Business Model
Non-profit organizations pay $1 per member per year, no charge for employees. For-profit companies pay $2 per customer per year and $10 per employee per year. Organizations having more than 50 members/customers enjoy a quantity discount of 75% off, paying just $0.25 or $0.50/year for each of the 51st and all subsequent members/customers, respectively. Members, customers and employees need not be Moborigin premium users.
Restricted Mode
Moborigin premium users pay an unlocking fee of $20. Those users have the option of using paid apps, and the ability to run MoboLisp apps in unrestricted mode. Restricted mode can be either unichrome or monospaced. In unichrome mode, all pixels are either in shades of gray or a mixture of zero or more gray and a single theme color. Six theme colors are available: red, green, blue, cyan, yellow, and magenta, but each app can only use one theme color. In monospaced mode, the entire screen consists of a grid of monospaced text, with embedded widgets and images.
Ads
Organizations making use of online communities have the option of displaying ads. Those communities are free: no fees are charged per member/customer/employee. Apps which display ads in unrestricted mode are accessible to all users, and the ad revenue is split evenly between the app authors and Moborigin.
Tutors
Moborigin provides a paid app, included with your unlocking fee, used for teaching math and other subjects. Tutors must pay a subscription fee of $20/year (starting after the first year), to be included in the tutor directory and to accept credit card payments from their students. This app is called TwindoBoard (free for the non-profit organizations).
Web Users
For those members of non-profit organizations who lack smartphones, a web-based interface will be provided. A conversion utility will be used to convert MoboTags and MoboLisp code into HTML and JavaScript, respectively.
Online Communities
MoboLisp and MoboTags together form the simplest programming-language/layout-manager duo in existence, yet MoboLisp is almost as powerful as Python (though lacking its extensive libraries). The online communities can easily be customized by adding or modifying MoboLisp and MoboTags code, or implemented from scratch. Members can share posts, comments, images, videos, web links, written material (plain text or formatted with MoboTags code), music/audio, and custom code. Tutors can teach math, coding and web design to the members.
Google's Cut
Both Google and Apple take a 30 percent cut of in-app purchases, which usually drops to 15 percent after the first year. The MoboLisp Runtime Environment (MRE) is just another Android/iOS app, so all payments from users are subject to the 30 percent commission to Google and Apple. Web hosting fees are charged by Google, so developers of resource-hungry apps pay extra.
Exit Strategy
In case neither the online communities, tutoring software, nor MoboLisp app store are profitable, the Java (and Swift) source code of the MRE will be released on GitHub. This can be used to create standalone Android and iOS mobile apps by bundling the MRE with the MoboLisp/tags source code of each app in the MoboLisp app store.
Implementation Steps
- Finish MoboLisp syntax checker - done!
- Finish unit testing of syntax checker - done!
- Develop foundation of MoboLisp code execution - almost done!
- Develop rest of MoboLisp code execution
- Release MoboLisp as console-based compiler on GitHub
- Implement GUI: monospaced mode
- Write MoboTags design specs
- Develop MoboTags
- Integrate MoboLisp with MoboTags
- MoboLisp/tags: MoboLisp Runtime Environment (MRE)
- Use Specialisterne to hire local Android programmer on spectrum
- Port system to Android
- Make pitch to DMZ tech incubator
- Use Specialisterne to hire remote iOS programmer on spectrum
- Convert MRE to Swift
- Port system to iOS
- Search for angel investor
- Without angel investor, do not renew contracts of autistic programmers
- Develop MoboLisp code editor
- Develop TwindoBoard
- Implement Keyboard Aid (bells and whistles of editor)
- Develop WYSIWYG MoboTags screen editor
- Implement online community using MoboLisp/tags
- Perform beta testing
- Develop monetizing functionality
- Design website
- Launch Moborigin website and app
- Purchase Google AdWords advertising
- Enable apps which display ads
- Develop converters: MoboTags/MoboLisp to HTML/JavaScript
- Develop game engine
- Exit strategy: if necessary, release Java code of MRE on GitHub