FSS Sold to illumineX
Posted July 12th, 2005 @ 08:29am by Erik J. Barzeski
For those who haven't figured it out by now, I've sold Freshly Squeezed Software to Don Yacktman and Gary Longsine of illumineX. The sale actually occurred two months ago, but this week the domain names (and thus the web site and email) will be moved, completing the transition.
I cannot comment thoroughly on their plans for the company or its products, but last I heard they were planning to keep all of the products actively updated. PulpFiction 1.2.2 has been ready for quite some time, so I hope to see its release soon. The FSS "brand" should continue to exist - illumineX will also continue as a games company (Rock Star may move over to illumineX) - and that makes me happy.
Don and Gary know their stuff, and they've been writing Cocoa applications for a looooooong time. Since, y'know, before it was called Cocoa. I'm confident that FSS will continue to thrive under Don and Gary's leadership and skill.
I'll still be involved with software and web development on the Mac. I can't say what I've been working on in the past two months or in the coming months, but it involves things near and dear to my heart. I still have some consulting gigs floating around, and I'm loosely involved in a few projects that will show a product by the end of the year.
Please note that comments here will be tightly monitored. There's no need for congratulations, unless you wish to congratulate Don and Gary on getting such a great deal (they did!). There's also no need for smart-aleck remarks, comments about other software, etc.
To answer a few questions before they are asked, I sold FSS because the company was in good health and selling products well. Additionally, the long hours (support requests at 11:30pm, Andy living in Austria and Brad in Arizona, etc.) aren't conducive to family life.
Donate Life
Posted 12 Jul 2005 at 5:55pm #
Squeezed For News
illumineX has bought Freshly Squeezed Software
...
Posted 12 Jul 2005 at 6:49pm #
It's good to see someone selling a business when, and because, it's healthy. Too often people are inclined to sell a 'hot potato' (dying business) to some unsuspecting buyer. I don't know you personally, or Don and Gary, but it sounds like you have a good working relationship with them. These are the best kind of business deals - with people you respect and trust.
It's also great to see you putting family as a priority. That's a rather rare quality in today's ambitious (self oriented) world.
All the best for your future 'gigs'.
Posted 12 Jul 2005 at 8:36pm #
I learned Cocoa programming from a book Don Yacktman wrote and he is certainly an experience developer. I'm excited to see what they will do with Freshly Squeezed because it's already a great company. Good luck with your real life things Erik, and I'll be interested in seeing future projects you're working on to.
Posted 13 Jul 2005 at 2:07am #
How did you go about finding a buyer for your business? Did you contact them or did they contact you?
Posted 14 Jul 2005 at 3:05pm #
You know...
That explains why you switched the site from its heavy orange look.
Posted 14 Jul 2005 at 3:13pm #
Yes, Alex, you're exactly right. I switched the site at the time FSS was sold. Even if it took a good two months to be able to announce it. 🙂
Posted 14 Jul 2005 at 6:56pm #
I seem to recall at the time thinking it was kind of interesting how the feel of the site had changed from having a very FSS feel to it (ok, so that feel meant the "orange"), and thinking if something was happening.
I'll be interested to see how FSS progresses.
Posted 15 Jul 2005 at 9:39pm #
It's great if this is just for the better, I mean for you and your products.
Never related the design switch and the selling of FSS (mostly because I read your blog on RSS), but if we really have to say goodbye to the big orange, make sure you really keep it away from us. You could also give IllumineX a hand on their corporate design, since it's not very good, and FSS' was great.
Best of luck with your upcoming projects.
Posted 15 Jul 2005 at 10:09pm #
@Radu: The old NSLog(); design with the orange in it can be expected to resurface on a new FSS development blog. It's not gone for good by any means.
I never thought the illumineX design was terrible, but I never was a fan of the colored "glass" vertical bars that seperate content areas. Regardless, the illumineX site is long overdue for a redesign and we started working on ideas months ago, but nothing's ready yet.
I don't know if the final version will take anything from the FSS design or not, however. But if you check out intrinsic*security, which is yet another facet of illumineX, you'll notice that we aren't above borrowing ideas from the FSS design, either.
Posted 16 Jul 2005 at 8:40am #
I'll be interested to see your upcoming projects. Visit me at the link mentioned.
Posted 16 Jul 2005 at 11:06am #
I'm curious. What are your plans for the future?
Posted 31 Aug 2005 at 7:58pm #
Despite the fact that it's no longer my company, I feel compelled to tell you that Freshly Squeezed Software has released (finally) the 1.2.2 update to PulpFiction. The 1.2.2 release fixes several things:fixed incorrect folder countsfixed the negative ...
Posted 16 Jul 2007 at 4:08pm #
I can't blame you for selling your company, congratulations. I must say however I am disappointed to see FTPeel and Rock Star, both of which I bought a license for, disappear off the face of the earth.
Rock Star is mentioned on the (chaotic and ugly) illuminex site, but the link is dead. FTPeel, well...gone. In fact I don't remember seeing ANY update since I bought it in 2004, though it had its fair share of bugs (and so still has).
You know, people (like me) buy products from small independent developers (like you) also to support small independent developers (like you) and their clever innovations. But we also actually use the stuff in everyday business life and feel a bit ripped off this way, because we hope you commit to your products. Why not simply release a product into the open source space when it no longer interests you? I now rely on a product which nobody owns, supports or develops. That sucks.
Posted 16 Jul 2007 at 4:30pm #
[quote comment="42328"]I can't blame you for selling your company, congratulations. I must say however I am disappointed to see FTPeel and Rock Star, both of which I bought a license for, disappear off the face of the earth.[/quote]
I believed Don Yacktman to be capable and willing to continue to develop FSS products. I'm sorry you're disappointed, but I don't feel responsible for that disappointment.
[quote comment="42328"]In fact I don't remember seeing ANY update since I bought it in 2004, though it had its fair share of bugs (and so still has).[/quote]
Nor am I aware of any. Don actually had/has updates to MailDrop, PulpFiction, an early alpha for Rock Star 2.0, and a few other updates in code. He never even saw fit to do even the minimal work necessary to release them.
More on Don Yacktman's failure/laziness/whatever can be found here if it interests you.
[quote comment="42328"]Why not simply release a product into the open source space when it no longer interests you?[/quote]
That strikes me as an awfully simple way of looking at things with a few substantial problems.
First of all, open source projects rarely benefit the users. We believe Don cared about the products he bought and would take care of them. Very few open source projects have caring maintainers or regularly release products that real people use. Adium and Firefox are exceptions, but there aren't many others.
Second of all, why should I give something away when I (and others) worked hard for years to create it and when I can make further profit? Had I known Don would fail to do anything at all, I still wouldn't have given it away to the open source community: I'd have probably slashed prices and sold everything as unsupported. FSS was a business, after all, and I was buying a home for my family.
Finally, I'd release the code now, but I don't own it. Don does.
Posted 24 Feb 2008 at 6:30pm #
I also purchased FTPeel. Great software! If you have any influence... I would like an update to run on OS 10.5.2!
Posted 31 Oct 2009 at 9:17am #
Hi - I'm fron Scotland and I bought a license when in a hotel in LA en-route to New Zealand to upload trip photos for family back home.
I raved about the product to folks on the old Think Secret board and then used it for some other web stuff.
Here I am in 2009 and I've been using Cyberduck for a year or so and it's gone lame on Snow Leopard (for the moment) just like FTPeel did a few OS upgrades ago.
This is irrational - but I miss the software!!!
Posted 26 Dec 2010 at 9:41am #
Hi Erik,
This is probably a longshot, but years ago (Feb. 15, 2004) I purchased and enjoyed rockstar but since then I have upgraded my laptop numerous times and somewhere in the mix the software didn't make it over. Do you know where I can get a copy of it or a comparable solution. I used it in my class room as a way to keep my students engaged.
Thanks for the help.