Discussion on Product Namespaces

To address the confusion among users regarding GPL code and the copyrighted/EULA governed code by OpenVPN Technologies Inc, we must tackle several issues related to namespace, identity, and copyright.

This list is designed to pinpoint potential issues for further discussion to determine the best resolutions. Feel free to contribute additional ideas or concerns that are not mentioned here.

• Webpage Cross-Linking

  • The community landing page features multiple 'Download' links that lead to different actions:
    • The download link from the left index directs to GPL software.
    • The first download link under the "Download" hover-menu leads to "Access Server Downloads" without additional clarification (Note: this comes from Joomla).
    • The second download link in the "Download" hover-menu is "Community Downloads" -- the difference is unclear and unexplained to users.
    • Under the "Community" hover-menu, "downloads" link to GPL downloads.
  • The community landing page includes "VPN Service" and "VPN Solution" hover-menus (also from Joomla):
    • Several links to Licensing/Pricing appear here, which may confuse users into thinking this Service/Solution is part of the community offering.
    • Shifting from the prominent "Community" hover-menu-tab to one of these tabs does not strongly signal that the user is leaving the Community page, especially considering the transition from the main openvpn.net page buttons.

• Fixing the Website (Ideas/Solutions)

  • An initial discussion proposed creating a well-designed landing page as part of Trac's wiki:
    • This would circumvent Joomla's content layout limitations.
    • Cross-linking to AS/Connect URLs could be clearly explained where necessary.
    • The wiki could be community-editable, with possible restrictions to wiki admins if needed.

• Product Confusion

  • Several users struggle to differentiate between GPL OpenVPN, OpenVPN Connect, and OpenVPN Access Server:
    • The current layout of the community landing page does not alleviate this confusion.
    • New users face difficulties understanding the differences between:
      • (GPL) OpenVPN
      • OpenVPN Access Server
      • OpenVPN Connect
      • OpenVPN Client (an old/deprecated name for a former Connect product, less relevant once removed from downloads).
    • It should be made clearer that GPL OpenVPN can function both as a server and a client.

• Fixing the Product Confusion (Ideas/Solutions)

  • Ideas?

• Forum Confusion

  • The banner image on the forums displays "OpenVPN" "Community Support Forum."
  • However, this forum also presents non-free forums and their sub-forums under the same banner, causing confusion:
    • It portrays closed and EULA-bound software as community-supported products.
    • Users seeking commercial products/support find that the "OpenVPN.net" link (correctly) redirects them to the "Community" index page.
    • The transition between FOSS and commercial support forums is almost imperceptible unless a user is already familiar with the product names.

• Fixing the Forum Confusion (Ideas/Solutions)

  • Consider separating the corporate (AS/Connect/PrivateTunnel, etc.) forums from the FOSS forums.