Everything I see talked about are just tools. Tools don't run businesses, apps do. The task of creating an app to run a business is so large that only the OSS community can think about competing with the likes of SAP and Oracle.
One such app is Compiere, but it "owned" by a single company and its framework tools are not the best.
The Apache Open for Business project (ofbiz.apache.org) has the backing of the Apache Foundation and is truly a community supported app. In addition to having a complete suite of apps, it has an ingenious, lightweight framework that greatly increases the efficiencies of developers.
It is not an easy application to get your arms around, but what true enterprise app is? If I were going to invest time and resources in an OSS enterprise app, I would not allow my company to roll its own or use some small market gesture by some optimistic dreamers; I would go with the one organization that has the critical mass to pull something like this off - the Apache Foundation.
These are pieces to a solution - albeit valuable ones. But why ignore apps that address the total needs of an enterprise in one cohesive package instead of having to bear the cost of multiple apps with their associated integration costs and learning curves? I am referring to Apache's Open for Business Project (ofbiz.apache.org) and Compiere.
Most open source offerings are tools (ie. databases, operating systems, etc.) and there is room for only so many tools, but there is a need for as many specialized business applications as there are types of business and it is possible to make money on those because businesses will pay for solutions, not tools.
The Apache Open for Business Project (http://ofbiz.apache.org/) is truly disruptive technology in this regard. It is a brilliantly designed framework for developing apps and it comes out-of-the-box with working enterprise level software. It takes a while to learn the environment, but it is so rich that it makes knocking off vertical apps a breeze once you know it. It is Java based, but also has a strong XML-based scripting environment that makes it possible for domain experts, not just Java gurus, to develop apps.
Developing an application for a small business and making money on it helps both you and the small business. I think this model has the potential for delivering much more on the promise of open source than anything that is out there.
Open source tools are great, but businesses need application software. I don't have figures, but I would think that ERP software dwarfs infrastructure software in importance, if not dollar value. Especially with businesses moving to more web-based software, it doesn't matter whether you run it on Windows or Linux, but that software is a cornerstone of most businesses. That is why open source efforts to address this sector are so important.
In my opinion, even though Compiere (http://compiere.org/) may have more downloads than Open for Business (http://www.ofbiz.org/), OFBiz should be considered the leader because its architecture is structured for SOA and the web, it is database agnostic and is easier to get up and running.
It seems like the real promise of SVG natively on Firefox is the opportunity to have a web-based drawing program using javascript and the DOM. Does anyone know of any or are any in the works?
The open source community needs to find a way to move into the business application sector in an effective manner. I don't believe that it will be by using low-level tools like.Net or Struts. It needs to come through leveraged frameworks like Compiere, Spring or Open for Business.
And that doesn't mean Struts. Spring seems to be popular. I prefer Open for Business (www.ofbiz.org). But don't go reinventing the wheel and don't spend your time writing JSPs.
The reason that programmers are so inefficient is that those that can want to show it by doing things their own way and those that can't don't know it and do the same thing. One need only to go to Sourceforge and see the thousands of programs that no one will ever see or use to realize how much wasted effort exists in our industry.
Tools like Java have been around for too long to still be solely using them. The problem is that once someone learns to use Struts, they think that is all the reuse that is needed.
Programmers need to make themselves more efficient by agreeing to use tools like Open for Business (www.ofbiz.org). It is ridiculous to be still worrying about what database you are using or coding ugly JSPs or HTML screens directly.
In short, we need to organize and cooperate or we will flame ourselves out of work.
To me this sounds like the argument for using assembly level code - faster, more control, etc. Things should be moving away from dependence on platforms. If you use stored procedures, then you can't take advantage of highly leveraged, portable and productive development platforms like Open for Business (www.ofbiz.org). Discussion about using SPs will seem pretty silly in the not-too-distant-future when all coding is done at higher levels of abstraction than it is now.
I believe the OSS community is missing one of the greatest pieces of software out there - Open for Business. I believe that it will become the "Linux" of web application development. I was looking into Compiere when I came across it, but once I saw what that authors were doing I gave up on any thoughts of using Compiere or rolling my own.
OFBiz has an entity engine so that you can write once for at least 10 different databases. It eschews the EJB and bean design for a more proficient service oriented architecture. It has integerated JPublish and FreeMarker for UI dev - a big improvement over JSPs (which are still available). It has built-in engines for processflow, SOAP and more. Services and actions can be written Java, Beanshell or a highly leveraged XML-based scripting language. The whole system uses industry-standard best practices and patterns where applicable.
And if OFBiz were not simply phenomenal as a dev platform, it comes out of the box with industrial strength ecommerce, many ERP modules, content management and third parties are starting to add many more.
If it doesn't include Open for Business it is already out of date and missing the best piece of code going.
The problem with the open source community today is that we don't mind using a few tools like Linux, Apache, etc. but when it comes to doing something that really would make business applications less expensive and of higher quality - like agree to standardize of a select few frameworks - we don't!
I have been doing OOP for over a decade, but then I stumbled on Open for Business (http://www.ofbiz.org) which has an entity engine that basically throws out the OO model all together. At first I was offended, but as I thought about it, it makes sense - a bean class for each table just bloats things. Instead, OFBiz's entity engine handles the persistence and the service and event modules handle the business logic.
I think that branding is the future of effective open source utilization. There are plenty of great tools out there; the big impediment to productivity increases is that everyone wants to do there own thing with those tools. If a community got together and agreed on how to use those tools at a higher level, then applications could be produced at less cost. If that same community agreed to enforce performance standards and market collectively, they could add residual value to their independent businesses. Furthermore, they could act as distribution channels for each other's vertical applications, since they would be familiar with the base code and conventions.
I have written this concept up at http://automationgroups.com. Automation Groups International would be a non-profit whose mission would be to help ease the effects of the digital divide on developing economies by providing marketing and other services for its for-profit member Automation Groups. Open source tools are nice, but they don't do enough to help those that are just getting started.
I envision an environment built around ArgoUML (using the XMI output to generate code), Cocoon and XMLForms (because everything will be XML-centric) and Castor (SQL has been around too long to keep writing it).
Such an effort would require a lot of cooperation and humility (things would have to be done my way:0) - just kidding), but the work of a few people could make a difference in a lot of people's lives.
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One such app is Compiere, but it "owned" by a single company and its framework tools are not the best.
The Apache Open for Business project (ofbiz.apache.org) has the backing of the Apache Foundation and is truly a community supported app. In addition to having a complete suite of apps, it has an ingenious, lightweight framework that greatly increases the efficiencies of developers.
It is not an easy application to get your arms around, but what true enterprise app is? If I were going to invest time and resources in an OSS enterprise app, I would not allow my company to roll its own or use some small market gesture by some optimistic dreamers; I would go with the one organization that has the critical mass to pull something like this off - the Apache Foundation.
These are pieces to a solution - albeit valuable ones. But why ignore apps that address the total needs of an enterprise in one cohesive package instead of having to bear the cost of multiple apps with their associated integration costs and learning curves? I am referring to Apache's Open for Business Project (ofbiz.apache.org) and Compiere.
"...I just hope nobody drops a Mentos down the wrong pipe..."
Most open source offerings are tools (ie. databases, operating systems, etc.) and there is room for only so many tools, but there is a need for as many specialized business applications as there are types of business and it is possible to make money on those because businesses will pay for solutions, not tools. The Apache Open for Business Project (http://ofbiz.apache.org/) is truly disruptive technology in this regard. It is a brilliantly designed framework for developing apps and it comes out-of-the-box with working enterprise level software. It takes a while to learn the environment, but it is so rich that it makes knocking off vertical apps a breeze once you know it. It is Java based, but also has a strong XML-based scripting environment that makes it possible for domain experts, not just Java gurus, to develop apps. Developing an application for a small business and making money on it helps both you and the small business. I think this model has the potential for delivering much more on the promise of open source than anything that is out there.
Open source tools are great, but businesses need application software. I don't have figures, but I would think that ERP software dwarfs infrastructure software in importance, if not dollar value. Especially with businesses moving to more web-based software, it doesn't matter whether you run it on Windows or Linux, but that software is a cornerstone of most businesses. That is why open source efforts to address this sector are so important. In my opinion, even though Compiere (http://compiere.org/) may have more downloads than Open for Business (http://www.ofbiz.org/), OFBiz should be considered the leader because its architecture is structured for SOA and the web, it is database agnostic and is easier to get up and running.
It seems like the real promise of SVG natively on Firefox is the opportunity to have a web-based drawing program using javascript and the DOM. Does anyone know of any or are any in the works?
The open source community needs to find a way to move into the business application sector in an effective manner. I don't believe that it will be by using low-level tools like .Net or Struts. It needs to come through leveraged frameworks like Compiere, Spring or Open for Business.
And that doesn't mean Struts. Spring seems to be popular. I prefer Open for Business (www.ofbiz.org). But don't go reinventing the wheel and don't spend your time writing JSPs.
Tools like Java have been around for too long to still be solely using them. The problem is that once someone learns to use Struts, they think that is all the reuse that is needed.
Programmers need to make themselves more efficient by agreeing to use tools like Open for Business (www.ofbiz.org). It is ridiculous to be still worrying about what database you are using or coding ugly JSPs or HTML screens directly.
In short, we need to organize and cooperate or we will flame ourselves out of work.
To me this sounds like the argument for using assembly level code - faster, more control, etc. Things should be moving away from dependence on platforms. If you use stored procedures, then you can't take advantage of highly leveraged, portable and productive development platforms like Open for Business (www.ofbiz.org). Discussion about using SPs will seem pretty silly in the not-too-distant-future when all coding is done at higher levels of abstraction than it is now.
OFBiz has an entity engine so that you can write once for at least 10 different databases. It eschews the EJB and bean design for a more proficient service oriented architecture. It has integerated JPublish and FreeMarker for UI dev - a big improvement over JSPs (which are still available). It has built-in engines for processflow, SOAP and more. Services and actions can be written Java, Beanshell or a highly leveraged XML-based scripting language. The whole system uses industry-standard best practices and patterns where applicable.
And if OFBiz were not simply phenomenal as a dev platform, it comes out of the box with industrial strength ecommerce, many ERP modules, content management and third parties are starting to add many more.
OFBiz is "genius in a bottle".
If it doesn't include Open for Business it is already out of date and missing the best piece of code going. The problem with the open source community today is that we don't mind using a few tools like Linux, Apache, etc. but when it comes to doing something that really would make business applications less expensive and of higher quality - like agree to standardize of a select few frameworks - we don't!
I have been doing OOP for over a decade, but then I stumbled on Open for Business (http://www.ofbiz.org) which has an entity engine that basically throws out the OO model all together. At first I was offended, but as I thought about it, it makes sense - a bean class for each table just bloats things. Instead, OFBiz's entity engine handles the persistence and the service and event modules handle the business logic.
I have written this concept up at http://automationgroups.com. Automation Groups International would be a non-profit whose mission would be to help ease the effects of the digital divide on developing economies by providing marketing and other services for its for-profit member Automation Groups. Open source tools are nice, but they don't do enough to help those that are just getting started.
I envision an environment built around ArgoUML (using the XMI output to generate code), Cocoon and XMLForms (because everything will be XML-centric) and Castor (SQL has been around too long to keep writing it).
Such an effort would require a lot of cooperation and humility (things would have to be done my way :0) - just kidding), but the work of a few people could make a difference in a lot of people's lives.