@acmes
yes I think so too. I mean vision is stronger than money - in the long run.
I was not impressed when I read that the SE developers made a blogging software previously, and when it took off they sold it.
I was tasked with auditing both these platforms about a year ago and since then have installed both on behalf of clients. It's difficult to say which is better as each has its pros and cons. I love the open source model that Elgg has adopted but I don't mind paying for software when the need warrants it.
In the case of Social Engine, we spent about $500 for the applications and required plugins and then modified things a little so that it could be used as a site where people could set up tribute and memorial pages. It would have been difficult to do this under Elgg and we would have spent more in the custom development we needed to do, so in that case the $500 was more than worth it. Social Engine also offers better administration tools and documentation but I expect this from a paid product.
I think elgg is best compared to social engine or jcow. Also there is a free script oxwall which is devoloping now.
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