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HOUSTON BUSINESS REVIEW
COST-EFFECTIVE IT: OPEN SOURCE COMPIERE
By Richard Sonnier
Houston Business Show Commentator Richard Sonnier, of the Information Technology Services firm Nimble Services, provides weekly information on our show about information technology issues. Mr. Sonnier can be reached at 281.445.4800 x 250 or via email.
This week I will finish my discussion of Compiere, a free and complete business application.
Free Software
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) has been promoting the idea of free software for many years. When we speak of free software, we do not necessarily mean zero cost software. Most importantly, free software is free of the control of the software creator or vendor. The FSF defines this freedom as follows:
``Free software'' is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of ``free'' as in ``free speech,'' not as in ``free beer.'' See the FSF website for details.
Think of software more like a book where the author of the book is protected by copyright but where readers are encouraged to use the knowledge in the book in a free and open way.
Open Source
All software is created as source code in some computer language and then compiled into the machine language of the computer. Without the source code, it is extremely difficult to modify a program to meet your needs. Therefore, one important requirement of free software is that its source code be open or freely available.
Closed Business Software
Most business software from Microsoft Office to Peachtree Accounting is closed source; that is the customer has no rights to the source code. Therefore, you cannot make changes to the software to fit your needs. Most seriously, if the software vendor quits supporting this software that is so important to your business, then you are forced to make an expensive migration to another software platform. Every year we see companies forced into very bad situations by their vendors.
Compiere is Open Source
Since Compiere is open source, you are safe from costly future migrations. Even better, Compiere is written in Java. The Java programming language is extremely portable and runs on most computer systems. This is Compiere's "secret weapon" against its well-established competitors in the business software marketplace. With the source code, you can modify Compiere to meet your busines needs easily and cheaply; and the vendor can never force you into an expensive migration. With Compiere, you are in control of your business, not your software vendor.
Recommendation
Consider open source solutions for your business.
Next week I will discuss the latest cell phone technologies.
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Richard Sonnier Archive
- Hot Information Technology Summer 2005 (August 2005, Issue No. 4, Thursday Edition)
- Testing and Reaping Your Reward (August 2005, Issue No. 3, Thursday Edition)
- Training the New Business Process (August 2005, Issue No. 2, Thursday Edition)
- Integration with the Business Process (July 2005, Issue No. 1, Thursday Edition)
- Putting It All Together (June 2005, Issue No. 3, Thursday Edition)
- Getting the Right Hardware and Software (June 2005, Issue No. 2, Thursday Edition)
- Designing the System (May 2005, Issue No. 3, Thursday Edition)
- Identifying Opportunities (May 2005, Issue No. 2, Thursday Edition)
- Money Saving Technology (May 2005, Issue No. 1, Thursday Edition)
- Wireless Inventory (April 2005, Issue No. 2, Thursday Edition)
- Cell Phone Applications (March 2005, Issue No. 5, Thursday Edition)
- Cell Phone 2005 (March 2005, Issue No. 4, Thursday Edition)
- Open Source Compiere (March 2005, Issue No. 3, Thursday Edition)
- The Compiere Difference (March 2005, Issue No. 1, Thursday Edition)
- Compiere (February 2005, Issue No. 4, Monday Edition)
- Web Forms (February 2005, Issue No. 3, Monday Edition)
- Dreamweaver Product Review (February 2005, Issue No. 1, Monday Edition)
- Web Development (January 2005, Issue No. 4, Monday Edition)
- Linux And Open Source 2005 (January 2005, Issue No. 3, Monday Edition)
- Planning The New Year (January 2005, Issue No. 1, Monday Edition)
- Service-Oriented IT (December 2004, Issue No. 4, Monday Edition)
- Photo No-No! (December 2004, Issue No. 2, Monday Edition)
- 100 Megabit Wireless (December 2004, Issue No. 1, Thursday Edition)
- Wireless Technologies (November 2004, Issue No. 2, Monday Edition)
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