Good morning to all
@dave r said:
So Simon, I wonder if you would be willing to do your job without pay. You ask that of the SketchUp team. You must be willing to do the same.
Dear Dave, 
What I mean is that SketchUp software need greatly first to "reduce the wide gap" between itself and the leading business solutions.Somehow it is also true that the SketchUp development process must "regain our faith".
Anyway SketchUp Pro is currently a paid solution and therefore represents already seems to me a source of income that allowed the team to be paid for his work
@mike lucey said:
Simon, I understand where you are coming from but the point you raise that the SU Team would use and cash in on others work might happen in 'widening the gap'. I very much doubt this would occur.
John Bacus, from my memory, mentioned at 3DBC that if they saw plugins that they thought should be brought into SU they would be willing to do business with the developers. This might not be exactly what he said but I think its the gist of what was intended.
Dear Mike,
How many essential tools perfectly designed should be implemented in SketchUp, often in replacement of existing tools? 15, .., 25? I can't imagine that Trimble will pay for such a large amount of ultra talented code which is actually "given for nothing", nor they will waste their time to "reinvent" the same tools! ...It is therefore predictable that it is with these free stuff that Trimble will make runing an expensive paid version.
On the other hand, the idea to develop specific paid modules seems however, quite acceptable. And this is something that is already developed nicely by many third parties
@mike lucey said:
Whatever way one cuts it, Sketchup has always appreciated its community of users and has maintained contact and ongoing collaboration. I very much doubt ACad users are on a first name basis with the developers and that the developers enter the 'lion's den' on occasion to be inflicted some bites and bruses 
I agree with you on that essential point. The close collaboration between development team and the community of users is a main richness of SketchUp. This is why (imo) it is essential for Trimble to be finely careful to keep this alive.
@gaieus said:
@bob james said:
One mode of advancement would be to do nothing to the free version and put all of the advancements into the pro version with specialty modules (rather than whole versions) that can be purchased separately.
@mike lucey said:
...John Bacus, from my memory, mentioned at 3DBC that if they saw plugins that they thought should be brought into SU they would be willing to do business with the developers. This might not be exactly what he said but I think its the gist of what was intended...
And they did that already for the stl exporter in the latest maintenance release (used ideas from two 3rd party plugins - one was that of Jim actually)
Dear Gaieus,
I like your dispassionate synthesis.
I'm confident that SketchUp team and John Bacus in the first place under the Google coverage before that of Trimble right now has always worked in a good spirit. And they have done and actually do what they can with what they are given.
I hope the best for the futur of SketchUp,
I would like to still have my place as a passionate hobbyist in that futur...
with my sympathy,
Simon
)
. So that you are the best positioned to help yourself by yourself.
)
