App-in-a-box
In the future I see software solutions sold as shrink wrap products that do not rely on the end user having an special hardware or special operating system skills. This analogous to buying a games console instead of the PC version of a game. Using the console you just put the CD in and play the game. On a PC you need to install the game, make sure you have the right drivers, graphics cards, hard drive space etc. Software should be like any other tool or appliance - just plug it in and use it!
For example If someone was developing in Webepigenetics they could package the application in its own hardware for delivery. The end user would not need to install any software on their own servers. The hardware would be a small machine like a Lenovo ultra small PC (running Ubuntu server) or a Mac Mini (running OSX or Ubuntu server if multi user). Clients would access the system exclusively via a web browser. Possible applications can be - a courier's parcel manifest system, customer database, asset databases and even accounting systems written in Webepigenetics for small businesses.
The Hardware itself would have its own IP address and configuration web site and be supported remotely. The customer would not need to concern themselves with the operating system details. A drive map or FTP link could be made to the customer's server for backup purposes.
Delivery could also be as a virtual machine - an entire image of the application and operating system running in a virtual machine on the customers server. This allows Webepigenetics to run in its native environment i.e. Linux even if the customer is a Windows only site.
This is very different to the usual way applications are sold - typically as complex layered software from different third party vendors. For example a typical Window database application would require the customer to buy a Windows server and then a database either SQLserver or Oracle for example before they could install the application. Installation complexity, version control and support would then need to be managed by the customer for all those layers. Contrast this with the simplicity of a single small Webepigentics hardware box that provides your application and all it's required software (usually the free open source Lamp Stack) in one simple package.
The App-in-a box concept allows for almost off the shelf purchase of solutions. For example if you require a knowledgebase just buy the box and plug it in! So although the software will be essentially free open source the value is in the solution and convenience for the end user.
Typical applications could be:
- Payrole in-a-box
- CRM in-a-box
- Asset management in-a-box
- EDI in-a-box
- Stock management in-a-box
- Website in-a-box
- Contact management in-a-box
- Room booking in-a-box
- Appointments management in-a-box
Each application would be inherently multi-user with no CALS (Client Access Licenses) to worry about.
In the future I see software solutions sold as shrink wrap products that do not rely on the end user having an special hardware or special operating system skills. This analogous to buying a games console instead of the PC version of a game. Using the console you just put the CD in and play the game. On a PC you need to install the game, make sure you have the right drivers, graphics cards, hard drive space etc. Software should be like any other tool or appliance - just plug it in and use it!
For example If someone was developing in Webepigenetics they could package the application in its own hardware for delivery. The end user would not need to install any software on their own servers. The hardware would be a small machine like a Lenovo ultra small PC (running Ubuntu server) or a Mac Mini (running OSX or Ubuntu server if multi user). Clients would access the system exclusively via a web browser. Possible applications can be - a courier's parcel manifest system, customer database, asset databases and even accounting systems written in Webepigenetics for small businesses.
The Hardware itself would have its own IP address and configuration web site and be supported remotely. The customer would not need to concern themselves with the operating system details. A drive map or FTP link could be made to the customer's server for backup purposes.
Delivery could also be as a virtual machine - an entire image of the application and operating system running in a virtual machine on the customers server. This allows Webepigenetics to run in its native environment i.e. Linux even if the customer is a Windows only site.
This is very different to the usual way applications are sold - typically as complex layered software from different third party vendors. For example a typical Window database application would require the customer to buy a Windows server and then a database either SQLserver or Oracle for example before they could install the application. Installation complexity, version control and support would then need to be managed by the customer for all those layers. Contrast this with the simplicity of a single small Webepigentics hardware box that provides your application and all it's required software (usually the free open source Lamp Stack) in one simple package.
The App-in-a box concept allows for almost off the shelf purchase of solutions. For example if you require a knowledgebase just buy the box and plug it in! So although the software will be essentially free open source the value is in the solution and convenience for the end user.
Typical applications could be:
- Payrole in-a-box
- CRM in-a-box
- Asset management in-a-box
- EDI in-a-box
- Stock management in-a-box
- Website in-a-box
- Contact management in-a-box
- Room booking in-a-box
- Appointments management in-a-box
Each application would be inherently multi-user with no CALS (Client Access Licenses) to worry about.
WebeDNA Pro
I am currently working on WebeDNA pro which is a version of WebeDNA that is fully content managed by the Knowledgebase application. At the moment sites like this very one exist as a series of database records in the knowledge base glued together by the XML site script. Changing any of the text in the knowledgebase and rebuilding the site will update that text immediately.
This is all working now however in the near future I will have small icons on a preview site which will allow the site developer just to click on an element in a site to automatically bring up the knowlegebase entry for that element. For example you would be able to change an image by just clicking on a small icon placed near the image this would will bring up a box that allows you to browse for another image.
I am currently working on WebeDNA pro which is a version of WebeDNA that is fully content managed by the Knowledgebase application. At the moment sites like this very one exist as a series of database records in the knowledge base glued together by the XML site script. Changing any of the text in the knowledgebase and rebuilding the site will update that text immediately.
This is all working now however in the near future I will have small icons on a preview site which will allow the site developer just to click on an element in a site to automatically bring up the knowlegebase entry for that element. For example you would be able to change an image by just clicking on a small icon placed near the image this would will bring up a box that allows you to browse for another image.