I’m sure some people can use it for free, but I am also sure that only a selected group really knows what is going on in the code.

It’s just that I was reading from press releases like this, that ChemSpider should be happy that they may be using the software the way the want. And that sounds like the vendor is dictating what you may and may not do even after ChemSpider purchased the software. Seriously, license from chemoinfo industries can be really restrictive.

I was actually a bit sarcastic about that situation, as I find it an absurd situation: to be have to annouce that you bought a product (well, *I* blogged about having a Wii too . Nothing about OpenEye, really; they have done amazing things, *and* even contributed to Open Source!

My apologies for not being more clear in my previous comment.

By the way, the reason that the functionality started to fail that you are interested in (batch deposition) was due to the fact that the OpenEye trial license expired on that day. I was testing the deposition system last night with a number of other people and can say it is ready to go for EVERYONE (single and batch structure deposition) as soon as we get the new license key from OE..probably today.

Yes I think it is amazing that companies of this caliber are willing to provide their tools at no cost to systems like ChemSpider. There have been a lot of attacks over the months on commercial companies, publishers etc and my position is that without a capitalistic society our western world would likely collapse. Companies like ChemAxon, OpenEye, ACD/Labs, SimBioSys (companies I know personally) do give a LOT of software, support, donations etc to academia and not for profits every year and are rarely acknowledged for their efforts. Probably Cambridgesoft, Accelrys, Symyx/MDL and so on do too. It is common for these companies to be treated with disdain for being in business. Not fair I say. The people in these companies work harder than most people I know, with the intention of paying their bills and taking care of their families just like the rest of us. It is their chosen career so why should they be beaten up for it? Many of our colleagues interested in the more Open aspect of the world coexist will a balance of openness and commercialism or support of commercial entities. Joerg Wegner has been vocal on this and suggested OpenEye as a partner for us. Rich Apodaca now has his own company, Metamolecular.

The divisiveness in the chemistry software community between Open and Commercial needs to be managed and navigated but certainly standing on separate sides of the river is not helping to build community.

I am happy to acknowledge that more and more companies are stepping up to help ChemSpider. Meanwhile, some of the advocates of Openness have remained judgmental of our efforts. It’s an interesting time.