Comments on: An OpenPro Impression – 1 Reason for a Scripted Scenario Demo http://pundit.ca/2007/04/09/an-openpro-impression-1-reason-for-a-scripted-scenario-demo/ Ideas and the Internet, Josh Chalifour Minding the Current Mon, 04 Jul 2011 20:39:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Josh Chalifour http://pundit.ca/2007/04/09/an-openpro-impression-1-reason-for-a-scripted-scenario-demo/comment-page-1/#comment-7822 Josh Chalifour Mon, 16 Apr 2007 13:49:38 +0000 http://www.pundit.ca/analysis/an-openpro-impression-1-reason-for-a-scripted-scenario-demo/#comment-7822 Paul, firstly, let me say that I don't intend to discourage you from selecting OpenPro if it fits your requirements better than your alternatives and is available to you at the right price point. It sounds like you've already seen a demonstration or else tried it out for yourself. Maybe it's a good fit for the requirements you've specified. Were you able to see your organization's requirements demonstrated? Because you mentioned "customers" plural, I'm guessing that you're interested in the sorts of debugging and modifications associated with the people and organizations participating in FOSS communities. If that's the case then it seems like it would be good to ask how OpenPro facilitates those communities around its software and how it manages the changes, improvements, and direction of its community. Open source projects that don't manage and foster their communities adeptly can result in chaos, which might do more harm to the future of the software than to help it. Yet the benefits of these communities (benefits of an open source ecosystem) are a valuable reason to be considering an open source solution. Have you found that OpenPro confers typical free and open source software rights for modifying its code as you might need (are they now licensing it under an Open Source Initiative or <a href="http://www.fsf.org/licensing" rel="nofollow">FSF approved license</a>)? I think it is important to verify that you would have those rights if this is something you intend to make use of. Unless I've made an error, to my eyes, OpenPro doesn't clearly present those community characteristics mentioned above. Of course, if you don't necessarily insist on a FOSS ERP solution such characteristics might not have the same importance to you (lack thereof may not be a considered a weakness). But the crux of my point, and looking back at my post I may have rambled on about a couple things confusing the issue, is that impressions a vendor gives, ought to be validated against what it can actually provide for your needs. This would be true for any software but I chose to discuss OpenPro because I had some first-hand experiences that seemed to bear out this point. First, the handling of its "open source-ness" and second, the unwillingness to demonstrate the surprisingly immense range of functionality it claims to support. In the first case this has an impact on the future of the product, its roadmap and its viability. In the second case the impact quite specifically affects what you will achieve with it for your business requirements. You asked about OpenMFG. I personally have not been party to an in-depth demonstration of its software (so I cannot fairly comment on its capabilities), though CEO Ned Lilly, has been quite willing to give me <a href="http://www.technologyevaluation.com/Research/ResearchHighlights/FreeOpenSource/2004/09/research_notes/VN_FS_JC_09_08_04_1.asp" rel="nofollow">earnest responses to questions</a>. You asked about other ERP systems that support the Mac OS. Here are a few that you might want to look into, to my knowledge they support OS X as a server platform (not sure if you're looking at it for the client side or not). Compiere - www.compiere.com OpenMFG - www.openmfg.com openTaps ERP - www.opentaps.org I understand that the following support Unix or provide hosted services--perhaps it would be worth checking if Mac OS X is also supported. Adonix - www.adonix.com OpenBravo - www.openbravo.com Epicor - www.epicor.com Lawson - www.lawson.com Metasystems - www.metasystems.com NetSuite - www.netsuite.com Pronto - www.pronto.com.au QAD - www.qad.com Paul, firstly, let me say that I don’t intend to discourage you from selecting OpenPro if it fits your requirements better than your alternatives and is available to you at the right price point. It sounds like you’ve already seen a demonstration or else tried it out for yourself. Maybe it’s a good fit for the requirements you’ve specified. Were you able to see your organization’s requirements demonstrated?

Because you mentioned “customers” plural, I’m guessing that you’re interested in the sorts of debugging and modifications associated with the people and organizations participating in FOSS communities. If that’s the case then it seems like it would be good to ask how OpenPro facilitates those communities around its software and how it manages the changes, improvements, and direction of its community. Open source projects that don’t manage and foster their communities adeptly can result in chaos, which might do more harm to the future of the software than to help it. Yet the benefits of these communities (benefits of an open source ecosystem) are a valuable reason to be considering an open source solution.

Have you found that OpenPro confers typical free and open source software rights for modifying its code as you might need (are they now licensing it under an Open Source Initiative or FSF approved license)? I think it is important to verify that you would have those rights if this is something you intend to make use of. Unless I’ve made an error, to my eyes, OpenPro doesn’t clearly present those community characteristics mentioned above. Of course, if you don’t necessarily insist on a FOSS ERP solution such characteristics might not have the same importance to you (lack thereof may not be a considered a weakness).

But the crux of my point, and looking back at my post I may have rambled on about a couple things confusing the issue, is that impressions a vendor gives, ought to be validated against what it can actually provide for your needs. This would be true for any software but I chose to discuss OpenPro because I had some first-hand experiences that seemed to bear out this point. First, the handling of its “open source-ness” and second, the unwillingness to demonstrate the surprisingly immense range of functionality it claims to support. In the first case this has an impact on the future of the product, its roadmap and its viability. In the second case the impact quite specifically affects what you will achieve with it for your business requirements.

You asked about OpenMFG. I personally have not been party to an in-depth demonstration of its software (so I cannot fairly comment on its capabilities), though CEO Ned Lilly, has been quite willing to give me earnest responses to questions.

You asked about other ERP systems that support the Mac OS. Here are a few that you might want to look into, to my knowledge they support OS X as a server platform (not sure if you’re looking at it for the client side or not).

Compiere – http://www.compiere.com
OpenMFG – http://www.openmfg.com
openTaps ERP – http://www.opentaps.org

I understand that the following support Unix or provide hosted services–perhaps it would be worth checking if Mac OS X is also supported.
Adonix – http://www.adonix.com
OpenBravo – http://www.openbravo.com
Epicor – http://www.epicor.com
Lawson – http://www.lawson.com
Metasystems – http://www.metasystems.com
NetSuite – http://www.netsuite.com
Pronto – http://www.pronto.com.au
QAD – http://www.qad.com

]]> By: Paul Hamerly http://pundit.ca/2007/04/09/an-openpro-impression-1-reason-for-a-scripted-scenario-demo/comment-page-1/#comment-7815 Paul Hamerly Sun, 15 Apr 2007 20:45:16 +0000 http://www.pundit.ca/analysis/an-openpro-impression-1-reason-for-a-scripted-scenario-demo/#comment-7815 Josh, We have been searching for an ERP system that can run on Macs, none of which were designed as such, so have been looking at open source code options for several months. The functionality and user ineterface for OpenPro are very impressive, more so than OpenMfg, a rival. It is with great interest that we read your review, but we are still unsure as to its implications. Do you mean to suggest that customers cannot easily make modifications or debug its software, thus a weakness? Do you have any recommendations for other Mac compatable ERP packages (presumably open source code) to look at? Ane experience with Open Mfg? Input would be welcome. Paul Josh,
We have been searching for an ERP system that can run on Macs, none of which were designed as such, so have been looking at open source code options for several months. The functionality and user ineterface for OpenPro are very impressive, more so than OpenMfg, a rival. It is with great interest that we read your review, but we are still unsure as to its implications. Do you mean to suggest that customers cannot easily make modifications or debug its software, thus a weakness? Do you have any recommendations for other Mac compatable ERP packages (presumably open source code) to look at? Ane experience with Open Mfg? Input would be welcome.
Paul

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