NeoGeo Talks Back on Blender

Ton Roosendaal of NeoGeo wrote in with some clarifications after all the hub bub that's been moving through here at Slashdot about Blender. The main point he makes is that Blender is freeware. Read on to read his comments.

Let's set things clear:

The 3D package Blender has been released as a 100% freeware program.

It's available for SGI now, and will be ported to FreeBSD and Linux within 1-2 months.

t's not 'crippled' in the usual sense. On the contrary, most users will find it an extremely useful program. The disabled options are merely interesting for professionals and companies, and make up our research and development of the last year.

Somehow - and we don't know yet - this project will have a commercial side. The reactions that we received greatly help us in finding a solution.

One possible scenario is to first publish the freeware version, set up a wide user base and gather market information. Six months later we can publish a 'Pro' package, with some nice features and extra tools for professionals, including a printed manual. We can do this for a very low price. Finally, as an ultimate step, we can publish the sources too.

Other scenarios basically vary in market position, price, and cross-platfom aspects. Yes or no to Microsoft? An SGI NT box? Publish sources immediately? These and other options are currently under consideration.

For news, examples, screenshots, rendered images and a brief manual check out our website regularly. Don't forget the NeoGeo and Enji sections. http://www.neogeo.nl

-Ton-