OpenERP Makes v6 Available to the Channel
The open source business software developer is looking for the channel to evaluate this release and provide feedback for a final version release scheduled for December.
OpenERP is a comprehensive suite of business applications, including sales, CRM, project management, warehouse management, manufacturing, financial management, and human resources tools. This week, the open source developer announced the availability of the Release Candidate for OpenERP v6.
The Release Candidate of OpenERP v6 is being billed by OpenERP as “a major software line upgrade” that makes implementation “far easier, more affordable, and accessible” for SMBs.
In a press release submitted to Channel Pro-SMB, OpenERP told editors that the Release Candidate is a finalized version of OpenERP v6, which is available to the OpenERP community and customers so they can “evaluate and provide feedback for a final version release in December 2010.”
The newest version of the OpenERP suite, which is written in Python, is the result of “literally thousands of suggestions and improvements,” states the OpenERP press release. “Every single application has been improved as a result of this continuous collaborative process.”
According to OpenERP COO Marc Laporte, OpenERP v6 represents a major breakthrough in the channel. “For the first time,” he says, “companies can build an ERP system at their own pace, enjoy the short-term benefits of starting with a single application and then build end-to-end integration as they deploy additional applications over time.”
In addition, Laporte says OpenERP v6 puts a lot of emphasis on its user interface. Three major innovations, he says, have been made a part of this release. They are:
- A Simplified and Extended Menu–Users, according to their needs and levels of expertise, can access either a simplified version of OpenERP or an extended version.†
- A Single Application–A purchasing manager, for example, can create a new supplier, send an order form, check the reception of the materials, and validate the supplier’s bill in one application.
- Limited Menus and Extended Search–Users now have access to all the information they need without navigating through various menus. The ability to access information in the same screen makes the application very simple to use.
