Hi, I'm the owner of the FreeOpenSourceSoftware.* domains, donated to the
community as the Wiki http://FreeOpenSourceSoftware.org . I'm also the
leader of http://Eseri.com, a team of software developers that have
integrated a comprehensive FOSS solution including Intranet, desktops, and
applications, including of course the world's second most popular office
suite OpenOffice. We put the solution in the cloud to make it maximally
convenient to those that don't want local installations. Then we make it
available on virtual desktops to make full functionality FOSS available
*anywhere* there is an Internet connection.
Our goal is to help greatly increase use of FOSS by small and medium sized
organizations, enlarging the community with a stake in FOSS to help ensure
its long-term vibrancy.
This email describes the power of this architecture to make FOSS more
widely available to the world, and respectfully requests assistance from
the community, OpenOffice and beyond, to help us get off the ground.
Our starting observation was that three elements can greatly help increase
FOSS use by small and medium sized organizations: integrated solutions,
hosting in the cloud, and most importantly virtual desktops.
1. Integrated FOSS
-----------------------
Our solution is built from more than 75 of the world's best FOSS
components. It is founded on a "hosted Intranet", with everything you
would need in a physical installation, including secure networks, a user
directory, servers, databases, shared folders, and all related system
software. Then we added Ubuntu, the world's third most popular desktop.
Then we integrated a complete suite of the world's best FOSS productivity
and collaboration applications. This combination of hosted Intranet,
desktops, and comprehensive application suite provides small and medium
sized organizations with a complete turn-key FOSS system to meet all of
their IT needs, no proprietary software required whatsoever.
In an effort to help address the world's terrible acronym shortage, we call
our solution the world's first example of Organization as a Service (OaaS).
2. The Cloud
---------------
Putting the integrated solution in the cloud is the second key to
increasing FOSS use, greatly reducing the barriers and eliminating most
local hardware, setup, configuration, backup, maintenance, and associated
time and cost. This provides small and medium sized organizations with the
same enterprise data center capability, convenience, and security that has
long been available to larger organizations.
3. Virtual Desktops
----------------------
Third, we provide access to the solution on virtual desktops to make it
available anywhere you can access the Internet. The virtual desktop
innovation is truly revolutionary, the most important key to widening
general use of FOSS. Basically, the Internet and NX virtual desktop
protocol are now fast enough to "extend the monitor cord" across the
Internet. Unlike the better known VNC, the NX protocol uses no more than
100 kbps in normal operation, which opens up the world of FOSS to anyone
with an Internet connection.
With the development of NX, there is absolutely no need to rearchitect 30
years of excellent FOSS development and create limited proprietary software
running over a web browser. Notwithstanding advances with Ajax and related
technologies, web based applications do not give users the advantages of a
fully interactive, powerful desktop user interface, or the basic advantage
of the secure space provided by the tried and true desktop paradigm itself.
In other words, it is much better to use full functionality OpenOffice on
a secure, portable virtual desktop than to use a limited usability office
suite over a browser on whatever possibly insecure machine you happen to be
using at the moment.
(Note: The only proprietary component in our solution is our virtual
desktop software from NoMachine, because the FOSS solutions FreeNX, NeatX,
and Spice are not yet scalable to thousands of users. But they are close -
stay tuned.)
4. Solution to Cloud Lockin
----------------------------------
The architecture described above also addresses the main customer concern
about the cloud \u2013 extreme vendor lockin. When an organization uses
online proprietary software, they are more vulnerable than ever before.
Should they ever wish to leave the proprietary service, their data may be
largely in non-standard formats, and they have no fallback ability to set
up an equivalent local solution without, at a minimum, large capital
outlays for local proprietary software. With an all FOSS solution, of
course they always have the option to obtain their data in open formats and
the exact same applications at no cost if they wish or need to setup a
local solution.
5. Request For Assistance
-----------------------------
We've spent three years working nights and weekends to integrate a
complete, virtual desktop solution that proves FOSS can meet all of an
organization's needs. The more business success we achieve, i.e. providing
enough value to enough customers to take in more money than we spend, the
more we will be be able to provide a continual financial support stream to
develop and enhance all the FOSS software that we incorporate. In other
words, our goal is to build a large and mutually reinforcing ecosystem to
help support FOSS development.
We are just launching, and could really use some help from the larger FOSS
community. If you see value in our approach, we respectfully ask for your
assistance in two ways. First, we need publicity, so appreciate any help
you can provide in spreading the word about this solution in the FOSS
community. And second, we need customers, so appreciate any assistance you
can provide in sending any organizations that could benefit from our
solution to our web site or the undersigned.
Thanks very much for listening,
Bill Stewart
Eseri CEO
wstewart aht eseri daught calm
Other Questions
==========
Q. Do you have any FOSS software of your own to release yet?
A. All our work is in integration, with no software or FOSS modifications
to release at present.
Q. If and when you do modify or enhance any of the FOSS software you
incorporate, are you going to hide behind the hosting model to claim you
are not "distributing" and so do not have to release?
A. No. While we are aware of the updates to several FOSS licenses to
ensure that hosting is treated as distribution, and are fine with that, we
believe the distinction is unnecessary \u2013 hosted software provided to
third parties over the Internet is clearly distribution in our minds, and
we will release any modifications or enhancements we make to any FOSS software.
Q. Will you provide development and financial support only to the FOSS in
your solution, or will you broaden out to support other FOSS projects and
initiatives as well?
A. We will primarily provide support to the FOSS in our solution,
including internal work we release, and financial support to address
feature bounties and bug fixes performed by others. However we also plan
to support the larger FOSS community where we can, so for example may
provide financial support to FOSS organizations and foundations that do not
directly contribute to our solution but benefit the community as a whole.
Q. What FOSS is in your solution?
A. At the hosted Intranet level, most of the usual suspects, from Dovecot
to Kerberos to OpenLDAP to PostgreSQL. The desktop is the latest Ubuntu
Lucid. The 24 individual application components include those we have
carefully selected to be the best FOSS available with the largest
communities and best long term investment protection, with the largest
components including BigBlueButton (being integrated now), Drupal,
Evolution, Nuxeo, OpenHRM, OpenOffice, vTiger, and WikiMedia.
Q. Is any of your software Commercial Open Source Software (COSS),
requiring license fees for advanced functionality once an organization gets
successful?
A. No, all our software is pure FOSS, as per the philosophy outlined at
FreeOpenSourceSoftware.org. We believe COSS is bait-and-switch, basically
little different than straight proprietary software, and not worth the
support of the real FOSS community.
Q. Are you interested in distribution partners, and do you have a referral
fee program?
A. Yes, we are very interested in establishing partnerships with
individuals and organizations that may have contact with small and medium
sized organizations that can benefit from our solution. We have programs
that can either provide a referral fee, or special pricing for which local
companies can add value to our solution by providing onsite support for
those organizations that wish a local arm to take care of networks,
printers, and any other local IT outside our solution.
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