I would observe then that this company may not be ready for OSS for a number of reasons:
-OSS is not really a direct competitor to commercial software. OSS benefits only those companies who realize the benefit of a long-time investment in their own IT infrastructure and are willing to bear the seemingly high startup costs of time and money.
-OSS is not for companies that trust software more than well-paid, qualified, professional IT staff. I rarely count on just software to handle things like redundancy, backups and version control. That's what trusted system admins are for.
OSS suits companies who realize the benefit of investing money in qualified IT people over expensive software. This should be particularly important to a company that wants to replace the low-tech stability of paper-based systems with the high-tech unknown of a "paperless" system. Paper will never let you down, can you say the same of your software?
-The quality of open source software is directly related to the number of people using it. Even if there were a comparable, open-source rival to the commercial offerings, it's not likely it would be of the caliber of Apache for instance. They'd have to fix/add to the source eventually.
It's a long-shot, but I would recommend that this company develop this application as an open-source project. They stand to augment their own efforts with the assistance of the open-source community.
I reiterate that this is not a overly-complex problem. There is a myriad of successful client-server database applications out there to mimic in an undertaking like this.
I used to work for such a document management company. If ever there was vertical market that has to go away, it's this one. Vertical market software routinely works great as long as you change the way you do your thing and do it "their way." Ask Volkswagen about SAP....
Before you punt that $40,000 into the wind, think of what they are providing: -Scanning software that creates images for -OCR/ICR that helps (often incorrectly) capture data for -Indexing so the images/data can be stored in a... -Database for future... -Retrieval and Viewing by client software
These tasks are trivial! With the exception of the OCR portion (which you seem indifferent towards anyhow), these tasks are half done for you. Build your own system and your employer will have a system that suits their needs and is totally flexible.
You'll save money too. Companies like this always have high-cost support contracts, "click" or per-transaction charges, annoying and expensive licensing arrangements, proprietary and closed systems and hit you with consultation fees when you need someone to come to your office to make the damn thing work. Do I sound bitter? I am....
Build your own system thusly: Buy high quality server hardware and a consultant if needed. Buy high quality scanners from Fujitsu, Bell + Howell or Panasonic. Shop around for a distributor in your area with a good support program. Think availability of parts and down-time guarantees.
Use the scanning software that comes with scanner. All high quality scanners come with ISIS drivers included. Yes, it's windows only but they work really well and have a well documented API. Twain SUCKS for high-volume work like this.
Store the images in a database or on a network drive.
Capture only the data you really need. Anything else is a waste of time and resources. OCR/ICR the image files with TextBridge or ProOCR. They're better than ANY ocr I've seen from these vendors and cost $100 a seat at most.
Store the captured data with the images in the database.
Build a web application with apache/perl that searches through the database for user-input information and returns the image(s) and data to the web-browser already installed on your users' computers.
There are some issues between these steps that need to be glossed over with small applications that are trivial in Delphi or VB. It's so easy, it's a sin to pay any of those vendors for something that I promise you will never truly suit your needs.
First off, thanks for the amazing feat that is Samba. I love it.
I'm curious if you ever contemplated reversing Samba's role in connecting Windows clients to server-based print, file and authentication services.
Imagine, instead of building software that makes a *nix server behave as a Windows server, create software that enables clients to understand the behavior of a *nix server.
It occurs to me Linux could continue it's best of other-breed approach to functionality by presenting a combination of the best of Windows/SMB, UNIX/NFS and Netware services to a open-source windows client custom built to understand them.
Yes, the GNU compiler -COULD- be improved, enormously.
Isn't the idea of Linux and Open Source to make a better software/OS world through contribution to the common code? Without source code, Inprise/Borland has given nothing. They could speed the Linux bandwagon they hope to make money from by making GCC work better and then bring us a C++ Builder for GCC/Linux! Make tons of money on the RAD functionality, but DO NOT break the ubiquity and portability of code that compiles under GCC.
Unless there is truly free source, free software is useless to the progress of GNU/Linux. This is the reason you are not switching to Solaris 8.
I made a decision some time ago to drop my *BSD efforts and join GNU/Linux because of this very issue. Linux has let me down numerous times where *BSD never would, but the BSD license ("you may not separate the ego from the code") would also never produce the wonderful things we often take for granted: GNOME/KDE,IPchains,gPhoto, The GIMP,etc.
As for the letdowns, they will be gone soon. Linux is the fastest growing OS on the planet. It will surely supercede all others as long as we all contribute. Get it Corel/Inprise/Borland?
I used to travel with my laptop ALL the time, and I must have worn out three or four "high quality" backpacks before I found TUMI. They are definitely the best in luggage of this type and their computer backbacks are superb. Another good brand is TENBA. Other brands simple pale in comparison.
A final option is to buy one of those neoprene laptop sleeves that simply shield your laptop and can then be placed in any backpack you already have. This is very discreet and can be found at almost any travel luggage store for little money.
Be sure to buy something that isolates the laptop from the rest of the stuff in the pack and from the outside world. I've broken MANY hinges and latches on laptops ignoring this. I convinced my employer after many days of "lost productivity" to spring for the expensive TUMI pack for me.
A word of warning on travelling with laptops. On trips to Europe as well as in the continental United States, I saw many laptop thefts in airports and elsewhere. In airports, do NOT let someone get between you and your laptop for long. Wait until the last second before you step through the metal detector before placing your bag on the x-ray belt. Teams of thieves set up diversions to delay you at the security check while a cohort of theirs simply picks up your laptop bag at the end of the belt. While out and about, don't make the contents of your bag too obvious (like the Micron label on laptop cases). A friend of mine had her laptop stolen when the thief cut the strap of her backpack as she exited a bus. It happens so easily...
Remember when this was THE defining issue in the 4.0 broswer wars? In a bit of genius, Microsoft steered the press into making the "Channels" versus "Netcaster" the primary comparison between these two products.
Netscape fell for it and got distracted from maintaining the strengths that IE lagged behind on.
Ever notice that "Channels" are nary in sight in IE5? Unless you're an ESPN-addicted salesman, it's not likely you've done anything with either of these features except to find out how to end their annoying, bandwidth- sucking ways.
What happenened to Netcaster? It served it's purpose just like the carrot on the stick.
Check out the project that reads all of our USPS mail:
http://www.pnwsoft.com/linux.htm
I imagine John Taves, the consultant behind this masterpiece, could tell you a thing or two about OCR on Linux. His email address is at the bottom of the article.
Having worked for years on OCR, trust me when I say the success of this project is a minor miracle!
Slashdot Mirror
It's something akin to an online CMJ, but unlike CMJ, it's free.Furthermore unlike CMJ, the music they pimp doesn't SUCK TREMENDOUS ASS!
Incompatibility between versions of Word
Binary file formats that work only in their software
Brutish business practices that remove the benefits of competition in this marketplace
My customer is as much a sucker in this scenario as you and I.
I would observe then that this company may not be ready for OSS for a number of reasons:
-OSS is not really a direct competitor to commercial software. OSS benefits only those companies who realize the benefit of a long-time investment in their own IT infrastructure and are willing to bear the seemingly high startup costs of time and money.
-OSS is not for companies that trust software more than well-paid, qualified, professional IT staff. I rarely count on just software to handle things like redundancy, backups and version control. That's what trusted system admins are for.
OSS suits companies who realize the benefit of investing money in qualified IT people over expensive software. This should be particularly important to a company that wants to replace the low-tech stability of paper-based systems with the high-tech unknown of a "paperless" system. Paper will never let you down, can you say the same of your software?
-The quality of open source software is directly related to the number of people using it. Even if there were a comparable, open-source rival to the commercial offerings, it's not likely it would be of the caliber of Apache for instance. They'd have to fix/add to the source eventually.
It's a long-shot, but I would recommend that this company develop this application as an open-source project. They stand to augment their own efforts with the assistance of the open-source community.
I reiterate that this is not a overly-complex problem. There is a myriad of successful client-server database applications out there to mimic in an undertaking like this.
I used to work for such a document management company. If ever there was vertical market that has to go away, it's this one. Vertical market software routinely works great as long as you change the way you do your thing and do it "their way." Ask Volkswagen about SAP....
....
Before you punt that $40,000 into the wind, think of what they are providing:
-Scanning software that creates images for
-OCR/ICR that helps (often incorrectly) capture data for
-Indexing so the images/data can be stored in a...
-Database for future...
-Retrieval and Viewing by client software
These tasks are trivial! With the exception of the OCR portion (which you seem indifferent towards anyhow), these tasks are half done for you. Build your own system and your employer will have a system that suits their needs and is totally flexible.
You'll save money too. Companies like this always have high-cost support contracts, "click" or per-transaction charges, annoying and expensive licensing arrangements, proprietary and closed systems and hit you with consultation fees when you need someone to come to your office to make the damn thing work. Do I sound bitter? I am
Build your own system thusly:
Buy high quality server hardware and a consultant if needed. Buy high quality scanners from Fujitsu, Bell + Howell or Panasonic. Shop around for a distributor in your area with a good support program. Think availability of parts and down-time guarantees.
Use the scanning software that comes with scanner. All high quality scanners come with ISIS drivers included. Yes, it's windows only but they work really well and have a well documented API. Twain SUCKS for high-volume work like this.
Store the images in a database or on a network drive.
Capture only the data you really need. Anything else is a waste of time and resources. OCR/ICR the image files with TextBridge or ProOCR. They're better than ANY ocr I've seen from these vendors and cost $100 a seat at most.
Store the captured data with the images in the database.
Build a web application with apache/perl that searches through the database for user-input information and returns the image(s) and data to the web-browser already installed on your users' computers.
There are some issues between these steps that need to be glossed over with small applications that are trivial in Delphi or VB. It's so easy, it's a sin to pay any of those vendors for something that I promise you will never truly suit your needs.
First off, thanks for the amazing feat that is Samba. I love it.
I'm curious if you ever contemplated reversing Samba's role in connecting Windows clients to server-based print, file and authentication services.
Imagine, instead of building software that makes a *nix server behave as a Windows server, create software that enables clients to understand the behavior of a *nix server.
It occurs to me Linux could continue it's best of other-breed approach to functionality by presenting a combination of the best of Windows/SMB, UNIX/NFS and Netware services to a open-source windows client custom built to understand them.
What do you think?
Isn't the idea of Linux and Open Source to make a better software/OS world through contribution to the common code? Without source code, Inprise/Borland has given nothing. They could speed the Linux bandwagon they hope to make money from by making GCC work better and then bring us a C++ Builder for GCC/Linux! Make tons of money on the RAD functionality, but DO NOT break the ubiquity and portability of code that compiles under GCC.
Unless there is truly free source, free software is useless to the progress of GNU/Linux. This is the reason you are not switching to Solaris 8.
I made a decision some time ago to drop my *BSD efforts and join GNU/Linux because of this very issue. Linux has let me down numerous times where *BSD never would, but the BSD license ("you may not separate the ego from the code") would also never produce the wonderful things we often take for granted: GNOME/KDE,IPchains,gPhoto, The GIMP,etc.
As for the letdowns, they will be gone soon. Linux is the fastest growing OS on the planet. It will surely supercede all others as long as we all contribute. Get it Corel/Inprise/Borland?
I am beginning to join the ranks of the cynical . This is beginning to feel more and more like a money site than a community...
A final option is to buy one of those neoprene laptop sleeves that simply shield your laptop and can then be placed in any backpack you already have. This is very discreet and can be found at almost any travel luggage store for little money.
Be sure to buy something that isolates the laptop from the rest of the stuff in the pack and from the outside world. I've broken MANY hinges and latches on laptops ignoring this. I convinced my employer after many days of "lost productivity" to spring for the expensive TUMI pack for me.
A word of warning on travelling with laptops. On trips to Europe as well as in the continental United States, I saw many laptop thefts in airports and elsewhere. In airports, do NOT let someone get between you and your laptop for long. Wait until the last second before you step through the metal detector before placing your bag on the x-ray belt. Teams of thieves set up diversions to delay you at the security check while a cohort of theirs simply picks up your laptop bag at the end of the belt. While out and about, don't make the contents of your bag too obvious (like the Micron label on laptop cases). A friend of mine had her laptop stolen when the thief cut the strap of her backpack as she exited a bus. It happens so easily...
-Computer programmers are generally a
professional, educated bunch that take pride
in doing their job (solving problems with
computers) well.
-The y2k problem has been well known for a VERY
long time (in the world of software, anyway).
I'd say the rollover's lack of calamity is
testament to the above two statements' validity.
Cheers!
Remember when this was THE defining issue in the 4.0 broswer wars? In a bit of genius, Microsoft steered the press into making the "Channels" versus "Netcaster" the primary comparison between these two products.
Netscape fell for it and got distracted from maintaining the strengths that IE lagged behind on.
Ever notice that "Channels" are nary in sight in IE5? Unless you're an ESPN-addicted salesman, it's not likely you've done anything with either of these features except to find out how to end their annoying, bandwidth- sucking ways.
What happenened to Netcaster? It served it's purpose just like the carrot on the stick.
Check out the project that reads all of our
USPS mail:
http://www.pnwsoft.com/linux.htm
I imagine John Taves, the consultant behind this
masterpiece, could tell you a thing or two about
OCR on Linux. His email address is at the bottom
of the article.
Having worked for years on OCR, trust me when I
say the success of this project is a minor miracle!
Let's hear it for laptops running the ARM chip!
Why couldn't Corel computers have made my day with
one of these?
Low power consumption, low heat chip designs are nonexistant in full-fledged laptops today.
Ever have a PII laptop start your lap on fire?
ARM chips must be great for long lasting, small laptops, not web servers!
//Pauly
If it can withstand /. effect, I'll be impressed.
//Pauly