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annecote's picture

Implementation: Collaboration is Key

Posted Wed, 03/10/2010 - 08:55 by annecote

One of the most common mistakes of implementation projects is not putting together the right team.  Typically, all things software fall squarely on the lap of IT professsionals with the expectation that they will install the system, configure, train users, and switch it on.  Computer project for the computer guy, right?

But when it comes to enterprise software this is an unrealistic expectation.  Let's use another project example for a moment: suppose you're remodeling your kitchen.  Would you defer ALL the decisions regarding your new kitchen to your general contractor?  Why not?  He has the tools and the experience to measure, install cabinets, countertops, hook up appliances, etc.

Well, first of all, the contractor doesn't live in your kitchen.  Read more »

ned's picture

Every picture tells a story

Posted Tue, 03/09/2010 - 13:14 by ned

The chart above shows the incredible results of our haxTuple bug derby.  The orange line is the number of open bugs; the red line is the number of bugs fixed during the contest.  As you can see, the lines crossed on the very last day of the contest - 324 bugs fixed, and just 313 remaining (out of over 10,000 over the life of the company).

A big part of the reason for this surge was our haxTuple winner, Scott Zuke of Core Services Group.  Core is an xTuple partner in western Michigan, and is also behind the forthcoming Time and Expense functionality (more on that later!)  As soon as we can get our hands on one (we've placed our pre-order), Scott will receive the iPad grand prize.  (No, not that one!)

But it was a photo finish - for the last week or so, it was back and forth between Scott and Alfredo Martinez, of Yucatán, Mexico.  Alfredo oversees the xTuple implementation at a large furniture manufacturer there, and recently became a partner as well.

We had great participation from a number of other users, including other partners, customers, and open source community contributors.  A big thanks to everyone that participated!  On the off chance that people will occasionally find additional bugs in the software, we look forward to doing this again with a future release of xTuple! Read more »

ned's picture

3.5 beta 2 now available - and haxTuple rolls on!

Posted Tue, 03/02/2010 - 11:37 by ned

It's not too late to get in on the action for the haxTuple bug derby.  Check out the impressive leaderboard on the left side of this page - there's a fierce battle for the iPad between two prolific community contributors, Alfredo Martinez and Scott Zuke.  As they said in a really bad sci-fi movie once, "there can be only one."

But... there can be LOTS of other prizes, including free xTuple training (a $2000 value), and cool geek toys like a Star Trek phaser and Albert Einstein doll action figure.  Anyone can be a winner, and the prizes are cumulative as you rack up more fixed bugs!  Check out all the details here - the contest runs until Monday the 8th...

You can see the fruits of a lot of that initial labor in the new beta2 release of xTuple ERP version 3.5.0, now available for download from Sourceforge. Read more »

jrogelstad's picture

Taking on The Big Cluster

Posted Mon, 03/01/2010 - 12:58 by jrogelstad

For several years now we've had a very large widget called the "Contact Cluster" that is used as the common interface to edit and search for contacts. 

This device was implemented when CRM was introduced into xTuple in version 2.0.  The idea was to preserve the previous look and feel of contact information which had been stored locally on each table but, with the introduction of CRM, was being normalized into a single CRM contacts table.  It made sense in theory because people say they don't like jumping around to a new screen every time they need to enter new information and we try when we can to reduce upgrade surprises by maintaining some consistency in the interface.  

In practice however, this strategy has been less than optimal.  Read more »

ned's picture

Understanding open source business models

Posted Mon, 02/22/2010 - 12:07 by ned

There's a headline that will wake up a lot of people ;-)

But seriously, we're interested in starting a more active dialog with community members on something that's very close to our hearts as a business:  making money.  You might even call it a Goal.  Yes, we want to make the world a better place for business software users - but we also want to make sure we're striking the right balance of customer and community user value.

To that end, we'd really appreciate it if you could answer one question.  Put very simply, what would you be willing to pay for? Read more »

carolyn's picture

Neither snow nor rain nor... Well, maybe snow

Posted Sat, 02/20/2010 - 07:34 by carolyn

The unofficial motto for the United States Postal Service is a tribute to dedication, but may be less appropriate for professions like yours and mine.  As you may have heard, we postponed the Power User class that was scheduled earlier this month due to the blizzard that dropped over two feet of snow near our headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia. Read more »

wtonra's picture

Macworld 2010 Report

Posted Fri, 02/19/2010 - 12:07 by wtonra

Macworld is the annual get together for the Apple and Mac faithful held every year in San Francisco. More than your typical technology conference, it has a long history of being THE event for Apple users (and fans), who come in from literally every corner world.  It is traditionally an Apple/Steve Jobs love show.  This year, there was a cloud hanging over the show as Apple announced last year that they would not be participating in 2010. The show has never been run by Apple, and the all-things i-Maker decided that they were no longer interested being the largest paying sponsor of the Fan-Fest.  Since the announcement, fear had gripped the Macworld regulars that if Apple bailed on the show, then the community wouldn't come out.  There was much anticipation as to how Macworld 2010 would really do. Read more »

gmoskowitz's picture

C++ or JavaScript?

Posted Wed, 02/17/2010 - 12:42 by gmoskowitz

 A software guy I know recently said that he prefers PHP to C++, something about C++ being "too fussy". I didn't comment at the time but the issue is an interesting one and is relevant to the haxTuple bug derby and xTuple application scripting. Read more »

ned's picture

haxTuple scorecard!

Posted Tue, 02/16/2010 - 15:24 by ned

Here's a running tally of bugs that have been assigned - and resolved - in pursuit of the haxTuple bug derby. Read more »

yellowdog's picture

Yellow Dog Wireless for xTuple

Posted Thu, 02/11/2010 - 09:44 by yellowdog

Looking to implement a wireless barcoding solution that integrates with xTuple?  Look no further.  Our solution is already in use in a number of xTuple clients.  It has enabled our customers to improve productivity by xtending xTuple to the shop floor capturing information as it happens. Read more »

 

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