This is very true. tens of thousands of people have a interest in keeping DNN alive. There is safety in numbers.

Plus the DNN COrp is really going for Stability. This is in the best interests for the Community.

OK Charles now we know. Hope this will be forever.

But I am still most worried about the referens site :)

Whoa, cowboy!  We're with you.

I actually wrote a blog some time back that referenced exactly this phenomena (http://www.dotnetnuke.com/Community/Blogs/tabid/825/EntryId/1458/CS2007-An-Open-Source-Requiem-Read-your-license.aspx) and took a pretty hard line on it.  Nothing about our philosophy has changed.  Nothing has become more closed, in fact, quite the opposite is occurring.  Allow me to offer a couple of things to consider.

• An open system has more participants than a closed one.  More participants is better for us in every sense... more extension vendors (modules, providers, skins, etc), more hosting options, more system integrators, more users, more proponents, etc.  The more opportunity there is for participation in a thriving community, the more of that is also available to us.  So keeping this system open and continuing to grow it in every dimension is essential to our strategy.
   
• There will always be users for whom Profession Edition is not necessary (my family website will never run on Professional Edition).  However, there are also a lot of users whom will be able to benefit greatly as their use grows into a need for it.  Similarly, there are many SMB and Enterprise class users out  there for whom it is an absolute necessity.  But in either case, our ecosystem is built largely on platform extensions which means it (the ecosystem, vendors and contributors) benefits by having as many users of the platform as possible (both Community and Professional editions).
   
• The platform for Community Edition & Professional Edition is the same.  The way people use DotNetNuke and the specific value they derive from it is usually based on extensions.  As long as the platform can be extended it has infinite potential, in either edition.
   
• Use attracts more use.  More substantial extensions attract more substantial users / customers to the platform, which in turn attracts more contributors, vendors and general interest.
   
• DotNetNuke Corporation is uniquely positioned to take the lead in building platform capability and features that SMB and Enterprise customers demand.  Features are usually built as extensions (modules, providers, etc)  which rely on capability in the platform.  So features built into a Professional Edition will have to be based on capability accessible to both.  Upgrading from Community Edition to Professional Edition should be easy.
   
• DotNetNuke Corporation will spend more effort than ever ensuring robustness in the platform.  I will also spend more effort than ever in cultivating the open-source community, open-source project team and open-source ideals which are at it's very roots.

If the BSD license in Community Edition ever changes... then there would be something to be concerned about.  I'll be the first in line with you to start raising the red flag.  But as long as DNN Corp is out there putting paid resources to work backing the open-source community, building & testing capability that require an organization to justify the expense of, making a platform even MORE extensible (5.0 is a huge step), and distributing under a BSD license...

We have a day to CELEBRATE!  Not mourn...

Cheers!

Scott Willhite, Co-Founder DNN