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Thread: Free software for optical industry?

  1. #1
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    Lightbulb Free software for optical industry?

    http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?n...art=1&sparte=3
    **********************
    New ways to fuel the Open Source software development

    If the current open source practices and rules don't entirely cover all real life needs from a developer or consumer standpoint, a new and refreshing alternative adds up to the way how software gets created, unleashing exciting new possibilities:

    Sponsorware is sponsoring free software, a redefined concept as proposed by http://www.sponsorware.org.

    Technically, a group of potential consumers may support and stimulate the creation of a program of their choice by making small donations that can pay the efforts of a volunteer programming team.
    The result will be, however, entirely free software.
    **********************
    Looks like an association of sponsors or affiliates (?) could ask for the creation of software of their choice and then support the programmers that are interested to do it via small donations.
    I thought some lab owners or doctors might be interested for like free practice management software, optical calculations, whatever. Cheap for sponsors and then free for everyone else.

    Oops, the news link wasn't displayed correctly, here it is:
    http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?n...art=1&sparte=3
    Last edited by deb101; 07-08-2003 at 07:57 AM.

  2. #2
    Cape Codger OptiBoard Gold Supporter hcjilson's Avatar
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    What a great idea!

    The concept appears sound and if all goes as planned it should work. I'd be interested to hear what Steve and cousin Robert have to say about this.
    "Always laugh when you can. It is a cheap medicine"
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    Bad address email on file kjw1231's Avatar
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    will not work...

    Been there done that...who will support it? Would you trust your business to an unknown?

    If you say yes, then what "flavor" of Linux do you operate?

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    Forever Liz's Dad Steve Machol's Avatar
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    Re: will not work...

    kjw1231 said:
    If you say yes, then what "flavor" of Linux do you operate?
    OptiBoard runs on a Linux server running RedHat 7.2. :)


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    Bad address email on file John R's Avatar
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    Thumbs up Re: will not work...

    kjw1231 said:
    Been there done that...who will support it? Would you trust your business to an unknown?

    If you say yes, then what "flavor" of Linux do you operate?
    Just because its open source doesn't mean its linux...This is moving into mainstream windows now.
    Buying a lot of software now you are dealing with companies who you know very little about and could go tits up at any time leaving you with a expensive software product with NO hope of upgrades or support...At least open source has the potential of a wider field of support and a greater chance that someone will develop a add-on you would like to see.
    I know this is not quite "open source" but why pay $$$ for office software from microsoft when you can get office products for free that are starting to get into the same league of style, sure they dont have all the bells and whistles yet but who the heck need or uses half the stuff in office programs anyway.

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    Lightbulb Re: will not work...

    kjw1231 said:
    Been there done that...who will support it? Would you trust your business to an unknown?

    If you say yes, then what "flavor" of Linux do you operate?


    I beg to differ. Open Source is hardly an "unknown" except, perhaps, to die-hard Microsoft apologists.

    I've run my business using Linux for about 3 years. Started with SuSE Linux 7.0, then 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 8.0, 8.1, and now 8.2. Each upgrade is exponentially better and does NOT "break" other features when installing the upgrades. I could NOT be happier to be free of Microsoft.

    Linux doesn't crash. I'm not subject to the disastrous effects of Klez, Sircam, BugBear or any of the multitude of other Windows infections. If one were running a business that kind of security and safety just might be of interest.

    And, unlike highly vulnerable Microsoft e-mail programs that replicate nasty virii, worms, and Trojan Horses and distribute them to everyone in the address book, mine encrypts e-mail addresses so that my addresses are not being used to spread the bugs to others.

    John R's suggestion to check out OpenOffice is spot-on. I've been using it for a couple of years (migrating from Star-Office). The program imports and exports anything Microsoft -- Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. So I can communicte with anyone who uses Windows products.

    I also have emulators that can run native Windows programs on my Linux box -- without a Windows operating system on the hard drive. So, for example, I can see Windows programs as anyone else would see them -- without any possible questions about Open Office's ability to accurately import and display a Word document, PowerPoint presentation, etc.

    Using Linux I can do anything I need to run my business. I do not need Windows.

    If Windows is your cup of tea, fine. But please don't be so dismissive of Open Source and, especially, Linux. The penguin is starting to bite Gates' butt!

    Just my opinion, of course.:idea:

  7. #7
    Master OptiBoarder rbaker's Avatar
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    Open Source

    There are certainly successful, in fact superior, open source efforts in particular, the previously cited Linux OS and Open Office. Apache, PHP and MySQL are other examples of great applications. But, while the Linux server market is expected to grow by 45 percent from 2003 to 2007 according to IDC Research the application side of the picture remains bleak. It’s the age old chicken or the egg problem. There are a number of issues that must be resolved by both the developer and the user.

    To 90% of today’s business users there is nothing wrong with the commercial products of Microsoft and Oracle and to quote a few “Laws of IT”
    1. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.
    2. Don’t touch it, it’ll break.
    3. If you touch it, it’ll break and it will cost a lot to fix.
    4. Don’t touch it unless people are screaming at you because it costs a lot to fix.

    Other than a few desktop applications such as Open Office there is little else available and when you seek applications that are industry specific, such as ophthalmic practice management software, there is nothing available that I am aware of. On the desktop open source is not ready for prime time.

    As a software developer there is little motivation to bust my cookies developing an application whose only reward will be fame and respect. I have enough of that already, what I really need is to feed the bull dog. And, a release of software under open source GPL (General Public License) would entail the release of the source code as well. If the user breaks it, who fixes it?

    Just because the software is free doesn’t mean that it is free. The cost of implementing and training are still there. If you are not willing to become a Linux weenie you had better stick to what you are familiar with or factor in the cost of training and support. The jury is still out on whether Linux is actually cheaper than Windows or Unix. Also, one of the reasons that Microsoft Office is such a safe bet in the workplace today is that everyone is familiar with it.

    Here is something quite scary to consider. This exchange occurred between Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation and Emery Simon of the Business Software Alliance at a Law and Technology Conference at the University of Maine School of Law.

    Stallman: “It makes sense for government to lead the way for free software.”

    Simon: “But what if it is an inferior product.”

    Stallman: “It doesn’t matter. It’s free.”

    Now, that scares me. Another scary thought is the release of Microsoft Windows Server 2005 and Office 2005 as open source in response to any significant loss of market share.

    Just my two cents worth.

    Peace,

    Dick

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    Thumbs up Re: will not work...

    kjw1231 said:
    Been there done that...who will support it? Would you trust your business to an unknown?

    If you say yes, then what "flavor" of Linux do you operate?
    As somebody said before, indeed open source doesn't necessarily mean Linux.

    Check out
    http://sourceforge.net/softwaremap/t...p?form_cat=199

    You'll see that from the total of 61817 open source projects currently being developed, the OS prevalence is:

    Operating System
    BeOS (382 projects)
    MacOS (2371 projects)
    Microsoft (15584 projects)
    OS Independent (15753 projects)
    OS/2 (110 projects)
    Other OS (867 projects)
    PDA Systems (576 projects)
    POSIX (26174 projects) - (including Linux)

    Open source is just software with no strings attached.

    True, when you buy a piece of software you also think of how reliable its future development/support can be. There's an investment risk that you want to minimize while maximizing your profitability.

    What's your investment in using freeware? Minimal. Your time only.

    Usage risks? Sure it has an impact on your business model. And all software have bugs. New verisions must be tested and bugfixed. The best tester is the user. All software have beta versions available until most bugs are fixed.

    Safe long term solution? Could be, as long as there's someone there to keep developing it and customizing it. But that's why you can sponsor it, right?

    I would agree that many software users also rely on customer support, but that's also an important part of the software maker's business strategy.

    Often the software functions are not obvious nor user friendly,
    regular maintenance is needed, so the buyer can only handle it with continuous customer support, and that's just how some software makers want it to be. They'll sell the software a bit cheaper and then they'll charge customers on support to recover their costs.

    The open source case is different. Usually it's maintained and supported by a community of programmers, support is mostly public, but if a program is user-friendly enough and fits your needs then once you get used to it you don't need much support, providing it has no major bugs..

  9. #9
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    Re: Open Source

    [QUOTE]rbaker said:

    Other than a few desktop applications such as Open Office there is little else available and when you seek applications that are industry specific, such as ophthalmic practice management software, there is nothing available that I am aware of. On the desktop open source is not ready for prime time.

    ================

    Time to do a little research, amigo.

    Actually there are ophthalmic-specific Linux systems out there. For example, here's one that's quite popular with ophthalmology and optometry practices.

    http://medformix.com/medformix_ophthalmic.html

    This system is Linux-based but interfaces with Windows software.

    There are others. Just do a little digging and ask questions. You'll find that there are Open-Source alternatives to Windows that free one from the baggage that comes with Microsoft.

    Gil :idea:

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    Re: Re: Open Source

    gilweber said:

    Time to do a little research, amigo.

    Actually there are ophthalmic-specific Linux systems out there. For example, here's one that's quite popular with ophthalmology and optometry practices.

    http://medformix.com/medformix_ophthalmic.html

    This system is Linux-based but interfaces with Windows software.

    There are others. Just do a little digging and ask questions. You'll find that there are Open-Source alternatives to Windows that free one from the baggage that comes with Microsoft.

    Gil :idea:
    May I ask you, is that open source software? It definitely looks commercial to me.
    Like rbaker said, I don't think you'll find any ophtalmic freeware out there either.

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    Re: Re: Re: Open Source

    multiproyectos said:
    May I ask you, is that open source software? It definitely looks commercial to me.
    Like rbaker said, I don't think you'll find any ophtalmic freeware out there either.

    rbaker did not say anything about **freeware** and neither did I. We were both discussing whether or not anything is available in ophthalmic-specific practice management software that does not require Windows.

    Gil :idea:

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    Re: Re: Re: Re: Open Source

    gilweber said:
    rbaker did not say anything about **freeware** and neither did I. We were both discussing whether or not anything is available in ophthalmic-specific practice management software that does not require Windows.
    Unless you've got a blind eye for what "open source" means, rbaker, same like everyone here was talking about open source software.
    rbaker said:
    Other than a few desktop applications such as Open Office there is little else available and when you seek applications that are industry specific, such as ophthalmic practice management software, there is nothing available that I am aware of. On the desktop open source is not ready for prime time.
    In this quote he was specifically giving you an example of open source for Linux (Open Office) and was saying that other than a few desktop applications, there's no industry specific open source software available, such as ophthalmic practice management software. His final conclusion was that "On the desktop open source is not ready for prime time."
    Your software example was NOT open source, therefore not freeware.

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    Hmmmm......

    Well Open Source does not automatically mean that the software is free -- at least it's my understanding that Open Source means you have free access to the source code. And from that one can develop freeware if one so choses. One could also develop commercial software starting with that publically-available source code.

    For example, Redhat is basically Open Source to which the company has attached some proprietary programs, correct?

    Open Office and Star Office are virtually identical, but OO is free while Sun's SO is not.

    Now, If I misunderstood previous posters and did not recognize that they were **only** talking about finding **free** ophthalmic-specific practice management software, then mea cupla, mea cupla. Though the original topic title mentioned **free** the various responses did take the thread in other directions.

    But you're correct. There is no **free** practice management software out there -- at least nothing that's any good. You might find a simple program to count your frames and manage inventory. But certainly nothing that's going to file and reconcile claims and effortlessly accomplish other, more complicated tasks. And I doubt if anyone is going to write a **free** program to do that.

    But then again, what Windows-based program can one going to find that's **free**? At least what useful program?

    I still disagree with the sentiment that there's nothing available in the Open Source world for the desktop. Open Office does anything MicroSoft's Office package does and OO is free if that's an important factor.

    As always, just my penguin-loving opinion, of course.
    Gil :idea:

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    gilweber said:
    Well Open Source does not automatically mean that the software is free -- at least it's my understanding that Open Source means you have free access to the source code. And from that one can develop freeware if one so choses. One could also develop commercial software starting with that publically-available source code.
    For example, Redhat is basically Open Source to which the company has attached some proprietary programs, correct?
    True, it's basically the license terms that decide how the open source software can be used. While it can be completely royalty free to use, modify, distribute, such code can also be restricted for business usage.
    As far as Redhat goes i'd say it's basically free but you can also buy the supported versions.
    Open Office and Star Office are virtually identical, but OO is free while Sun's SO is not.
    Indeed, Sun's is built on top of the OpenOffice basecode, and Sun's was also free up to a certain version as far as I know, they've even released their retouched source under GPL, but then decided to switch to a fully commercial product in the new releases.
    Now, If I misunderstood previous posters and did not recognize that they were **only** talking about finding **free** ophthalmic-specific practice management software, then mea cupla, mea cupla. Though the original topic title mentioned **free** the various responses did take the thread in other directions.

    But you're correct. There is no **free** practice management software out there -- at least nothing that's any good. You might find a simple program to count your frames and manage inventory. But certainly nothing that's going to file and reconcile claims and effortlessly accomplish other, more complicated tasks. And I doubt if anyone is going to write a **free** program to do that.
    Well, I think the discussion was about open source *and* the idea of having free software available. It was also a comparison with the commercial software. So I'd rather say that there's practically no open source ophthalmic-specific practice management software, let alone free. And I'm very interested to find one, that's why I was so quick to check the link you provided, but couldn't find any code there, I'm still digging though..

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    multiproyectos said:


    Well, I think the discussion was about open source *and* the idea of having free software available. It was also a comparison with the commercial software. So I'd rather say that there's practically no open source ophthalmic-specific practice management software, let alone free. And I'm very interested to find one, that's why I was so quick to check the link you provided, but couldn't find any code there, I'm still digging though..

    No, that URL was to a commercial sottware site. It's definitely NOT freeware! :D

    Gil :idea:

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    Optician Freeware

    Hi,
    There is software that is freeware for opticians.
    A company called CBM has made it's opticians software free to use.
    It's the full version, networkable and available at http://www.optilett.co.uk
    There is an option to pay for support if you want, but there is no obligation to.

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    Bad address email on file k12311997's Avatar
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    I just love reading four year old threads, seeing names of people who aren't around anymore. Ah the nostalgia.

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