man-to-machine interfaces for military personnel onboard modern U.S. Navy surface and subsurface vessels.

As another example, today’s modern marine relies on Forward Observer Forward Air Control (FO/FAC) devices with critical software elements some of which was built using C++Builder, which are hosted on ruggedized, yet mobile Windows based platforms. In all of these DoD examples, these specific applications must be maintained and updated to effectively equip the warfighter.

Other mission critical applications developed for major players in the space industry using BCB include the following:

the infrastructure for probing the Rosetta comet, which needs to stay operational until 2014-2015.
a telemetry/image processor for the Japanese ALOS satellite, which is the first system in the processing chain for all ground stations in the African/European zone.
a Power Front-End system that, if subject to anomaly, could cripple or destroy a $1 Billion satellite hardware construction project.
Borland C++ Builder is also used to develop and maintain one of the world's leading computer forensics packages. This software is used by various government agencies in several countries and has been instrumental in the successful conclusion of a number of high profilelegal cases including the Gary Glitter and Dame Shirley Porter prosecutions in the UK. It has also been used by several large companies to protect intellectual property rights and track down sources of internalcomputer abuse.

There are many other examples, too numerous to name, where there is critical reliance on software built using the C++Builder and the VCL framework. Furthermore, for these customers who demand high performance and reliable applications, only a standard-based language such as C++ can be uniformly considered. This eliminates other languages and environments such as Delphi, and, in some cases, even Java, which has not yet been standardized despite its popularity. Furthermore, Java is often withdrawn from consideration due to performance issues often related to the Java Virtual Machine (VM) that must run as middleware between the OS and application. Performance is often a key attribute of mission critical applications. This is an attribute in which C++ has often been able to support.

We find that there is a not so subtle irony to this predicament that developers and their customers are now in. Much like the two-way capabilities provided between a designer and code editor within a RAD IDE like Borland C++Builder, there is also a corollary impact to the developer based on what Borland’s decision will be with the future direction of C++Builder. Consider the fact that many of the customer/sponsors and users of a software developer’s program creating using C++Builder rely and expect that software to be able to be maintained and updated, especially mission critical software. Likewise, the developers who are using C++Builder to build and maintain these products rely on the C++Builder software development environment to be maintained and updated. The ability for software developers to continue to support customer/sponsors and users with the product who expect updates and continued software maintenance is directly influenced by the availability of the language, framework and tool for which they use to build the software. If Borland doesn’t deliver, than the developer is at risk at delivering as well.

We, the development community and those that we support through our software products and services, find that it is imperative that Borland continue the development and updates of the C++Builder product line. And, based on the decisions that we and our customers need to make highlighted in this letter, time is of the essence. We have made it clear that the product in itself is mission critical for developers to continue to support their customers, sponsors and breadth of users. And, furthermore it should be noted that there is an untapped world of yet to be developed applications that could still yet be developed using C++Builder as a mission critical application development environment.

We close with a reminder of statements made by Borland’s CEO Dale Fuller, which he shared at the recent Borland Developer’s Conference (BorCon) in San Jose, California. In his keynote and through out the week he emphasized that since its infancy, Borland has and will continue to “never abandon the developers”. He added, the “past is really our future.” We hope that this is true, for there is not greater time such as this for Borland to live by these words.

We look forward to hearing a favorable decision on or before December 15th, 2004.

Thank you.

Very Respectfully,

Paul Gustavson -
Acting spokesman for the C++Builder development community

NOTE: [To be] attached are a list of signatures from developers, sponsors, users and other stakeholders who share the thoughts and opinions that have been expressed in this letter.

* The identification of any company, organization and/or agency in this letter, hereon referred to as an entity, that sponsors or uses software thatmay been developed using C++Builder either in part and or in whole SHALL NOT be misconstrued as an endorsement by that entity of any single product nor used in a court law for settling contractual disputes or any other legal issues with the said entity. Merely the recognition of the application of aproduct, namely C++Builder was used to either build or maintain critical software or software elements for the said entity, and, therefore, that is why they are identified.

It should be noted that a significant number of companies, organizations and agencies preferred to not be identified in this open letter, and,therefore, their wishes were abided. However, where appropriate, a generaldescription of the type of entity that sponsored or used software built using C++Builder was identified as an alternative.