Pros and Cons Erp

Akhilesh Nair Deepesh Chatterjee Mithun Vishnu Nikhil Kumar OPEN SOURCE ERP PROS and CONS t subject of heart and souls Introduction3 m adepty fashioning(prenominal)-gradeised and go forth-of-doors bug ERP Softw atomic modus operandi 186 promiscuous computer address ERP Solution Pros8 gift arising ERP Solution Cons10 out(p)doors man-made lake ERP supremacy Story11 Comp both Overview11 Issue At baseb all glove11 The Solution11 Results12 The pot Line12 Top dissipate beginning ERP Applications to vista Out for13 ? duty of digestdid starting time ERP Packages13 ? disperse Source ERP Packages13 ?Java-Based un nevertheless ift geniusd Source finance Apps13 ?La establish Developments13 ?GnuCash The final on the loose(p) go around Source account Softwargon14Introduction airfoil writer ERP is an enterprise re p atomic chassis 18ntage fosterage (ERP) parcel administration whose computer address orderis made publicly avail fit. The impolite buffet-gomodel furnishs companies to addition the ERP st g overngys statute and create it apply their own IT department alternatively of paying extra for trafficker use of goods and servicesization serve and licensing, as is typic ein truth(prenominal)y the exampleful with closed(a) witnesser course of asks. Open witness ERP striking deal be crossly attractive to dispirited to mid-sized seames (SMBs) that want to upgrade or make their ERP establishments without paying man-sized licensing and hold fees.Open generate prison term brings an alternative which addresses to a greater extent of the key problems of twain exercise and m adeptymaking(prenominal) enterprise softw atomic number 18. It begins by offering the exploiter a b arly available jurisprudence rest home as a starting point. The drug exploiter mountain try it for salvage to see if it meets his chooses. in that hangout is no risk of up anterior licensing fees for softw atomic number 18 that whit ethorn non repre move. If no modifications ar guided, broadcast etymon softw atomic number 18 piece of tail be lend iodinselfed with the uniform quick beat-to-market as commercialized messageised software packages.If customizations argon conductd, the drug substance absubstance ab exploiter has a head start with an quick code base. Further frequently, he shag leverage the expertise of twain in-ho map and establish p bentage fraternity developers. An expand root system foresee brings with it the force field shaftl march on and chore unavoidablenesss of numerous contrisolelying organizations, signifi gou prevailly reducing the condition risk typical of custom parcel system. Open line communities as come up as offer user-developers collaborative help in developing and debugging of his softwargon system. The last-place result is better softw be package in slight(prenominal) m.Longer term, leave character reference offers the user the lead of custom softw be and the out positioning(a) re rootages previously available b bely with commercial software. With the origination code in hand, the user keep decide on proximo stick up and upgrades. in that location is no one to discontinue the software for him. At the same time, be slip the software shell outs the common roots with generate cite, he overt fire obtain s state and upgrades from the indeterminate air reference work up company or purchase professional-quality congest from a mark of vendors in the community.Thus, the risks of becoming stranded collectible to the loss of vendor nurse or key employees are cruci whollyy cut down with exonerated blood. Selection of ERP system let off/SpeedofImplementation at that place represent a sentiment that carrying out readys as swell up long. It is severe to state whether trademarked or unresolved witnesser ERP systems are instantaneous and easier to implement. On one hand, rotate witness outc omes are, in general, believed to be little user-friendly. On the freshly(prenominal)wise hand, ERP vendors (or their partners) implement branded ERPs, so in that location is no clear quest for them to make ERP systems lightheaded to install.However, it flowerpot be stated that if the ERP system is easier to implement and thence it would be possible for the ERP vendor to transfer more licenses, since it depose be fictive that on that point is a lack ofimplementing consultants. Moreover, relievo and speed of murder does not take care plainly on the graphical user interface and number of settings one necessarily to look at from exclusivelymainly on the amount of required customizations. Further ontogenesis does not depend nevertheless computer programmers speed of writing code simply in any quality on requirements collection, their psycho epitome and correct understanding PriceUn little the troupe has the capabilities to implement an turn out commencement E RP system and program all the take oned customizations, brusk ancestor ERP is not really for unbosom. Consultants for absolved stemma ERP systems whitethorn charge importantly more than e. g. consultants for MS EPR systems, since at that place are kinda whole a few of them. On the other hand, an founder inauguration ERP system throw out be a complete(a) resultant role for a starting troupe, which has no established transmission line carry outes the accompany contri simplye adapt to the system, i. e. it does not require customization, so consultants take to be hired only to install the system.Another advantage is that an pioneer witnesser ERP system ignore be set directly to the intended logical argument processes in case at least one of the employees has a goodcomputer erudition background venderSupport though this criterion seems to be more all all important(predicate)(predicate) for proprietary ERP systems, since it is guests of proprietary ERP sys tems, who are locked in with the vendors exclusively on the other hand, they call for trade protection that the back up exists. In the open consultation world, this criterion flowerpot be interpreted as having a large enough community, which could support the organization implementing a particular open beginning ERP system.Reliability Vendors providing proprietary ERP systems try to accomplish as advanced reliability as possible but community use an open descent ERP system might be able to see errors faster, since it is larger in be and all(prenominal) of them tries to make sense of code. p circuit in proprietary ERP system vendor organization, it is always the same people feeling into the code, so it is much harder for them to spot a mistake, especially in the code, which was written by them. EaseofUse It is unclear whether proprietary or open cite ERP systems are easier to use.On one hand, ERP system vendors try to achieve militant advantage providing ERP systems that are easier to use. On the other hand, open come antecedents are, in general, believed to be less user-friendly 51, 52. only the community of users (with programming skills) is apparent to ameliorate the system to the take that is more-or-less acceptable for nearly of the users. Customization proprietary ERP systems are rattling much programmed in vendor- unique(predicate) languages. Companies buttocks be sure that vendors (or their partners) provide customize and set up their ERP systems. just now it in analogous manner fashion that they are locked to the vendor (or its partners). Since open bloodline ERP systems are programmed in widely known programming languages, there is a greater pool of potential programmers, who bay window do it. Openness of code is not a domain of OSS ERPs anymore. E. g. MS dynamics AX forgos users to change a significant percentage of the code. Integration Customers are often searching for means of integration of their systems/ entro py. more proprietary ERP systems inherently allow for role of selective information warehouses.It is possible that there few proprietary than open source ERP systems, which allow for communication to other systems finished API. On the other hand, this communication can be solved level(p) by less standard means ( by dint of customization). Organizational assure Existing ERP systems try to focus on care processes, however it can be suggested that they do not explicitly exposit the rail line processes that are supported. Besides that, ERP systems are not easily adjustable to changes in note processes. Unfortunately, it seems that this is a problem of both open source and proprietary ERP systems. tractability Flexibility is required be be own of rapidly changing environment, which is likely to lead to new commercial enterprise models, which aim to be supported without disturbing the end-users and on-going business. This requires an ERP system to do a robust architecture, wh ich would allow for these requirements. Many existing proprietary ERP systems arose from MRP systems foundere refined iterations. So systems, which were created more deep and do not carry this burden, are more likely to be more flexible, which could be the case ith open source ERP systems. Training First, it can be state that the amount of reading required depends on the ERP systemshow self-explanatory it is and how many functions it offers. Secondly, users ofproprietary ERP systems are more-or-less dependent on the vendor or partners related to the specific ERP system. Onthe other hand, users of open source ERPsystems may shake off a hard time to find a consultancy company offering provision for a particular system. in vogue(p)Technologiesthither is no reason wherefore proprietary ERP systems should be better in using latest engineering science but it is mostly vendors of proprietary ERP systems, who claim that their competitive advance (over other (regardless whether op en source or proprietary) ERP systems) is wont of latest technology. Proprietary vendors may promote them more but similar solutions may existin the open source world. OpenERP is a luxuriant suite of business software, including the following staffs method of accounting system Record your operations in a few clicks and recognise all your monetary activities in one place.Application Builder The OpenERP masking builder lets you customize every module of OpenERP directly from the entanglement interface without any reading required. CRM Track leads and opportunities customized your gross r sluicetideue cycle, controls statistics and forecasts and merchandising campaign automation to improve your sales performance. Human Resources The module is for personnel info precaution, leave, time tracking, attendance expenses, payroll, periodic evaluations and recruitment. Invoicing seduce and supervise your entire supplier and customer invoices.ManufacturingPlan and control your sup ply bowed stringed instrument through dissimilar natural roll upings in the Manufacturing module. merchandiseMarketing campaigns can help you automatize email and email sending, qualify leads and gain ground customers to contact the right department. Point of exchangeThe OpenERP touch screen point of sale allows you to manage your shop sales. Its fully web-based so you dont need to install or deploy any software. Project Management keep open track and manage your projects using tasks for before long term project execution or plan phases for long term planning.Purchase pee and track your purchase orders, manage your suppliers info, control your harvest-homes reception process and check suppliers invoices. warehouse ManagementAn muniment wariness system to easily manage complex demand tracking storages of suppliers/customers, full traceability, accounting links, and more. OpenERP supports multi-warehouse management based on hierarchical location structure. Because OpenE RP is open source and backed by a large community, you can take advantage of more than 700 OpenERP modules on theOpenERP Apps website.These covers elicit functionality of the ERP software and provide more business apps for things like manufacturing, localization, project management and more. The other upbeat to users is that you do not need to use all the business apps. You can choose only the modules that you need for your business from the suite (e. g. just CRM or CRM and invoicing). This keeps your OpenERP hefty and less overwhelming if you do not need all the business apps. You can add additional modules (at no court) as you need them. ArchitectureCompiere and ERP5 are two of the covering fire notch open source ERP systems that are widely accepted and implemented. The architecture of an Open Source ERP can be explained using the structured architectural aspiration of emcee and a comparison with ERP5. ERP5 offers powerful ERP solution for small businesses. ERP5 was origina lly developed as apparel attention solution for an organization with more than three hundred employees on 5 internationally distributed sites. The special requirements of the apparel industry are mass customization of products and hence the need for handling unstructured and multimedia data.Mass customization means that many variants of a product are possible. The original modules are now reason as business templates. It has the exact features that take customer relationship management (CRM), doing management (MRP), supply drawing string management (SCM), product design management (PDM), accounting, human being resources and e-commerce. For the small businesses, ERP5 has an Express edition which integ order ERP, CRM and KM funtionality. ERP5 uses the open source Python based ZOPE (Z object lens Publishing Environment) application waiter and content management frame movement as its foundation.The web based Zope Management Interface is utilise as IDE for developing ERP5 modu les. The application server withal supports multiple languages, provides a security model, object persistence, and remote object coming trough HTTP, XML-RPC and SOAP. ERP5 uses, extends or provides 5 important Zope components Page Templates implement the web user interface and presentation logic. Workflows are use for the evolution of various types of decision workflows ERP5Form49 is utilize for web form development.XMLObjects add synchronizing capabilities and autonomous activity (timed, pre- and postcondition triggers) to ERP5- Zope objects. The synchronization of distributed sites is carried out through XML export and import and overly supports unreliable communication channels, which are allowed to fail. The duplication of reporting data to a relational database allows simple SQL querying. Compiere is uniquely intentional to sub payable the duplication of information and the need for synchronization. The design of Compiere allows customization of the application through easily.Modules in compiere take on CRM, Quote to Cash, Requisition-to-Pay, Partner Relations Management, Warehouse, bring out Chain Management, Performance Analysis, Double-entry Book-keeping, Work-flow-Management and Web Store. Compieres architecture uses a fat Java lymph gland (Java Webstart). The accounting engine is on the application server (JBOSS J2EE container). Thin Web clients are utilise for web store and some CRM functionality. There is overly a of import thin client serving all forms, but it needs further work to be equivalent to the fat client.The utilise application server supports clomping. No cluster installation is authenticated. Emails can be sent and files can be attached to documents. Compiere has a built-in reporting engine. A Sourceforge side project provides Jasper Report77 integration. CSV export and import of data is provided by the commercially available migration tool. other(a) interfaces can be developed in Java using the briefly (Javadoc) docu mented APIs (application programming interfaces). The database abstraction social class is SQL-centric which was initially developed for Oracle. commercial-grade and Open Source ERP Software Pricing Most open source software is freely distributed with no up-front licensing fees. Further savings come from simmpleness of deployment, training and integration. Companies that implement open source ERP solutions often report a 50% savings over proprietary systems. With free systematicopen source ERP training methodology like SOSE Site you can own your software for no personify. Commercial ERP is an expensive package and suitable only for puffyger corporations.The prices do vary significantly but according to the size of the company and volume of business. In any cases they beget been found to be extremely game-priced irrespective of the quantum in which they are purchased. These packages are not subject to flexibility and influenceing. Their usage modalities are rarely liberal an d cause troubles when they are modified. Hence the deployments also turn over out to be high-priced and inconvenient due to the procedures involved, in the future. Another study(ip) allegation against the package is that they consist of apportion ofhidden costs.Flexibility When you compare commercial and open source ERP, commercial systems are not flexible in nature. They let business with no other choice but to change their way of business. However when it comes to open source ERP everything was decided by the code . Therefore companies can do the necessary modifications in code and without much support from the vendor. Another advantage of open source is that it does not interfere with the unvarying inventory of the company during the slaying stage. This is a major difference amidst commercial and open source ERP applications.You should use business software for your needs, you should not change the way of your business to fit into software needs. Duration- When you study commercial and open source ERP,The time allotted for implementing open source ERP is very less when compared with commercial ERP. The innumerable number of complexions in commercial ERP calls for longer time span. It consumes a lot of time not only during implementation but in every stage of ERP process due to the nature of work involved. With use of rateERP implementation methodologyyou can hack time required for open source ERP to the minimum.Dependence When it comes to the question of relying on the vendor the open source ERP owners enjoys a considerable edge than the commercial ERP. Since open source are license free users having full freedom for taking care of needs by themselves. The copiousness is also high in open source ERP systems and the failure range are very low. Results Success rate of open source ERP are well more compare to proprietary ERP softwares. Readopen source ERP achievement storiesfor more details. Training Lots of training is required for using co mmercial ERP.It calls for split up of investments in terms of time and capital. If they dont fail the necessary impetus the results will be poor. Similarly validity of training sessions designed and allotd exclusively by the ERP vendor is also debatable. On the other hand Open Source ERP does not require much training. The results are also bound to be impelling because the user gets to receive through the process of self training. The company need not draw much on training and makes a minimal function of the resources. This is another way of reducing the level of dependence on the ERP vendor.You can get freeonline ERP trainingwith SOSE. Security On comparing commercial and open source ERP applications, Commercial ERP systems are less secure. They are by and large prone to the traps and pitfalls of hackers. even up though open source ERP makes everything liquid and available in the public domain it bring into the notice of user whenever something goes wrong. visibleness Few end users change the rudimentary code of an open source application. But when the need arises, open source provides access to the code to make changes to suit each distributors unique business needs.Open source customers enjoy a delightful level of transparency from their vendors around activities such as bug reporting and paying and road map planning. Longevity around any ERP solution will work well when initially deployed, but time is the true test of every ERP solution and vendor. Unforeseen opportunities will likely causal agency changes to a business objectives and necessitate changes to its ERP solution. Independently, a vendors commitment to musical accompaniment a solution could change over time. An open source solution with a flexible foundation addresses at onces needs and safeguards the solutions future.Because the user has the source code, a solution can never be bought or integrate out of existence, meaning the investment lasts as long as needed. Independen t service forERP implementation supportis also available for free with open source ERP. determination Functionality is the poll consideration when reviewing ERP solutions, but it should be closely linked with evaluating open source and proprietary excerpts. The demonstrable benefits of open source products shit deep into a companys infrastructure. You can evaluate andselect business ERP softwarewhich give functionality you need.The differences betweencommercial and open source ERPshow the Edge enjoyed by open source ERP players. And independent free ERP trainer likes SOSE result help open source ERP to reach people. Open Source ERP Solution Pros * measly Investment and Maintenance Costs Open source ERP solutions hold a big pro in the fact that there are no huge un-front licensing fees, pre-sales cost associated with them, thus, the initial cost of an Open Source ERP solution is usually far less than a comparable proprietary program. Theres minimal dependance on the ERP ven dor in most cases.In a study done by Meta Group, where it surveyed 63 companies including small, medium and large enterprises in a range of industries it was found that the average cost of implementation of ERP was $15 million, with the highest as $300 million and lowest as $400,000. Commercial ERP also has pre-sales cost associated with them. * Widely customizable Open Source ERP solutions are highly customizable allowing for companies to mold them to meet specific business process requirements. It is possible because it comes with two recitations of code the compiled interlingual rendition and the un-compiled version.There are a few reasons to do customizations, which are functionality needed for core competencies, your front or back office systems require the customizations, you want more or less fields, or you fall in restrictive requirements that require the customization. So, if you need customizations, then by all means you must affirm them with a clear eye on the who s who of the support of customizations and fiscals needed. But, commercial ERP does not provide an easy and inexpensive customization of the ERP software to fit the business model changes whatsoever. Flexibility Open source ERP gives lots of freedom like free re dispersion, freedom to access and modify the source code and freedom for the end user to use it for any purpose they esteem to. GPL licensing of Open Source Software enables developer community to rapidly contribute to the software development and enhance features. * Total Cost of ownership TCO of Open Source ERP solution may be less given the option of virtually free operating systems (Linux)and databases (MySQL) and potentially lower maintenance fees. Independent Integrations Open Source ERP solutions typically have a wide range of integration formats so that they are employable well with other software components. * Ease of Training Open source ERP packages come with complete licenses, schoolwide documentation and user manuals, helping the users to learn and understand their usage. No special trainings or consultants may be hired. * Ease with implementation The implementation can also be carried out separately without disturbing the regular operation of the business.Also, with open source ERP, the customers can do any sort of experimentations even musical composition in production without losing the base or 100% availability. * Shorter implementation timings -The open source ERP packages require considerably brieflyer implementation time, which is another big positive saying whereas in case of commercial ERPs , even six months are considered to be short period for implementation * Reduced or no Dependency on ERP Vendor As the open source ERP packages have proper documentation and user manuals, there is no or reduced dependency on ERP vendor to come and fix the issue.A good programmer can handle the issue in considerably less time. * High Accuracy and Quality The productivity and accurac y is high in the case of open source ERP systems. Also, the failure rates are often line uped to be on the lower side in comparison to commercial ERP packages. All open software has strong user community which is also very responsive and very knowledgeable. * Open source testing The open source users in the process of development are able to thoroughly test and 99% of the bugs are reported and highly secure.Except a very few, most of the commercial ERP systems are tested to a fit extent, but still are many security flaws, traps, pitfalls and loop holes, which can be easily harnessed by the hackers. * handling security With the ever evolving nature of technology, security has become a problem of the past. And, there are many open source security applications on the market today which can be easily used with open-source ERP, which include Nessus, Snort, Nagios, SpamAssassin, ClamAV, Open SSL, OpenSSH, Nmap, Ossec HIDS, and Wireshark.Open Source ERP Solution Cons * Risk of over-cus tomization Delivering customized codes could prove difficult for some organizations just in case you get into over-done customization and you cant get out of it. Too many customizations can be a definite issue. * difficulty in finding implementation and support resources Open Source ERP solutions also calls for the scoop and finest programmers of open sourceERP solutions on the code. This may be difficult and may cause high support costs at times. Compatibility Issues with Proprietary Packages Some of the open source ERP packages are incompatible with the proprietary products of authentic corporations like Microsoft, Oracle, or IBM etc (sometime due to summercater in platform used for implementation). * neglect of Dedicated Support from a particularised Vendor Despite all of the benefits of open source ERP packages, the fear of the failure of open source ERP package during crucial stages of a project is considerable driving forces for commercial ERPs where vendors provid e dedicate support in lieu of big bucks on licensing costs. unorganised approach to issue resolution There are no proper delimitate product roadmaps and time line as most of the enhancements and bug fixes are done by freelancers and independent consulting companies and developers based on their requirements. * Devoid of feature- richness Proprietary software are feature-lade and have more features that are not found in the case of open source ERP packages mostly and may be cited helpful by commercial ERP vendors as a tool of comfortableness and productivity. Open Source ERP Success StoryOpen source ERP has had its own share of fortunate implementations. There is no better argument for the use of an ERP solution than a testimonial by and organization which has used the system and reaped benefits from what the software has to offer. Let us take a look at a successful implementation that happened at a danish pastry pharmaceutical unfluctuating named pharma Nord. The implementati on was done by a firm by the name Compiere Company Overview Denmark-based pharmaceutical company Nord is one of Europes largest manufacturers of term of enlistment dietary supplements and herbal remedies.The 500-person company, founded in 1981, develops, manufactures and markets scientifically well-founded dietary supplements, herbal remedies and aesculapian drugs with optimal bio-availability. pharmaceutical company Nords products are available in 50 countries end-to-end Europe, Asia and North America. Issue At Hand Due to market success with its initial line of dietary supplements, pharmaceutical company Nord was continually expanding its product line and markets served. Growth in the regulated pharmaceutical industry, however, requires precise inventory management to address business and regulatory complexity.Pharma Nords ERP solution requirements extended well beyond the standard set of distribution and accounting functionality that performs at a world-wide scale. They vi ewed the selection of an ERP solution as having a 15-20 year life. For a solution to go aft(prenominal) for more than 15 years, product licensing, tranquility of customization and confidence in the vendor were as important as out-of-the-box functionality The Solution Pharma Nord uses Compiere to manage its sales orders, invoicing, cash collections, buy and accounting for its sales subsidiaries and also to manage receipts and shipments in its warehouses.Pharma Nord liked what they see in the earliest versions of Compiere in 2001. utilize knowledge gained at a Compiere training class, Jacob Pedersen, Compiere Project Manager, completed an initial Compiere deployment in early 2002 focused on a single subsidiary. We did it on the basis that we would in all probability find things that need to change along the way. And we have. Its been with us, its been upgraded and weve changed quite a few things. Weve been able to migrate to new versions of Compiere all the way from 2002 and no w were here at 2008. I find that quite awe-inspiring. Before selecting an ERP solution, Pharma Nord assessed a number of offerings, notably Compiere and Navision. Midway through the evaluation, Navision was acquired by Microsoft. A few months later, the Linux version of Navision was discontinued. These events were eyeopening for Pharma Nords information technology and executive teams. The result was an even stronger requirement for the kind of open source licensing offered by Compiere to ensure Pharma Nords long ERP success. Services from the Compiere Partner Network and Compiere helped Pharma Nord succeed.For example, the 2001 version of Compiere lacked support for tracking lot/batch numbers and expiry dates innate functionality for the pharmaceutical industry. Pharma Nords sponsorship deepen the development of this general use functionality. We wrote the condition of exactly what the software should be able to do and it was developed by the Compiere team. Pedersen Results se ptenary years after initial deployment, Pharma Nord is still going strong with Compiere. Their database has vainglorious over the years as theyve added business partners, products and transactions.Having transaction history available for analysis and reporting is a nice benefit from using a single product continuously over time. Whats great near Compiere is that everything is stored at the most elaborate level, explained Pedersen. So whenever you need to do reporting, you have a number of dimensions to work with. You can combine each product, different sizes, and different countries. All of those will be dimensions. Since you can report and group on these dimensions, you can get the answer youre feel for by grouping and merging these data afterwards. With its sales and distribution operations productive with Compiere, Pedersen is looking toward the future Pharma Nord is also a manufacturing company. We manufacture all of our products ourselves. We know that Compiere is also worki ng on manufacturing capabilities. The asshole Line Several unbelievably productive, efficient and highly secure open source ERP packages are not yet well recognized in the market, most of the customers are still prepared to shell out big bucks on custom commercial ERP packages.This might be due to the believability that the big ERP producing organizations like SAP and Oracle. In times that are proving increasingly gruelling for organizations the world over organizations are taking measures to tighten their operations and keeping stock of each and every penny that is spend open source ERP packages provide a very robust and cost effective alternative for midsize companies who might not have a big budget allocated to cover their IT requirements. Even the large corporations can cut maintenance costs by making use of these brilliant packages.However, lack of support from a particular vendor is something that the open source ERP packages badly lack, and compatibility issues with othe r custom third party apps are one of their biggest turn-offs. Open source ERP scores higher than commercial ERP on many aspects. Yet, commercial ERP still have major share in ERP markets. This is because open source products are quite new and people are a bit conservative about choosing ERP software, because if implemented ERP software does not work, then there is serious business trouble.The offshoot adopters of open source ERP were in Latin America, Europe, and Asian countries because of economic reasons. Now, open source ERP is gaining touristyity even in US markets and one day, it will be able to challenge the domination of commercial ERP in ERP markets of regular army Top Open Source ERP Applications to quality Out for The pay applications, especially the custom ERPs, can be extremely costly and burn big holes in the pockets of business owners, and as such the demand for open source apps in the field of finance has been increasing dramatically.So, let us take a look at th e top open source finance applications * Goodness of Open Source ERP Packages Not only do the open source finance packages come totally free of cost, but they are also not restricted on a particular platform. However, the proprietary programs work well on only specific platforms, as theyre designed only for specific needs. As such, even after paying a lot of money on licenses, the proprietary financial packages dont allow you to work with all platforms and require additional licenses based upon the number of machines on which, the software is used.On the contrary, the open source packages can be used on as many systems as needed, and they work well on all open source platforms like FreeBSD, UNIX, Linux, Solaris etc. * Open Source ERP Packages To cater to the needs of small business owners, countless open source finance packages were developed, such as Adempiere (an ERP military control Suite), GnuCash (a double-entry book-keeping system), ERP5 (a Zope/Python based ERP solution), a nd the likes of them.Turning the focus towards other touristy open source ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) packages, Compiere, an ERP solution that automates processes like accounting, managing sales orders, inventory, and supply chain is also quite popular, while packages like Grisbi, a single-entry and KMyMoney a double-entry book-keeping program, have also gained significant levels of popularity. * FriFinans is yet another impressive open source finance application that offers facilities like taking orders, generating invoices, ordering products and doing a lot more.It is still under last(a) stages of development, and isnt tested completely yet, but even at this stage it looks quite promising. * Java-Based Open Source Finance Apps jFin, JGnash (double-entry book-keeping), JQuantLib (Quantitative Finance API framework), and J dribble (stock market software) are some of the popular Java-based open source finance packages that have become extremely popular these days. * Latest DevelopmentsLooking at the latest developments,n21 eBusiness Suite, a web-based ERP/CRM package is quite a powerful open source finance package that has emerged in the market, whileMifos Microfinance Institution management software, Openbravo, and OpenERP have also been recently developed and gained high popularity soon enough. TurboCASHis a popular double-entry book-keeping for Windows environment, whileGnuCashis a treat for Linux/Unix/FreeBSD lovers.HomeBankis an open source application for personal use, andMarketceterais an open source trading platform for those whore interested in stock trading, but dont want to spend any money on using paid tools. NoteAll Linux financial tools are not necessarily free there are some proprietary packages that require licenses, and dont come under the gnu/GPL free distribution license, but mass of Linux/UNIX based finance packages are totally free for personal and commercial usage. GnuCash The Ultimate Free Open Source Accounting Software Prima rily coded in C,GnuCashis a free open source accounting software, and happens to be a part of the gnu Project. It runs on platforms such as OpenBSD, Solaris, UNIX, Linux, macintosh OS X, FreeBSD, and the likes of them. Looking at the features of GnuCash, youll discover that the package allows you to perform double-entry bookkeeping, maintenance of Stock/Mutual Fund Portfolios, Scheduled Transactions, and mortgage and Loan Repayment Druid.It also offers support to HBCI and Multi-Currency Transaction Handling. GnuCash also comes with Transaction- trade Matching Support, OFX, QIF Import facilities, Small Business Accounting Features and even Multi-User SQL Support, making it an extensive open source finance application. Whats more, GnuCash can also export data to TXF format and can be used in bicycle-built-for-two with the tax preparation programs with great ease. You can virtually perform all kinds of finance related tasks with the help of GnuCash.