[ale] Hopefully not spam, Atlanta pre startup idea

[Jonathan Rickman]

On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 10:02:19 -0500, Michael Mealling <michael at neonym.net> wrote:

> Well, CRM isn't and ERP is a term not really applicable for SMBs. ERP is
> a term usually reserved for SAP R3 and its ilk.

Not so. The typical SMB benefits greatly from having a fully
integrated suite of business management apps, which is essentially
what a real resource planning application is. The accounting system is
the most logical starting point, something that so many ISVs tend to
fail to realize. Unfortunately, the accounting system is the hardest
part to develop. Comparing SQL Ledger to something like MAS 90 or
Great Plains makes this readily apparent. IMO the problem with open
source development in this particular area is the lack of experience
in the business world and the requisite lack of exposure to such
systems. Maybe it's just me, but most of the time the guys working on
these projects just don't seem to "get it" completely. One of these
days, and hopefully soon, a CPA with decent coding skills is going to
decide to scratch an itch and take care of this gap in the stack.
Until then, the only real advice I can give  to budding SMB accounting
software developers is to take a look at MAS 90 or Great Plains and go
do that. The QB/PT clones are great for the S, but start falling apart
at the M which results in problems for the B.

--
Jonathan