As a refugee of the venture-backed start up game, I agree with Jeff's conclusion.
In my previous executive capacities within high-tech Marketing and Product Management, I've seen CEO's that founded the company forced out because they are flat out tired from getting money raised they have nothing left in them to get the job done. It's disapponting to see Shaun Walker make a declaration about the Road Map and then back track on it in the same post that mistakes/timelines will occur. It's like saying: " I'll promise you this deliverable, but I will most likely not deliver because we're having to deal with many things all at once." If I were apart of the DotNetNuke management team, I would first get everyone on the same page and stop the mixed messaging or just fire people on the spot for being inconsiderate to the masses that are passionate DNN supporters.
"Promise less, deliver more."
Here we see "Promise more, deliver less or nothing at all." For all of the "good" stuff that's been done, there are team members that are too loose with their words which in turns increasingly devalues everything that's good through personal attacks, complaints, and unkept promises. There is a lot of credit to be given for their awesome work over the years with DNN. I remember Shaun's first post at asp.net with the original version and thought he was just simply brilliant. I've watched and read Nina's postings and work. She's awesome. And of course Alex, Sebastian, John, Mitchell, Scott McCulloch/Ventrian, etc. These are quality folks that should be elevated to paid staff at DotNetNuke corporation or at least given stock options to reward them for their outstanding contributions. But they won't be for whatever reason and probably will become marginalized as the VC's strong arm their way into the company and neuter Shaun.
It's predictable (and speculative) that the VC investment is a cover to get DNN funcitoning into a successful business model and then flip it to Microsoft for a nice profit in much the same way PlaceWare was finally flipped to Microsoft as their web conferencing platform (Live), even though it was a loss to the long-term/early VC's invested in that company. Clearly there's an exit strategy in play here or the money would not have been invested in the first place. The VC's time horizon for companies like DNN are about 3 years. If you're watching the Facebook drama with the departing CFO, then you can see VC's exercising their exit strategy plan now. We will see something like this in a couple of years unless someone is thinking long-term and will make DNN a functioning stand-a-lone profitable company where the VC's exit with a nice profit.
I read the new DNN Corp CEO's comments/postings/blog and know of his background. Most CEO's at this stage would be working the public facing image much better than he's doing right now. Regular fast follow up postings/communications is key to forging momentum. Yes, DNN has outgrown the organic volunteer project community. There's a chasm to cross and to whomever is in charge of Marketing/PR for DNN now needs to be given the authority to state the rules of engagement and insist on consistency of delivery since its apparent there is confusion as to what to say and when. Anyone that communicates to the public about DNN's status needs to be reminded that anything said will probably be replayed in other venues. Every posting where Jim Brinkman defends everyone and Shaun promises something or Charles Nurse becomes defensive, it sends a potentially negative message to the community where every morsel relayed is analyzed and different interpretations can result.
"The customer is always right." Even when someone like "brian" disagrees or challenges someone at DNN and appears unreasonable, the fact is it's his perspective and it demands our respect. "Diversity of opinion" makes a community stronger. It's when it gets personal or it has hidden agendas or promises made not kept or a combination thereof that the credibility equity gap widens between the community and the DNN Team.
I am a heavy user of DNN and enthusiastiically promote it to everyone in my networking world. DNN, to me, is simply the best .Net application to showcase Microsoft's homerun in its Internet strategy. Much of the angst expressed in this thread (and others) is justified and the new CEO of DNN and Shaun ought to seize this opportunity to make sure their Marketing/PR/Product Management messaging and delivery builds the credibility equity account.
Finally, I think it's time that someone with the track record of helping fledging high-tech companies, like Regis McKenna's consulting group (Silicon Valley), come in and give these folks religion. If there is a consulting group in there right now, they are doing an iffy job.