Vendor decision gate: Testpress outreach → bake-off verdict (DRM/live/sandbox)

[teetangh]

Tracks the post-acquisition vendor strategy (docs/vendor-strategy.md has the full landscape).

Status: Fermion acquired by Testpress 2026-05-22 (infra verified alive 2026-08-26; new-school signup gated during migration). Outreach letter drafted → support@testpress.in / support@codedamn.com.

Gates

• Send letter; follow up in 3 business days
• If school provisioning lands: get API key → verify labs/DRM/live E2E on real account → decide keep-Fermion vs specialists (Video DRM specialist integration behind provider boundary (VdoCipher-first spike) #60/Live classes: fix #53 join-fallback + add Stream Video provider #59/Sandbox/judge vendor spike: Testpress labs vs Judge0 vs Piston (+ grade QUIZ CODE_OUTPUT) #62 spikes inform this)
• Parallel: Kinescope trial (€10/mo DRM included) + VdoCipher $149/yr Starter evaluation
• Optional: Euron Systems Explorer plan probe (competitor intel; no coding sandbox evident)
• Decision record + close or re-scope this issue

Decision rule: Testpress delivers key + working sandbox within 2 weeks AND pricing ≤ specialists → stay Fermion-compatible. Otherwise default narrow stack (VdoCipher + Stream + Judge0).