Campaign to make Nikon code open source

RocketNewYork

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I hope you join me in asking Nikon to make their software code open source. Capture NX can sometimes produce very good images but is far behind the competition on usability and integration. Releasing their source code into the public domain would encourage much needed innovation and experimentation.



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Campaign to make Nikon code open source


Dear Nikon,

I am a big fan of your cameras, lens and imaging equipment. Your gear has help capture some of the most dramatic, exciting images in many fields over the 80 years.
I look forward to using the new pro bodies (D800, D4?) when they are released.

I do however have to voice a complaint about your software. Capture NX (2.2.7) produces excellent results in terms of image quality, especially with regards to skin-tones and tonality. However the functionality and work flow are severely dysfunctional. Programmes like Photoshop & Lightroom are far superior in use for both the professional and amateur.

It is a shame to have to have to chose between image quality and usability. With this in mind I am asking for you to release the source code to your cameras, making it freely available in the public domain. It is my hope that through the talent, imagination and ingenuity of the public your code could be turned into something much better, even unexpected.

Photographers buy cameras to make images. The better the image, the happier we are. Make the process easy and you also have our loyalty.


Yours sincerely


Oliver


Rocket New York
212.300.3675
rocketnewyork.com

http://rocketnewyork.com/campaign-to...de-open-source
 
This is the hardware equivalent of you campaigning for free camera bodies. You're wasting your time.

Not really. Neither Canon nor Nikon are really software developers. While Canon may offer a free raw converter/image processor with each of their cameras, and Nikon has users pay for Capture NX (I believe), they would still save money in the short term by not having to develop additional software. I don't use Canon's EOS utility for the same reason, lack of usability.

There's a lot more open source code on the internet these days. If someone could design a usable interface and maybe support for plugins, Nikon (or Canon if they did the same thing) could develop cameras faster.
 
It would make more sense for Nikon to just make their Raw file .DNG, already an open source file type that some other camera makers have already adopted.

Additionally, I would re-write your letter so you aren't complaining, but so you are giving Nikon what appears to be positive feedback. (that's called spin control).

Also get rid of one "to have"
...It is a shame to have to have to chose between image quality
 
A) You're wasting your time
B) Re-write your letter so it's more positive, as KmH indicated. If I worked at Nikon and this letter landed on my desk, I would have thrown it away before I even finished reading it
C) You're wasting your time
 
You should be asking Nikon to support open formats like DNG, not asking them to make a piece of bloated junk open source.

Here's the thing about open source software. People will only join the effort to improve it if it isn't already a disaster. There isn't an open source program around that people have banded together to simplify the horridly bloated code. Every case which has improved speed of programs due to bloat has been due to a fork / re-write of a program. If Nikon were stupid enough to opensource Capture NX, not only would there be no support for the community, but likely the few developers who look into the code will bail as picking up a piece of software which was not intended for mass collaborative programming work is almost impossible to debug, and the only way you'll get developers to waste their time on it is to pay them.

Open source is not the panacea you think.
 
they would still save money in the short term by not having to develop additional software.

You're making the assumption that they lose money on Nx.

I'm not actually making that assumption at all. You apparently just failed to understand my post. Short term production costs of the software would be cut, meaning development, packaging, shipping, etc. I do assume they'd make that back AFTER the product was on shelves/been released.
 
As someone who works in the software development community... good luck.

There's a lot more involved... and a boat full of worms.

As Garbz stated, campaign should be asking Nikon to support DNG.
 
they would still save money in the short term by not having to develop additional software.

You're making the assumption that they lose money on Nx.

I'm not actually making that assumption at all. You apparently just failed to understand my post. Short term production costs of the software would be cut, meaning development, packaging, shipping, etc. I do assume they'd make that back AFTER the product was on shelves/been released.

Everything has 'short term production costs' until its sold.
That which results from the sale above costs is called 'profit' and if Nikon makes a profit (see definition) then there is no advantage to them in giving Nx away.

Also, Nikon is a publicly held company and giving away an income producing line makes the shareholders uneasy - even if it results in less than one cent in share dividend - because it is giving away intellectual property which is an asset that had been developed at some cost.
 
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You're making the assumption that they lose money on Nx.

I'm not actually making that assumption at all. You apparently just failed to understand my post. Short term production costs of the software would be cut, meaning development, packaging, shipping, etc. I do assume they'd make that back AFTER the product was on shelves/been released.

Everything has 'short term production costs' until its sold.
That which results from the sale above costs is called 'profit' and if Nikon makes a profit (see definition) then there is no advantage to them in giving Nx away.

Also, Nikon is a publicly held company and giving away an income producing line makes the shareholders uneasy - even if it results in less than one cent in share dividend - because it is giving away intellectual property which is an asset that had been developed at some cost.

The advantage for Nikon is that their computer software becomes USABLE (To be unbiased, Canon EOS Utility is just as bad), and Nikon can focus on doing things that relate to digital imaging, not software programming (which both Canon and Nikon fail at equally as much).

Maybe you enjoy paying for poorly designed software. I don't.

Sorry.
 
Maybe you enjoy paying for poorly designed software. I don't.

I try not to buy it.

But my likes and dislikes won't affect Nikon until it starts losing money on the product and then, if the product has potential, they will 'sell' this product to someone else and write off the capital loss.
 
The advantage for Nikon is that their computer software becomes USABLE

The disadvantage is that it becomes unsellable. Why pay for something when an identical product is available for free right? It's not like any home user runs Red Hat Enterprise Server, they run CEnt OS which is the exact same product only without a price tag.
 

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