Re: was: [gnue-discuss] Overview Text Versiion 3.0

[Jason Cater]

On Monday 03 December 2001 01:48 pm, Peter Sullivan wrote:
> Hmm, this is interesting - trying to post a reply to a thread on a
> mailing list that doesn't exist any more...
>
> In article <address@hidden>, Derek A. Neighbors
> <address@hidden> writes
>
> >>OVERVIEW
> >>GNU Enterprise is a comprehensive *Free Software solution for
> >> small-medium enterprises competing in today's fast-paced global
> >> marketplace. Its *Open Architecture allows you to integrate one or more
> >> GNU Enterprise packages with existing legacy applications or proprietary
> >> solutions from commercial vendors. If you want a full function *ERP
> >> system, GNU Enterprise is the package for you.
> >
> >I dont like this description because it paints GNUe into being an 'ERP'
> >while it can be that, its really a development framework that is much
> >more flexible than an ERP. Any database application can be written with
> >GNUe Tools even if they have nothing to do with the ERP packages, I dont
> >think we want to lose that.
>
> I think a good way of explaining this is something
> Jason Cater said on IRC that found its way into
> Kernel Cousins (slightly amended) :
>
> "GNU Enterprise is really two projects in one:
> 1) A complete architecture for implementing business applications, and
> 2) A set of applications that implement business applications"

Hmm... that was a slight IRC'ism... I meant: 
 "GNU Enterprise is really two projects in one:
 1) A complete architecture for implementing business applications, and
 2) A set of packages that implement common business applications"

-- Jason

>
> Paraphrasing the rest, it would be perfectly possible to use the GNUe
> Tools to produce your own private applications, either stand-alone or
> linked to your organisation's main GNUe Applications implementation.
>
> James Thompson's quote may also be relevant here:
>
> "Eventually we'll have a clearing house of applications so you can
> just grab something close someone else has made and tweak it to your
> liking."
>
> If you were going to do a diagram, I guess it would be something like:
>
> GNU Enterprise
>
> +--GNUe Tools
>
> |  +--Forms
> |  +--Reports
> |  +--Designer
> |  +--Application Server
> |  +--GNU-RPC (formerly GNUe Common)
> |  +--etc.
>
> +--Applications
>
>    +--GNUe Applications
>
>    |  +--Financials
>    |  +--Supply Chain
>    |  +--etc.
>
> .. .|. . . . . . . . . . . . . Official "Boundary" of the GNUe Project
>
>    +--"friendly" applications
>
>    |  +--DCL (not really fair, as this is a project in its
>    |
>    |  |  own right, but the nearest real-world example we have AFAIK)
>    |
>    |  +--other apps from James' hypothetical library,
>    |     released under GPL
>
>    +--"private" applications
>
>       +--anything and everyting!
>
> I did consider another category of applications - "unfriendly"
> applications, which were written using GNUe Tools, but *not*
> released under GPL or equivalent. But presumably this would
> be in violation of the GPL on GNUe Tools anyway?
>
> Part of the beauty of GNUe is that there is room for everyone -
> from hardcore hackers whose main interest is in the tools,
> to more apps-orientated people like myself (and I would guess
> Alan), who may not know one end of a python from another, but
> know what boxes they want on their invoice entry screen...