Open Source ERP Guru

One of our favorite open source ERP solutions is Apache OfBiz. Apache projects are ‘notorius’ for being of very high quality. The Apache web server literally powers the Internet and is considered one of the best applications ever written. OfBiz is Apache’s take on business management software, and can either be used as an out of the box ERP solution, or as a robust framework for building new ERP solutions on top of.

One of Ofbiz’s main areas for improvement was its user interface. Much attention have been put into the underline data structure, business logic and services layer, while the look and feel of the application was somewhat neglected. A few months ago Ofbiz released a themes engine, enabling developers to build and share their own themes with the community. Themes has the potential of making Ofbiz a much more compelling ERP solution, but it really depends on the community’s contribution. A couple of themes releasedby the community can be found here.

Additionally, Ofbiz redesigned their homepage, deviating from the standard, very basic Apache project look. Navigation is much more simple now, and it is easier to find what you’re looking for.  The changes are a sign of the Ofbiz project becoming more business oriented. The old website seemed too ‘technical’ and had too much information on the homepage, which might have frightened some less technical visitors. The new website looks much more professional and business oriented. It was also very smart to put screenshots of E-commerce websites that are power by Ofbiz on the main page, highlighting Ofbiz strength as an integrated E-commerce-ERP solution.

Congratulations to the project!

Old Apache Ofbiz Website

New Apache Ofbiz Website

New Apache Ofbiz Website

We will be having an interview with memebrs from the Apache Ofbiz team coming up soon, so stay tuned by registering to our RSS feed.