It is with great pleasure that today I announce that DotNetNuke Corporation has acquired all of the assets of iFinity Software. In addition to this, I have joined DotNetNuke Corporation on a full-time basis to work on the Product Team, effective immediately.
The reason for this action has been to both provide DotNetNuke with tried-and-proven technology for greatly expanding the Url capabilities of the DotNetNuke platform, and to have access to my now extensive experience in dealing with all things related to Urls. Some of the regular readers of this blog will know what I am speaking of when I say I have dealt with numerous difficult situations related to the Urls of a DotNetNuke powered site, and managed to bring it all through. This opportunity allows me to take that hard-earned knowledge and experience to a much wider audience than the sizable but still relatively niche customers of mine.
The immediate plans for all the Url-related software are to integrate the codebase into DotNetNuke 7.1, a process which has been kicked off immediately. The underlying Url Master technology will become the standard way of powering all Url related functions in DotNetNuke, for all editions, for all versions from 7.1 onwards. The majority of the Url management features will go straight into the commercial editions of DotNetNuke, but the underlying capability and improved Urls will be in the open-source community platform. Many people will have questions about which features go where, so please see the table at the end of this blog post for a detailed breakdown.
Existing customers will continue to get support as normal, and the products will remain for sale for the immediate future. If you’re working on a project that uses any iFinity Software, you can continue to do so without fear of losing support or help.
Of course iFinity Software has produced many different pieces of software over the past 6 years, and all of the available branded products have had ownership transferred to DotNetNuke Corporation. The second table at the end of this blog post details the future of these products, which details the future and timeline of each product. It’s important to note that by far, the largest majority of code I ever released under this banner was open source –most of that has been already transferred to the DotNetNuke Forge as part of my ongoing project to do so – and this announcement doesn’t change the status of those projects.
No doubt there will be some who are disappointed that DotNetNuke didn’t just buy the products outright and then give it all away for free. While that would make writing this blog post a lot easier (everybody would love to announce the handing out of free stuff), the truth is that commercial realities define all business transactions, and it was up to me to accept the proposal or continue on independently as things were. To be honest, either choice was equally compelling as I have been very happy with the way things have been going, but joining DotNetNuke was an opportunity not to be missed. In the same way artists want people to see their work, authors want their books read and bands want their songs heard, the opportunity to provide input and direction on software that goes out to a very large audience was compelling.
I have had a strong belief in the DotNetNuke platform over a long period, and I made a successful business out of filling in some of the gaps in the feature coverage of the platform. This opportunity has allowed me to not only fill in that gap for all , but also gives me input into filling in some of the other gaps I am passionate about. Within DotNetNuke 7.1, I’m able to fulfil the request of the top-ranked Community Voice request, and satisfy at least one other (there may be more, I haven’t gone through the entire list yet).
An important thing for me is that I’m not going anywhere – I’m going to be working on the same technologies with mostly the same set of people. DotNetNuke has not only given me a business, but delivered a great set of customers and helped grow a great set of friends all over the world. During the process of working out the deal, I became aware of the very exciting things that are going on within DotNetNuke corp. It’s a place that is moving ahead quickly and some of the new things that will come out over the next 12 months or so are seriously impressive.
I am intending to use my new responsibilities within the company to help grow the products, features, revenue and community at large. And I hope that all of the existing people I have worked with and met throughout the life of this company will continue to do so as I transition into the next.
Acquisition FAQ List
What is iFinity Software?
iFinity Software, based in Queensland, Australia, is a software company specializing in the DotNetNuke platform. iFinity sells modules on the DotNetNuke store, and is well known for its Url Management software, based around the Url Master module.
What will happen to iFinity Software?
Bruce Chapman, the director and sole permanent employee of iFinity, will join DotNetNuke Corporation on a full-time basis. All of the available iFinity Software products IP will be transferred to DotNetNuke.
What is the reason for this move?
The bulk of revenue and consulting work for iFinity Software comes from the Url Master module and related plug-ins. These exist solely to plug a gap that is in the underlying framework. This acquisition will plug that gap and increase the ability of all users, customers, developers and vendors to manage the Urls in DotNetNuke.
What is going to happen to the Url Master module?
The Url Master module will be integrated into the DotNetNuke core. It will not be a stand-alone DotNetNuke extension. The targeted DotNetNuke version for this integration will be 7.1.
Please see the Software Plan for more details.
Will the full version of Url Master be available in the Community Edition?
The Url Master module will not be an installable extension as it currently is. Not all features of the module will be available in all DotNetNuke editions. Please see the Software Plan for more details.
How does this benefit the DotNetNuke Community?
The integration of iFinity technology into DotNetNuke will provide more functionality in the DotNetNuke core, for all editions, will benefit all end users, developers and vendors.
I have purchased an iFinity Software product. Can I still get support?
Yes, support for iFinity Software products will continue to be supplied either through the DotNetNuke store helpdesk system, or through the product support forums at ifinity.com.au. All existing customers will continue to receive support in accordance with their existing licences. There will be no change in these arrangements.
I am a DotNetNuke professional customer – can I get the Url Master module now along with my Professional licence?
No. If you wish to install the Url Master software, you will still need to purchase via the DotNetNuke store.
I am a DotNetNuke professional customer and an iFinity Customer – will I be able to get support for my iFinity products through the DotNetNuke helpdesk?
Yes, you can. Just log the issue through the DNN Helpdesk in the normal way.
Will I be able to continue to purchase iFinity products after the acquisition?
iFinity products will continue to be sold through the DotNetNuke store for a period. See the Software Plan for more detail on the expected dates.
What will happen to the open-source modules currently available on ifinity.com.au
The open-source offerings on ifinity.com.au will be migrated onto the DotNetNuke forge, if they are not already hosted there. Individuals are welcome to join the projects on the DotNetNuke Forge as contributors.
Will I be able to upgrade from my current Url Master installation to the Core Functionality?
Yes, an upgrade path for configuration and existing redirects will be part of the transition.
iFinity Software Product Plan
All commercial modules will remain available on the DotNetNuke Store until their transition date.
| Product Name | Plan | Expected Date |
| Url Master | Integration into DotNetNuke | Q2 2013 – DotNetNuke 7.1 |
| Url Provider for Ventrian News Articles | Open Source – Dnn Forge | Q1 2013 |
| Url Provider for Catalook | Open Source – Dnn Forge | Q1 2013 |
| Url Provider for DotNetNuke Blog Module | Open Source – Dnn Forge | Q1 2013 |
| Url Provider for DotNetNuke Social | Open Source – Dnn Forge | Q1 2013 |
| Inline Link Master | Withdraw from market | Q1 2013 |
| Canonical Linker | Integration into DotNetNuke | Q3 2013 |
| iFinity Friendly Url Provider | Already on Dnn Forge | |
| iFinity Search Engine Sitemap Providers | Already on Dnn Forge | |
| iFinity Tagger module | Already withdrawn from market July 2012 | |
| iFinity Google Analytics module | Already on Dnn Forge | |
| iFinity Cache Master module | Already on Dnn Forge | |
| iFinity Social Dashboard module | Already on Dnn Forge | |
Advanced Url Features to be included in DotNetNuke 7.1 Editions
In general, the principal will be that all editions will have the same underlying Url Framework. The Commercial editions of DotNetNuke will have all of the functions built into to the product, fully integrated into the Page, Site and Host configuration areas. The community edition will use the technology to deliver better Urls, and will allow API hooks for third-party developers to extend the Url Handling of the core product.
| Feature Name | Core Platform | Community Edition | Commercial Editions |
| Remove all ‘tabid’ values from all Urls | Yes | NA | Yes |
| Replace characters in Urls with specified value (ie ‘-‘) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Replace characters in Urls using find/replace pairs (1) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Page Extension removal/change | Yes | No | Yes |
| Automatic redirect of ‘unfriendly’ urls | Yes | No | Yes |
| Lower case conversion | Yes | No | Yes |
| Lower case redirect | Yes | No | Yes |
| Change Url Space Encoding | Yes | No | Yes |
| Illegal Url character filtering | Yes | No | Yes |
| Redirect /default.aspx urls to site root | Yes | No | Yes |
| Always set default site language | Yes | No | Yes |
| Friendly Urls for Admin/Host Pages | Yes | No | Yes |
| Regex Filters | Yes | No | Yes |
| Deleted and Moved page redirection * | Yes | No | Yes |
| SSL Server/Client redirect | Yes | No | Yes |
| Custom Module Providers Configuration | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Custom Regex Redirect/Rewrite rules | Yes | No | Yes |
| 404 Handling | Yes | No | Yes |
| 404 Log | No | No | Yes |
| 500 Error Handling | No | No | Yes |
| Test Url Generation Function | No | No | Yes |
| Test Url Rewriting Function | No | No | Yes |
| Primary Portal Alias Redirections** | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile specific Portal Alias | Yes | No | Yes |
| Language Specific Portal Alias | Yes | No | Yes |
| Skin per Portal Alias | Yes | No | Yes |
| Vanity User Profile Urls *** | Yes | No | Yes |
| Custom Urls for Tabs (2) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Custom Redirects for Tabs | Yes | No | Yes |
| Exclude Tab from Friendly Urls | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Block Redirects for Tab | Yes | Yes | Yes |
*New Feature
**Already in all existing editions of DotNetNuke
*** Possibility of deploying this functionality within the ‘Dnn Social Url’ provider rather than as a core feature – see ‘Key Engineering decisions;
Community Voice Suggestions
(1) ‘Configurable character substitution in Url rewriting’ : http://www.dotnetnuke.com/Community/Community-Voice/suggestionid/48.aspx#comments
(2) Addition of Url Name field to Page Properties : http://www.dotnetnuke.com/Community/Community-Voice/suggestionid/47.aspx
Wrapping Up
The completion of this acquisition brings to the end a 6 year chapter, one in which I have made many new friends and leant many new things. I look forward to working with even more people as part of DotNetNuke Corporation going forwards.
You can also read Shaun Walkers blog post as well.