[Zope] FYI: Zope Roadmap for next two months

[Robert O'Connor]

Paul wrote a roadmap back on January 18th for Zope
and it would be great to again have a New Roadmap:

> ...Howdy all.  I've attached below a quick snapshot of things happening
for
> Digital Creations and Zope.  The roadmap finally allows me to answer
> some of the questions coming up here in the Zope community....

5 months have elapsed since then.  Some items for discussion
and elaboration:

* What products are free (open source)?

* What products are commercial and what do they cost?

* When will they be released?

*** Examples: Zope2, Portal Toolkit, ZTables, Confera,
     Collector, Tabula and replication...

* Updated example ZOPE sites or "case studies"
  particularly with Zope2 using the Portal Toolkit,
  ZODB3, full text site searches (Zope native --
  not HTdig), and the Zope.org site itself!

  Also: Case study sites using the many contributed
  products:   XML, NotMail, SquishDot, WebDav...

* Can ZOPE be used as the complete web solution?  What
  about e-commerce?  Have people set up e-commerce
  stand alone or with other back end 'banks'?   Examples?

* What are the Plans to continue to promote ZOPE ?
  You wrote in early April:
  "We are working with a professional PR firm (read: expensive) to
  coordinate a branding overhaul and PR push.  We are positioning
  Zope as an application server focusing on community portals."
* What is the timeframe for this?

  IDEA - Zope.org site could be THE prime example for all it
  can do including e-commerce.  Have you considered selling
  hats, tee-shirts,  sweats, mouse pads,  coffee mugs... etc.
  with the ZOPE logo from the Zope.org site?

* How are you planning to encourage new Zope Hosting Providers?
  (currently only two official hosts).

* Digital Creations funding. You got your first infusion of cash in
December.
Are other funding rounds planned?  Is an IPO planned?  Are you
looking for other investors?

* Please share any other "Big Picture" perspectives for Zope.

Thank you.

-Bob OConnor bob@rocnet.com