A browser extension for contextual unit and currency converter.
Converter has been the go-to Firefox extension for unit conversion since January 2004 (yes, that was before Firefox 1.0). Currency conversion functionality was added in 2009.
The installed user base has seen highs and lows, from 22k users to 10k users.
During the autumn of 2015 I finally realized my proffessional and familial obligations became such that I wasn't able to single-handedly provide effective support for Converter any more. Not only that, but I was hanging on to an outdated business model, wherein I was effectively charging people for hosting a few bits of their data in an isolated system in the very midst of the coming of age for the cloud.
Just as I was realizing this wasn't sustainable, during the same autumn of 2015, a Russian agency offered to buy the (then proprietary) Converter extension for $2,500. And yes, that was a solid offer, it's not just a number I'm speculating after the fact. Compared to the multi-million dollar deals we're used to see in the news, this was peanuts – but it would've been $2,500 more than what I'm getting by open-sourcing it.
As of December 2015, I decided to open source the code. I just don't have the time to tend to the code base as I used to, and I'm now mature enough to accept that it might just die if nobody cares enough to care for it enough. I'm willing to host the website, pay for the domain name, act as a hub for requests, and oversee code development – but only if the community needs the product, and wants me to continue performing any of those roles. I'm open sourcing both the formerly public and the formerly premium parts of the code. I'm positively willing to open source the server code for the premium part as well, if anyone is interested in any way to improve it – or at the very least, to host it.
As of December 2015, Mozilla requires extension signing – and Converter is not listed on AMO any more. As such, the entire code base is currently unusable, unless someone decides to care for it. I did my thing for the past 10 years – now it's up to you guys to decide if this is worth keeping or not. Your turn.