Si Chen

Is Blockchain the Ultimate Open Source Disruptive Technology? Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures has been talking a lot about the blockchain recently, so I decided to learn more about it.  I read the Marketing the Blockchain e-book, watched The Grand Vision of a Crypto-Tech Economy video and the video keynote of Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne at the Bitcoin 2014 conference, and did some more research on my own.  While far from an expert, I do see some interesting similarities to the adoption of open source software. Here’s what I’ve learned — please comment and tell me if I’m wrong: What’s the Big Deal about the Blockchain? Blockchain is a distributed ledger system using crytography and open source software. The goal of the blockchain is to allow anonymous and secure record-keeping. But here’s the big thing: instead of those records being kept in one central, alleged... (more)

Opening Up Enterprise Software: Key Trends and Opportunities for Open Source Applications

In this presentation, Si Chen will discuss the key trends in the enterprise software sector, including vendor consolidation, on-demand delivery, and the transition to a Service Oriented Architecture, and how they are creating opportunities for open source applications.  He will then showcase opentaps, the Open Source Enterprise Applications Suite (www.opentaps.org).  opentaps is a Java open source application suite with ERP, CRM, Manufacturing, eCommerce, and Supply Chain Management features which is built around SOA and can be deployed on any database or platform.  The presentat... (more)

opentaps 1.4 Release Candidate Available

We have just  made the release candidate for opentaps Open Source ERP + CRM Version 1.4 available, and you can download opentaps 1.4RC1 from SourceForge.  We will also be making an opentaps Amazon EC2 image for this release candidate available shortly. This release candidate is the final step before the official release of opentaps 1.4, which is expected in the next few weeks, and there should be only limited changes to opentaps 1.4 before its release.  If you have questions or comments about this release, please join us at the opentaps forum on SourceForge. ... (more)

A Brief History of CRM

This is actually pretty cool: a timeline history of CRM, from Software Advice.  From the early days of the PC: To our much heralded (hyped?) social web 2.0 future: It’s fun to trace the history of technology and Customer Relationship Management applications: Early 1980’s: Personal Computers -> ACT!, desktop single user sales automation software, 1986 Late 1980’s: Client/Server -> Siebel, multi-user CRM, 1993 1995: Netscape and the Internet -> Salesforce.com, web-based CRM, 1999 2010: Web 2.0 and Cloud Computing -> ? What, indeed, will the future bring?  Even bigger changes. If y... (more)

The New Small: an Interview with Phil Simon

Phil Simon has written an interesting new book, The New Small, about a new breed of small businesses that are taking advantage of new technologies to leapfrog their larger competitors. (Talking to him about the book inspired my post about “Open Source and the Future of Small Businesses“.)  He’s also shared some insights about his new book with us in this interview. What made you want to write The New Small? As I mention in the Preface of the book, I saw a need. Many small business owners are awash in a sea of technological choices. They are too busy to research all of these techn... (more)