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Philosophy

Our work on BlueErp is driven by the philosophy to create the best Accounting and ERP software available by using free and open source software.

Free software

For BlueErp, the "free" in "free software" is used primarily in reference to freedom and not to price - although we are committed to not charging for BlueErp. The most important thing about BlueErp is not that it is available free of charge, but that it confers rights of software freedom on the people who install and use it. It is those freedoms that enable the BlueErp community to grow, sharing its collective experience and expertise to improve BlueErp and make it suitable for use in new countries and new industries.

Quoting the Free Software Foundation's "What is Free Software", the freedoms at the core of free software are defined as:

  • The freedom to run the program, for any purpose.
  • The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs.
  • The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others.
  • The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that everyone benefits.

Free software has been a coherent social movement for more than two decades. This movement has produced millions of lines of code, documentation, and a vibrant community of which BlueErp is proud to be a part.

Open source

Open source is a term coined in 1998 to remove the ambiguity in the English word "free". The Open Source Initiative described open source software in the Open Source Definition. Open source continues to enjoy growing success and wide recognition.

BlueErp is happy to call itself open source. While some refer to free and open source as competing movements with different ends, we do not see free and open source software as either distinct or incompatible. BlueErp proudly includes members who identify with both the free software and open source camps and many who identify with both.

Community

BlueErp is primarily developed by its users and for its users, in an open process. The goal of the project is to make an ERP package wich is easy to use, easy to adopt and which can reach a community of users that would go far beyond its developers. BlueErp beleives in:

  • lowering the barriers of use for potential users
  • attractiveness of the user interface
  • documentation for the end user
  • strong security in mind during the development
  • involvement of the developers with the community of users

(Adapted from http://www.egroupware.org/philosophy)

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