Si, Very interesting and well explained ! If you agree, I hope to translate this in french for a site on OFBiz I hope to do some days. Of course this would remain a quote. One more time, thanks for sharing your experience.
Jacques ----- Original Message ----- From: "Si Chen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2006 11:12 PM Subject: Re: OT: I need some quotes or tips for magazine article > Hi Walter, > > You caught me at a good time for this one... Here are some comments > based on our experience using OFBiz at Gracious Style, these are some > things I could tell you: > > At this point we're using opentaps/OFBiz for online sales, order > entry, inventory, warehouse, shipping and fulfillment, some > manufacturing, and basic financials around those. We will eventually > end up replacing about half a dozen homegrown and commercial packages > which were somehow "integrated" together. > > The reason we originally went with the solution as a user were: > - Superior technology > - Lower cost > - Greater flexibility > > Vendor lock-in was actually not something we understood at the time, > although now it seems to be a serious problem for a lot of mid-tier > commercial software users because of all the consolidation going on. > > Our feeling originally was that many of the small business packages > were lightweight and highly inflexible, so that as our business grew > and changed, they would not be able to keep up with growing volume or > with completely new business needs. For example, if we got a package > which was meant for mail order catalogs but later wanted to do more > manufacturing, retail, or services, we'd be pretty much out of luck. > > Overall, we feel we've gotten exactly what we were looking for--a > highly technologically sophisticated package with tremendous > flexibility to support unique and new business needs at a fraction of > the cost of a comparable commercial package. We've also made > significant investments, both in learning about the project and > contributing to its development, but we feel overall it has been more > than justified. > > I believe that the people who are most successful with open source > software are these traits: > > 1. A true understanding of what open source software brings to the > table. Some people hope that open source software is either free as > in "without cost" or compare it with commercial software on a price/ > feature basis, but both of these miss the point. Open source > business applications give you the freedom to build a platform on > which to build you business and control your destiny in a way that > commercial software never could. > > 2. A willingness to embrace and engage the community. I think the > biggest mistake I've seen is people who download the software and > then go off on their own to try to make it work and keep everything > as their own. At best they achieve their limited original objectives > but end up cutting themselves off from the continuing innovation of > the community. More often than not, though, they simply don't even > get that far, because they're not tapping into the tremendous > knowledge and insights behind the software. > > Conversely, people who become part of the community, learn to get > help from other members of the community, and in turn contribute back > to help the community are ultimately the ones who are most successful > with it. Open source is successful because of collaboration, and we > can succeed together or fail on our own here. > > 3. An ability to understand technology and manage its risks. People > who are most successful with open source software are comfortable > with and interested in technology, want to be in control of their own > technology future, and know how to manage possible risks should they > arise. Conversely, people who can't or don't want to understand > technology and want to let a well-known software vendor decide for > them typically can't ever get comfortable with the idea of open > source software. > > I've often heard people turn away saying "I don't want in the > software/technology business. I'm just a ______." The perverse > thing, however, is that we're all in the technology business these > days. Think about your corner used bookstore, your local antique > shop, and your newspaper classified advertising section. Don't they > compete against Amazon, eBay, and Craigslist? If they're not in the > technology business, will they be in business? > > Have a great weekend :) > > Si > > > On Sep 9, 2006, at 8:30 AM, Walter Vaughan wrote: > > > I am writing an article for the November issue of SEMA News > > http://www.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?id=1004 > > that will revolve around using open source software in small and > > medium sized companies. I would appreciate any tips or success > > stories before Monday evening. I didn't get the go ahead 'til > > Thursday night, and it's due Tuesday.... > > > > Thanks > > > > -- > > Walter
