Well, MoodleNews is reporting that: http://www.moodlenews.com/2015/in-wake-of-blackboard-acquisition-of-remote-learner-uk-remote-learner-us-is-no-longer-a-moodle-partner/
Just thought I would share that here. Seems surprising to me.
Surprising to me too Tim. I wonder where Bryan is in all this.
I wonder why the split between UK/North America.
Once again we see the benefit of reading MoodleNews to keep up with things.
-Derek
Yes, the non-interest is very loud. Compare with "Bb buys Remote-Learner (UK)" https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=312036.
In reply to Visvanath Ratnaweera
Re: Remote-Learner US no longer a Moodle partner?
by Derek Chirnside -
[OT] From my perspective, I think there has been quite a significant 'sea change' over the past few years.
At least one thing has remained constant: the quite remarkable coding and work behind the scenes. Just one random example that passed through my attention yesterday: MDL-50446: Main menu block throws javascript fatal error if there is a resource to be opened in a new window
I think as Moodle, as in all the various multifaceted activities has grown there is inevitable decline in agility and responsiveness. I'm sure if I googled I could find some management papers on this. The inevitable effects of growth.
As I have said elsewhere, I find it less easy to keep in touch with things. MoodleNews for instance was great in keeping up with Moodle Association activities, for instance here: http://www.moodlenews.com/2015/the-moodle-association-is-coming-to-help-you-drive-the-future-roadmap/ But no news for a while now.
My list of "waiting for" responses on Moodle.org has increased, with some requests for simple information over 20 months old. Some of the regular posters have moved on. It's still pretty good, and I appreciate everyone there. But there is a little increased sense in my mind of the need to survive in one's own patch: less activity on the forums from MP coders, more attention in fixing up our own versions of Moodle. And sometimes I am unsure in what direction MoodleHQ is actually going given the turbulent activity on the tracker at times, and other places where there is just no action and silence. I had a 'bump' post deleted recently (to my knowledge only the first time I have been erased) and not even a note to say that this had happened.
We all have email addresses for Michael, Helen, Mary, Martin etc. Once upon a time I would have emailed, but not so much in recent years. There is so much to do, so many decision to be made, that personally I've not wanted to be another 'voice' in their ear.
It probably all comes down to just the same old two things.
Getting back OT: As far as RL-US goes, this from Bryan: http://www.remote-learner.net/remote-learner-committed-to-moodles-future-development/ (From July 9th) My emphasis
"At the end of June, we made the decision to withdraw from the Moodle Partner Program. As many of you know, we were the founding Partner in the Program in 2004, so leaving the Program was not a decision that was made lightly. At Remote-Learner, we have always focused on learning. Our technical foundation is Moodle and the functions it provides. Moodle remains a great technology and our Product group will work to extend, improve and modernize the features and functions it delivers. And our decision was based on a desire to invest more directly in Moodle’s future development in some exciting new ways.
For example, we have teamed up with a number of other Moodle service providers to form a group dedicated to standardizing development guidelines and to provide certifications for Moodle plugins. This group will provide a further quality layer on top of third party plug-ins that will provide feature, functional and future support evaluations of plugins. We believe that this will enhance the overall usability and success of Moodle deployments. More details on this initiative will be coming within the next several days.
Another way in which we are committed to continued contribution to the Moodle project is by joining the recently announced Moodle Association. The Moodle Association provides an avenue for financing and participating in the future product roadmap. We look forward to joining the Moodle Association and to continuing our direct financial support of the Moodle project."
I think this comment about plugins is interesting, and potentially very good. Every time I see someone coming onto Moodle.org and asking about Moodle I feel like saying "Moodle core is will probably prove to be unusable, make sure you get an arrangement to enable plugin deployment" I hope this spills over to some of the MP installs.
So: it seems RL will take their investment no longer offered to MoodleHQ as a 10% and use it in other ways. Partly through the Association. 'Modernize'. 'Improve' . 'New and exciting ways'. Sounds good. Everybody at RL-US http://www.remote-learner.net/company/ I wish you well.
How about anyone who is in Minnessota tomorrow have a chat to Mike at their drinkies and wish them well from us all here. https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=317399 And while you are at it. see what else is planned.
-Derek
I am very much reading between the lines here (I don't have any inside knowledge).
I think that the focus for many MPs has ceased to be on 'core' Moodle. They are heavily investing in value added forks of Moodle to satisfy their clients needs (Elis, Totara, Iomad etc...) yet they are still buying into Moodle with their Partner royalties. I suspect that this may have created some tension. Some of these 'solutions' are now well known in their own right and I think it may simply be that companies are feeling that they can happily survive on their own.
I'm not sure, ultimately, where this leaves Moodle HQ and how future development will be steered by the Moodle Association. I am watching with interest...
Derek -
Thanks for your (always) informative and thoughtful response. I have been watching this thread, but stayed out since when I respond to topics about Remote-Learner, it seems to bring out the hyenas and trolls.
Answering the question about why we pulled out of the UK, I would direct you to our official post. Without going into details, it was strictly a business decision. We want to keep focused on activities that are very important to our business.
With respect to our decision to leave the Moodle Partner program, your post has hit the nail on the head. We place a lot of importance on Moodle and intend to help ensure that Moodle remains the top LMS in the world. Moodle is receiving a lot of pressure from other players, and we want to be in a position to help deal with that pressure. In order to do that, we need to have influence on Moodle’s roadmap and features, and help execute that roadmap.
We want to direct our resources (financial, technical and promotional) towards showing that Moodle is the modern solution, and then doing whatever work is needed to present that to our markets. As you noted, funding the Moodle Association will be one avenue. The POET group that we just recently helped create will be another. And our own business will be yet another.
We have not walked away from Moodle - far from it. And we do not want to create a fork of Moodle (to Howard’s point). Rather, we want to continue to engage with the community and be more active in Moodle’s developmental activities. We will continue to provide and support plugin development, core code support through bug fixes and performance improvements as well as contributing to new feature definition, design and development.
I welcome the discussion in person, and virtual. And, yes, if you are around the Minnesota Moot, please come find me. I am always glad to talk.
Mike
I need to respond to this kind of spin you're making here and elsewhere, Mike. I'm truly surprised to see this stuff coming from you.
You've thrown away a cake and now you're trying to eat it.
The reasons behind Remote Learner not being a partner are not about the roadmap or any other such nonsense. I can't publicly go into all the real reasons why RL left, but it's clear to anyone that by not being a partner Remote Learner is now contributing even less than it might have been before.
You are currently openly flouting Moodle's business model with clear trademark infringements all over the place, at the same time claiming contributions towards Moodle that are either completely false or way overblown. The Moodle Association is not even launched yet, and yet you're already trumpeting your membership of it - ignoring the fact that even if RL did join then it can not contribute any more than an average University can. This POET group (if it even really exists) is something that is not even required and is clearly an attempt to try and market yourself as some kind of official partner when you are not.
Our actual Moodle partners contribute a significant 10% of their income towards Moodle core maintenance and development. Remote Learner has decided to pay zero.
If users really want to support core Moodle they should always use a Moodle Partner. I do not recommend that users choose Remote Learner as a service provider.
I'm actually traveling at the moment, with some internet sometimes. So this is really just a placeholder post.
Contributing. Martin, you say: "I can't publicly go into all the real reasons why RL left, but it's clear to anyone that by not being a partner Remote Learner is now contributing even less than it might have been before"
I take it you mean "Contributing to MoodleHQ" in the core pool for funding for core developers to work in the core Moodle through MoodleHQ? I think it is possible to contribute to Moodle as a whole without being a partner.
Roadmap. Martin, I'm not sure if you have ever read my post from August last year about the roadmap. https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=265939 I'm probably in the minority here: the roadmap does matter to me, and even if Mike's point is not the only reason to depart from the MP programme, it is significant. I think it is a stroke of genius to put at least some $$ and time into plugins. It is happening with MP, HQ (eg the work to fix ATTO), independent developers (eg Generico) and local institutions.
I realise there i business confidentiality here, and probably the MP forums have run hot, but what uou say is surprising.
Association. "ignoring the fact that even if RL did join then it can not contribute any more than an average University can" Is this true? I've asked Samantha over here. https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=313217#p1273496 if this is true, this is a surprise to me. I saw the Association as a conduit of funds as well and in addition to membership fees.
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Again, I'll reiterate what I said above: At least one thing has remained constant: the quite remarkable coding and work behind the scenes.
eg, the final solution coming to the @#$%^ password autofilling problem. and I'll repeat what I see as an inevitable problem: growth. Leading to inevitable outcomes: poor communication. Differences of needs. Different views on the same problem.
Politics and money remain factors. Obviously I don't know all the ins and outs that have caused the rift between RL (USA) and you. But I'm inclined to wait a little for the outworking of this from the things that Mike has said, and trust Mike, in a diplomatic response. MoodleINC - ie the whole ecosystem - at present has a level of turmoil that is causing me personally a lot of time, some grief and wheelspinning. And money via our two wonderful providers, I have spent over 100 hours checking out Canvas for instance, and dabbled in iQualify. But the grass is not greener.
OK, times up.
-Derek
In London. Off real work for 10 week.
As I said, I've been travelling. back now, and just catching up here. There were probably too many words in my last post.
Contributions to Moodle: two thoughts
- From Martin , "I can't publicly go into all the real reasons why RL left, but it's clear to anyone that by not being a partner Remote Learner is now contributing even less than it might have been before"
It's not clear to me. It seems you can contribute to Moodle if you are not a Partner. As I said, it depends how you define "Moodle" If RL focuses on plugins and these become available to the world, then the contribution can be beneficial to coder payer (ie RL) and public (Moodle plugin users)
I also note the post in eLiterate last week. I could ask "Is Moodle bigger than MoodleHQ"? - I asked previously, with no response: "Can anyone give $$ to the Association, or is it JUST membership fees?" In other words for instance can a foundation (eg Ted and Flora Hewitt) donate a gift.
I note Martin's comment regarding RL "In any case they cannot actually even join the Moodle Association as commercial LMS service providers are not eligible" http://mfeldstein.com/interview-with-martin-dougiamas-on-changes-to-moodle-community-this-year/
I have now found the relevant line in the document:
"Organisations whose primary function is to provide commercial LMS services (such as hosting, consulting, training, development etc) may not be members of the Moodle Association"
I missed this. I can't see the rationale for this.
So I'm assuming no, you can only give membership fees.
I think I am approaching the end of my engagement in these issues around the future of Moodle and how the Moodle ecosystem is really working - or not.
They are important issues to me: can I have confidence in the Moodle ecosystem from here on out?? It's a little difficult to know at the moment.
-Derek