> it runs on linux because they promote
> it as multi platform
nonsense. it runs on Linux because Linux is the reference platform for the UNIX implementation at SAP. If it compiles on Linux, it can be compiled on the other Unices, too. No worry about developing in a certain direction and waking up to find out that the nice feature you were relying on is not supported by one of the major vendors.
There's no need for a GPL'd accounting software, because there's already one, that's at least "disclosed source".
All those pure of heart are going to hate me, but: one of the major advantages of Open Source is learning by example, reusing code of others, beeing able to peek into the workings of an application. All this is possible to some extent with the business applications part of SAP software. Someone please tell me about Oracle applications, I'm note really aware any longer how they eveolved over the past 3 years.
ERP package (or whatever you like to call them today) quality comes with thousands of qualified people that make the application reflect the way a sane majority of a given industry is doing business.
These prefabricated "workflows" can help a company set up doing their business like most other companies in that industry in less time than it would take to ananlyze the needs, and then make a program from it.
If the technology used to program these "workflows" makes it possible for a customer to peek in and adapt parts of the system to fit his needs, that's the killer app of ERP, and that's what SAP is thriving on for quite some years now.
All these posts concerning frontend software, or what platform to run on, they miss the point that the business part is what counts most, not the technology down there. Technology is nice, but it changes over the years. Look at the SAP frontend: not really easy to learn, in some points a real nuisance. Doesn't really scare people away from it. Look at the technology: it's up to the customer to decide what hardware to use, from AS/400, over Linux/Intel and all major Unices to S/390, and Linux on it;-)
I don't think the world needs a GPL'd business app, at least not a package as powerful as SAP. But to use the technological concepts for a GPL'd application server would sure be a nice idea.
I was not aware that SAP supports SCO Unix. Or did you use "SCO" as a more general term?
> never in a million years would a company
> spend 17-20 million and then put it all
> on Linux to save some money
They do indeed put it on Linux to save real money. But as most people think of saving money for hardware, so your statement partly applies. They save in manageability, easy integration etc. Operations are a bigger part of the balance sheet than any company running NT would ever admit.
SAP DB is at the moment the only GPL'd database available, that can be used for serious ERP applications, the critical points are features, performance, platform availability and support.
features: in threads elsewhere and on Slashdot it was discussed in lenght why other DB systems, e.g. MySQL or Postgres, cannot be compared to SAPDB.
performance: we see SAPDB at about the same level as other DB supported by SAP; at least in small to midsize configurations (i.e. up to 1500 named R/3 users)
- platform availability: supported on all major platforms. nuff said.
- support: SAP has about 100 developers actively working on SAPDB. And there's no one talking about cashing in on "synergy" or the like.
It definitely will get more attention in the future - and I think that things one has to get used to (as the make environment) will be getting friendlier along the way.
with (nearly) all of the emerging nations going nuclear for their energy needs, I think it's really important, that we are able to provide fairly safe nuclear power plants, in order to avoid them installing the "old" soviet models. Look at the situation in Germany: nuclear power is no longer a valid option, so all those engineering brainpower (like KWU) either goes abroad or does something different. Hmm. And Poland happily switches on nuclear plants one by one. Just like Arizona making nuclear power plants illegal, and Texas having them happily smoking away...
Add another layer of complexity? Mess with yet another system we don't fully understand as of today? This seems to me a really bad idea(tm). Like using DDT to get rid of those moskitos. I admit, it's fairly easy from hindsight, but history tells us, that we better not mess with a system until we understand it's mechanics a little bit better.
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> it runs on linux because they promote
> it as multi platform
nonsense. it runs on Linux because Linux is the reference platform for the UNIX implementation at SAP. If it compiles on Linux, it can be compiled on the other Unices, too. No worry about developing in a certain direction and waking up to find out that the nice feature you were relying on is not supported by one of the major vendors.
There's no need for a GPL'd accounting software, because there's already one, that's at least "disclosed source".
;-)
All those pure of heart are going to hate me, but: one of the major advantages of Open Source is learning by example, reusing code of others, beeing able to peek into the workings of an application. All this is possible to some extent with the business applications part of SAP software. Someone please tell me about Oracle applications, I'm note really aware any longer how they eveolved over the past 3 years.
ERP package (or whatever you like to call them today) quality comes with thousands of qualified people that make the application reflect the way a sane majority of a given industry is doing business.
These prefabricated "workflows" can help a company set up doing their business like most other companies in that industry in less time than it would take to ananlyze the needs, and then make a program from it.
If the technology used to program these "workflows" makes it possible for a customer to peek in and adapt parts of the system to fit his needs, that's the killer app of ERP, and that's what SAP is thriving on for quite some years now.
All these posts concerning frontend software, or what platform to run on, they miss the point that the business part is what counts most, not the technology down there. Technology is nice, but it changes over the years. Look at the SAP frontend: not really easy to learn, in some points a real nuisance. Doesn't really scare people away from it. Look at the technology: it's up to the customer to decide what hardware to use, from AS/400, over Linux/Intel and all major Unices to S/390, and Linux on it
I don't think the world needs a GPL'd business app, at least not a package as powerful as SAP. But to use the technological concepts for a GPL'd application server would sure be a nice idea.
> SCO UNIX
I was not aware that SAP supports SCO Unix. Or did you use "SCO" as a more general term?
> never in a million years would a company
> spend 17-20 million and then put it all
> on Linux to save some money
They do indeed put it on Linux to save real money. But as most people think of saving money for hardware, so your statement partly applies. They save in manageability, easy integration etc. Operations are a bigger part of the balance sheet than any company running NT would ever admit.
SAP DB is at the moment the only GPL'd database available, that can be used for serious ERP applications, the critical points are features, performance, platform availability and support.
features: in threads elsewhere and on Slashdot it was discussed in lenght why other DB systems, e.g. MySQL or Postgres, cannot be compared to SAPDB.
performance: we see SAPDB at about the same level as other DB supported by SAP; at least in small to midsize configurations (i.e. up to 1500 named R/3 users)
- platform availability: supported on all major platforms. nuff said.
- support: SAP has about 100 developers actively working on SAPDB. And there's no one talking about cashing in on "synergy" or the like.
It definitely will get more attention in the future - and I think that things one has to get used to (as the make environment) will be getting friendlier along the way.
with (nearly) all of the emerging nations going nuclear for their energy needs, I think it's really important, that we are able to provide fairly safe nuclear power plants, in order to avoid them installing the "old" soviet models. Look at the situation in Germany: nuclear power is no longer a valid option, so all those engineering brainpower (like KWU) either goes abroad or does something different. Hmm. And Poland happily switches on nuclear plants one by one. Just like Arizona making nuclear power plants illegal, and Texas having them happily smoking away...
Add another layer of complexity? Mess with yet another system we don't fully understand as of today? This seems to me a really bad idea(tm). Like using DDT to get rid of those moskitos. I admit, it's fairly easy from hindsight, but history tells us, that we better not mess with a system until we understand it's mechanics a little bit better.