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--- sql-ledger_community [2014/06/26 12:34] – sweitmann
+++ sql-ledger_community [2014/12/30 15:01] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1
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-Arrey Bhits from BIT (Blekinge Institute of Technology) has written a case study about the SQL-Ledger Community as part of his course work for his Masters Degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. We are grateful to Mr. Bhits for sharing his work with us.
+//Arrey Bhits from BIT (Blekinge Institute of Technology) has written a case study about the SQL-Ledger Community as part of his course work for his Masters Degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. We are grateful to Mr. Bhits for sharing his work with us.//
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 It is a software project that is developed by a community that sprung from the invention of Dieter Simader. Over a decade ago, Dieter Simader started working on a project to found an Enterprise Resource Planning soft ware. In 1999, he succeeded to launch the SQL – Ledger.
-====== 2.1 Usability and Programming Language ======
+**// 2.1 Usability and Programming Language //**
 The SL is the ultimate free ERP and accounting solution for small and medium sized businesses. It is written in the programming language Perl, runs on any modern web server like Apache and stores all related business data in an SQL database such as IBM, DB2, or PostgreSQL.
 Packing Lists, Invoices, Balance Sheets, Sales, Income Statements, Work and Purchase Orders, Statements, Receipts and Checks are generated from templates and can be changed to suit individual needs. The templates come in html, tex and text format. The tex templates are processed with latex to produce PDF documents and prostscript. Documents can be sent to a file, printer, or fax, emailed or displayed on screen. The foreign language templates and translation mechanism for items make it possible to invoice in any foreign language.
-====== 2.2 Solution Areas of SQL Ledger ======
+**// 2.2 Solution Areas of SQL Ledger //**
-The SL is suitable for Very Small Businesses (Less than 50 employees) and Small Businesses (50 to 99 employees) and it is capable of offering the following solutions:
+The SL is suitable for Very Small Businesses (Less than 50 employees) and Small Businesses (50 to 99 employees) and offers all standard professional Accounting & ERP templates and reports.
-Government
-   - Finance and Administration
-Healthcare and Pharmaceutical
-   - Finance and Accounting
-Financial Services/Banking
-   - Automated Solutions
-    -Point of Sales
-Retail
-   - Self- Service solutions
-   -Point of Sale
-E-Mail Messaging and Collaboration
-   - Collaboration
-Cross industry
-   - eBusiness, eCommerce
-   - Enterprise Resource Planning (a.k.a. Enterprise Application Systems (EAS)
-   - Core Enterprise Resource Planning
-======  2.3 Competiveness of the SQL Ledger ======
+**//  2.3 Competiveness of the SQL Ledger //**
 If software is to eventually attract users and survive, the presentation and branding must convince prospective users that the software does something significantly better than the competition. The SL has been able to live up to the challenges because; The SQL-Ledger is a highly efficient, cost-effective and flexible accounting system. The SL also costs less to run and therefore produces better return on investment than any equivalent proprietary software with a license fee. SL offers specialized modifications to a code base to accommodate specific technical or business requirements.
@@ Line 53: / Line 37: @@
 The SQL – Community is an example of an open source community. It is so considered because it is made of members who are empowered to use and alter the source code of the software. The source code of the SQL Ledger is the entity that gives meaning and substance to this community.
-====== 3.1 Development of the SQL – Ledger Community ======
+**// 3.1 Development of the SQL – Ledger Community //**
 The SQL-Ledger is the result of the amazing genius of Dieter Simader, and thus the resulting SL community that sprung off can be traced back to him. He succeeded to launch the SQL – Ledger in 1999. However, although the SQL – Ledger Community is grateful for his tremendous invention, he has not been subsequently very community oriented and unfortunately runs a parallel "non-free" or proprietary version of this software with some extra features.
@@ Line 63: / Line 47: @@
 Within the last few years, several other developers and users dispersed around the world have been engaging in the SL project and their combined efforts have immensely improved SL, making the SQL ledger more reliable and capable of attending to a larger array of issues. Their efforts have been supported by, and have been within the umbrella of the International SQL-Ledger Network Association.
-====== 3.2 The International SQL-Ledger Network Association ======
+**// 3.2 The International SQL-Ledger Network Association //**
 The International SQL-Ledger Network Association was founded by Sebastian Weitmann and Thomas Brändle. It is a forum offering an infrastructure for better communication amongst different SL users and developers. Developers use this forum to share ideas, and also attend to issues from users. One way that this platform helps the SQL - Ledger is that by sharing this real time communication with users, developers are abreast with not only the short comings of SL, but certain professional changes that happen at the work place. Such interactions between users and developers continuously reposition the SQL Ledger as a leading free international ERP software alternative and thus placing it at the edge of a vastly changing world. At the crux of what the International SQL – ledger Network Association was founded, is to support further open source development of the SL project on a joint basis.
@@ Line 81: / Line 65: @@
 By providing feed back upon using the software.
-====== 4.1 Software Improvements ======
+**// 4.1 Software Improvements //**
 The SL as well as all other open source software is in a version control system. This is a system for remembering who made what change, comparing changes, distributing changes and reverting changes (i.e., undoing what was not necessary).
@@ Line 94: / Line 78: @@
 Working on the source code by different developers across the world who speak different languages is made possible by the usage of the text editor, and then working on the translation file by running the  'perl locales.pl -a' from the command line in order to make required file translations.
-====== 4.2 Support Services ======
+**// 4.2 Support Services //**
 The SQL community also comprises of people who implement the software for clients and help such clients get started with SL and also support the further development by supplying front line feedback from the users to the developers.
@@ Line 100: / Line 84: @@
 However, as with all GPL software, if it is broken, both pieces have to be kept. As such, paid support is the assurance that it doesn't break. A support option is offered to import older data from accounting packages that can export tab-delimited text files.
-====== 4.3 Providing Feedback upon Using the Software ======
+**// 4.3 Providing Feedback upon Using the Software //**
 The International SQL Ledger Association makes it possible for all users and developers to have their say by providing a forum where development issues are discussed in a mailing list and through their website. By sharing this real time communication with users, developers are brought au courant with not only the short comings of SL, but certain professional changes that happen at the work place as well. People who provide support services to the clients also serve as the interface between the users and the developers by providing feedback to the former from the later.