Reasons to Sponsor PyMOL

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I. You Build Good Karma

1. If you derive value from PyMOL, returning equivalent value to the project is the logical way to respond.

2. A subscription purchase is easy. However, Karma can also be earned by participating in the mailing list, by posting helpful information on the Wiki, by contributing code, or by developing software that works with PyMOL.

II. You Advance Your Own Self-interests and Those of Your Colleagues

1. If your work depends upon PyMOL, then it is clearly in your interest to see the software maintained and further developed.

2. As more and more features are added to PyMOL, the less you will need to rely upon expensive, inflexible, node-locked, or otherwise obsolete precursor products.

3. PyMOL drives CLOSED-SOURCE COMPETITORS to moderate prices, offer you superior products, or integrate directly with PyMOL in order to keep pace with the ever-increasing capabilities found in this baseline open-source option.

4. PyMOL also shows ACADEMIC GROUPS the aggregate benefits of sharing code under truly open-source terms, as opposed to via restrictive licenses which limit your adoption of (and impact of) their work versus their OPEN-SOURCE PEERS.

III. You Enjoy Sponsor-Only Benefits

1. You secure access to the Official Precompiled Builds for Windows, Mac, and Linux:

   • This saves you the time and trouble of compiling binaries from the open-source code.

2. You get access to the Official Online Documentation:

   • Supplements the FREE community-maintained PyMOLWiki.
   • Includes introductory screencasts for getting started.
   • Provides the definitive reference on the command language, API, and behaviors.
   • Site-wide subscribers can secure automatic login for their subnets and domains.

3. You get extra conveniences present only in the official 1.0 builds:

   • Easy Installation: Automated Windows Installer; Mac OS X "drag & drop".
   • Clipboard Support (for copying and pasting of images): Windows and Mac
   • Mac: A "one window" native user interface with a Tcl/Tk/X11 option.
   • Mac: Direct export of QuickTime movies.

4. You get all the latest 1.0 and 1.1 features not present in the FREE pre-1.0 builds:

   Version 1.0:

   • Structure-based (sequence-independent) superposition of protein structures.
   • Group objects improve organization and utility of the control panel.
   • Display of sequence alignments in the 1D sequence viewer (as well as in 3D).
   • Display of gradients within electrostatic potentials and other maps.
   • Import of Chemical Computing Group's .MOE files.
   • Improved mutagenesis capabilities.
   • Compressed session files (optional).
   • Support for per-atom and per-bond settings.
   • Reading of XTC, TRR, and TRJ trajectories output by GROMACS.
   • Improved support for Greek character labels.
   • Improved OpenGL performance.
   • Improved VRML output.
   • Improved QuickTime export for Mac.
   • Improved performance and reduced memory consumption for large structures.
   • Numerous bug fixes affecting everything from stability to performance.

   Version 1.1:

   • Fully compatible with Microsoft Windows Vista.
   • Surfaces can precomputed and stored (cached) in session files.
   • Grid mode for displaying multiple objects in their own panes.
   • Bond valences are now guessed for PDB ligands (helps when showing H-bonds)
   • New movie sub-menus for automatically programming simple movies.
   • Improved support for rendering OpenGL-based movies on Windows XP.
   • Updated Help Menu with direct links to Online Documentation.
   • Simple camera animation and rocking can now be used in movies.
   • scene_order command for reordering scenes.
   • Now compatible with Python 2.5 and "numpy".
   • Can now open multiple files at once via File -> Open...
   • 64-bit Linux Support.
   • 64-bit Windows Support with an MSI-based installer.
   • Improved 3D performance when running under Parallels.
   • Improved export of .OBJ (Maya) and .WRL (VRML2) files.
   • Can now read Schrodinger .MAE files.
   • Improved reading of Chemical Computing Group's .MOE files.
   • Preliminary CIF support (slow -- stick with PDB!).
   • Anisotropic temperature factors now read from PDB and CIF files.
   • Ellipsoid representations for CGOs plus related settings.
   • Improved performance for loading SDF files with many states (>1000).
   • Double-hypen argument sentinel can now be used to pass args to scripts.
   • Color ramps can be used to blend nearby atom colors.
   • Geometry builds can be automatically deferred.
   • Added dash_color, angle_color, dihedral_color settings.
   • Cone representation available as a CGO.
   • Additional settings for controlling mesh representation.
   • Support for input and output of formal charges in PDB files.
   • Added support for Ctrl-Fkey and Ctrl-PgUp/Dn in the Tcl/Tk window.
   • Improved surface generation performance by 15-35%.
   • Preliminary support for 3dconnexions Space Navigator (Mac only).
   • Support for multiple PyMOL instances in a single Python interpreter.
   • Numerous fixes to the logging facility and command queue.
   • Fixed many OpenGL, threading, memory, Python, and Tcl/Tk bugs.
   • Spacebar now advances scenes when in presentation mode. ESC exits.
   • Electron density maps can now be expanded using crystal symmetry.
   • VDW radii added for dozens of additional elements.
   • Phosphorylated residues now included in sequence alignments.
   • Additional surface_mode's 3 & 4 accomodate alternate use cases.
   • Some cartoon ring and ladder settings can now be set per-residue.
   • Support added for binary GRD files.
   • Added SD file output for multi-state small-molecule objects.
   • Added support for multi-state XYZ files.
   • Color ramps are now subject to the current color space.

5. You'll soon get access to additional features only present in the forthcoming PyMOL 1.2+ Beta Builds:

   • Improved small molecule builder.
   • Atomic structure cleanup via open-source "mengine" (via FreeMOL).
   • "Abort" button enables interruption of surface and rendering calculations.
   • More bug fixes.

6. The forthcoming PyMOL ActiveX Control (AxPyMOL) is closed-source software and will only be available to sponsors with a current subscription.

Convinced? If so, then please purchase a subscription to PyMOL!

If not, then please tell us why a PyMOL subscription doesn't work for you.