Update: The new owners have released everything on Github. It's in the community's hands now, and current licensees don't need to worry about being stuck with encrypted code that is unmaintainable.
Several years ago, during my undergraduate studies, I founded Electric Function, Inc. I, together with a few developers who a hired at various stages, developed several web applications including Hero, Membrr, EE Donations, and OpenGateway. I worked on this company full-time for a year after graduating, before deciding that I wanted to pursue a PhD in cognitive psychology studying child language acquisition and conceptual development.
So, in my first year of my new program, I put Electric Function on the market and vetted potential buyers. One company in particular stood out as being one that could continue to grow this company and support my clients who I have supported along with my first developer, Lonnie, for several years. It was a very difficult decision but I eventually accepted their offer and "walked away" from Electric Function, which I thought was in good hands.
Well, fairly quickly, two things became clear. First, the company was not in good hands. The developers who had seemed so competent before now appeared completely inept as programmers and even worse as software designers. Second, and for this reason, it became clear that I wasn't going to be able to walk away at all.
After volunteering as a consultant on several problems that arose for quite some time, I finally offered to take on a more prominent role in strategizing some long-term solutions in return for a small stake in the company. This offer was accepted. (Although, at this point, I have seen one dividend cheque and I don't anticipate any more in the future.)
The situation with the new Electric Function has also gone from bad to worse. I believe the products themselves are still great (I use Hero all the time, and the majority of Membrr people download it and never look back) but, there are simply no support or development resources to grow the company. Moreover, the new owner -- who, himself, has essentially no relevant technological skills -- is now completely radio silent. The only other support person, Lonnie, has since moved on with his life and his freelancing. So, at present, I am volunteering my time to maintain all of the software and deal with support and sales requests. This means that my response time is slow, and my responses often inadequate, especially in comparison to the support I used to offer when I owned the company.
I am writing this post today for a few reasons:
First, I want to clarify my current relationship with Electric Function. It saddens me greatly to see this company and its software slowly fall into ruin, and so I can't just sit back and watch. I want to help the people who bought it for the good reputation that it acquired under my guidance.
Second, I want to explain why the support situation has been the way it is. Many support requests are followed by (rightfully) angry comments about the response times. Sometimes, I have time to give a mini explanation about why it is slow but, often, I just cringe and ignore it because I have to get through a queue of requests and it's already 1am, or I only have moments between meetings, classes, etc.
Third, I want to make myself available independently from Electric Function for people who have committed themselves to using Membrr and OpenGateway. I now run a new, smaller company, Zoo North, and I welcome emails from people who need consultation.
I hope this has clarified my situation, and the status of Electric Function. I am trying my best to work with the new owner on a better, longterm solution, and will keep everyone posted in the future.