8 ms·

Odoo: The new OpenERP

44 points by seyz 12y ago

joshmlewis 12y ago
Icons! As a designer, I've probably never seen so many icons on a page.
icebraining 12y ago
By the way, the core and base modules (and in theory, all community modules, since they're derived works) of Odoo are Free Software (APGL) and available on Github: https://github.com/odoo/odoo https://github.com/odoo/odoo Disclaimer: I work for a company that implements solutions based on Odoo for small and large companies. So yeah, it's possible to make a living working on FOSS, if anyone still doubted it :)
- ddorian43 12y ago
  they still use their custom-own-built orm ?
  - akx 12y ago
    Looks like it: https://github.com/odoo/odoo/blob/master/openerp/osv/orm.py https://github.com/odoo/odoo/blob/master/openerp/osv/orm.py
  - icebraining 12y ago
    Yes, throwing it out would be suicide, since it'd break every module out there. They're revamping it while keeping backward compatibility, though, and the new API is definitively nicer. http://www.slideshare.net/openobject/presentation-of-the-new-openerp-api-raphael-collet-openerp http://www.slideshare.net/openobject/presentation-of-the-new...
  - codeape 12y ago
    I cannot understand why anyone would not use SQLAlchemy if they're building a database-backed Python application.
    - jlnthws 12y ago
      True today, but not 10 years ago :) Plus Odoo ORM and SQLAlchemy have different purposes.
- nathanstitt 12y ago
  I'd love to chat with you about my open source ERP, Stockor (stockor.org) Email is nathan @ that domain. I'm currently firming up the plugin interface for it and am really want to get it right so that third-parties can easily build on top of it.
pnathan 12y ago
I've considered working with OpenERP and looking at becoming a consultant in it (ERP is $$$ and very useful), but last I checked the OpenERP site (2? years ago?), the demo site was half broken. Glad to see it's gotten a refresh and a genuinely web 2.0 name. ;) Apparently the devs have churned it into a SaaS offering, which is also very cool.
- ritonlajoie 12y ago
  I installed OpenERP some days ago, just to see what it had become. I found it nice. Even though I think you would still need to be really documented on how to use the different modules.
  - icebraining 12y ago
    Well, my company sell training packages at affordable prices :D
- UK-AL 12y ago
  is OpenERP contractor fees that large? I know SAP and Oracle Fees are high, simply because its quite hard to get opportunity to work on it, and all the certifications. So there aren't that many people around.
  - pnathan 12y ago
    Well, I'm not sure what the rate is. But I know that it supplies a very valuable service, and other things in the space are very lucrative. I imagine that part of the lucrativity is the value that it provides to businesses.
    - UK-AL 12y ago
      Salary does't always mean value provided. Salary = Supply/Demand.
  - AndyNemmity 12y ago
    I wouldn't say it's hard to get an opportunity to work on it. The demand is high (which is why the fees are high). Being good at it is hard, the certifications are sort of meaningless. You need to know a lot of different things, and it's very challenging to have the comprehensive toolset needed.
davidbrent 12y ago
OpenERP could've really benefited from some usability expertise, and if this site is any indication, Odoo may suffer the same fate. If you're going to put this much time/money into a new brand, how could you miss so badly? In my experience with OpenERP, the end users always took a back seat to the developers. Granted, ERP software is inherently complicated, but with each new version you could tell they made an attempt at a simplified interface and never hit the mark.
- pessimizer 12y ago
  >if this site is any indication, Odoo may suffer the same fate. If it weren't for the "formerly OpenERP" next to the new name, I wouldn't even know what the product was supposed to be. Looks like an app store of some sort for tablets. Spare a sentence or two of explanation, please? Maybe delete one of those rows of giant icons if space is tight.
- paulyg 12y ago
  OpenERP is still leagues above the million dollar paid apps of Oracle and SAP. I'm not saying you are wrong. Just how bad this particular segment of software is. It is wripe for disruption.
  - UK-AL 12y ago
    ERP software is huge, simply because there so many different ways businesses works, all the regulations you have to comply with etc etc It would be very hard for a startup to build it from scratch.
ritonlajoie 12y ago
What are the alternatives to OpenERP today ? (I mean, free and open sources ones, with acceptable UI)
- CraigJPerry 12y ago
  Even the paid ones have horrible UIs. In fact i've never been lucky enough to see an MRP / MRP2 / ERP system with a usable UI :-( Pointers to nice ones greatly appreciated since it's useful knowledge...
  - conception 12y ago
    The phrase I've never heard once in my IT career is "I love my ERP."
    - tixocloud 12y ago
      Why do you think that is?
      - conception 12y ago
        I think the amount of work that goes into them, regularly I hear 12-18 months, and that they aren't usually engineered towards intuitive processes or interfaces. I imagine features rather than experience is a driver.
- naringas 12y ago
  There is http://tryton.org/ http://tryton.org/ however I don't know what you mean by "acceptable" UI
  - ritonlajoie 12y ago
    For me, an acceptable UI in an ERP means this ERP can be used to do basic tasks by someone not having any PhD ni ERP Usage :)
  - 12y ago
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
jamesmcintyre 12y ago
If you look around there is no "beautiful ERP" solution out there and the status quo is "you can make a very capable ERP or a "pretty" ERP but not both". I understand the the difficulty of striking that balance but I think by applying the right kind of modularity to the app design (sort of like openERP but even more granular and forgiving) you can arrive at a solution which invites businesses of all-sizes but can grow with the company into very complex processes. There is HUGE opportunity in this market and I believe one big reason is that a new generation of userbase will expect and demand a better UX than any current offering. In fact, I suggest a great startup idea would be a to take the openerp codebase and wrap a new UI/UX around it starting with one vertical ("niche") market and working out from there. (i.e. "A beautiful ERP for medium-sized businesses focusing on your growing warehouse, sales and purchasing needs built on the solid foundation of openERP."). Not saying it would be easy, but just worthwhile. I have a feeling the Odoo rebranding points to an effort for a UI overhaul which acknowledges the opportunity of a great UX.
- sharoonthomas 12y ago
  > built on the solid foundation of openERP. Solid foundation is a joke. OpenERP is probably one of the shittiest pieces of code every written in Python. Take a look at their ORM code. And, of course they still use floating points for accounting [1]. [1] https://github.com/odoo/odoo/blob/master/addons/account/account_invoice.py#L1665 https://github.com/odoo/odoo/blob/master/addons/account/acco... Disclaimer: I work on the Tryton project
  - hbbio 12y ago
    By curiosity I went to your website http://www.tryton.org/ http://www.tryton.org/ It doesn't even have a screenshot, and the main description does not tell clearly what it is. The only apparent link beside the menu bar is "Validate HTML". There is no link on the items such as "Accounting" in the description.
- AndyNemmity 12y ago
  SAP certainly has pieces of a "beautiful ERP" with Fiori. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYbn9Q6P0cU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYbn9Q6P0cU
gaunab 12y ago
They also discovered how to succeed as a tech company: Better use at least three 'O's in your brand name. "Choosing the right name is hard. To find the perfect name, we analysed the names of top internet companies. We discovered a direct correlation between the company valuation and the number of 'O' in its name. The graph below shows the average valuation of the top 10 internet companies according to the number of 'O' in their names. With three 'O' in its name, 'Odoo' is in phase with our ambitions."
kepano 12y ago
Not sure the rebrand is what will attract new customers to OpenERP. A couple months ago, I evaluated ERPs for our business. OpenERP was one of the main contenders but ultimately the manufacturing module failed to meet our requirements and custom development would have been too costly. I was also shocked to get a glimpse at OpenERP's internal corporate structure. Despite the open source nature of the project, their business model puts them on track to become yet another big, slow, expensive ERP company pushing massive service fees. Unfortunately there's just no great solution in the ERP world. Requirements for this category are so complex that by the time a system becomes adequately feature rich, improvements in software technology make it feel obsolete. I wonder if someone will crack that nut.
- thematt 12y ago
  Exactly. Every company's business process has it's own uniqueness, so if you try to evolve it into a mass-market tool (as opposed to designing for it up-front), you end up with a Frankenstein system that is enormous and complicated. Then your company starts morphing to match what you're selling. If some YC'ers want to make some serious cash, go build the JIRA of ERP. Make the system: pluggable, VERY configurable, give it a sexy UI and don't require an army of consultants to implement. Want some reasons? Pretty much all your potential customers hate their existing ERP system. Your competition is staffed by sleazy salespeople that sell nothing but snakeoil. Your market is filled with companies of all sizes who will literally throw cash at you to make them more efficient.

44 points by seyz 12y ago

Icons! As a designer, I've probably never seen so many icons on a page.

By the way, the core and base modules (and in theory, all community modules, since they're derived works) of Odoo are Free Software (APGL) and available on Github: https://github.com/odoo/odoo https://github.com/odoo/odoo Disclaimer: I work for a company that implements solutions based on Odoo for small and large companies. So yeah, it's possible to make a living working on FOSS, if anyone still doubted it :)

ddorian43 12y ago
they still use their custom-own-built orm ?
- akx 12y ago
  Looks like it: https://github.com/odoo/odoo/blob/master/openerp/osv/orm.py https://github.com/odoo/odoo/blob/master/openerp/osv/orm.py
- icebraining 12y ago
  Yes, throwing it out would be suicide, since it'd break every module out there. They're revamping it while keeping backward compatibility, though, and the new API is definitively nicer. http://www.slideshare.net/openobject/presentation-of-the-new-openerp-api-raphael-collet-openerp http://www.slideshare.net/openobject/presentation-of-the-new...
- codeape 12y ago
  I cannot understand why anyone would not use SQLAlchemy if they're building a database-backed Python application.
  - jlnthws 12y ago
    True today, but not 10 years ago :) Plus Odoo ORM and SQLAlchemy have different purposes.
nathanstitt 12y ago
I'd love to chat with you about my open source ERP, Stockor (stockor.org) Email is nathan @ that domain. I'm currently firming up the plugin interface for it and am really want to get it right so that third-parties can easily build on top of it.

pnathan 12y ago

I've considered working with OpenERP and looking at becoming a consultant in it (ERP is $$$ and very useful), but last I checked the OpenERP site (2? years ago?), the demo site was half broken. Glad to see it's gotten a refresh and a genuinely web 2.0 name. ;) Apparently the devs have churned it into a SaaS offering, which is also very cool.

ritonlajoie 12y ago
I installed OpenERP some days ago, just to see what it had become. I found it nice. Even though I think you would still need to be really documented on how to use the different modules.
- icebraining 12y ago
  Well, my company sell training packages at affordable prices :D
UK-AL 12y ago
is OpenERP contractor fees that large? I know SAP and Oracle Fees are high, simply because its quite hard to get opportunity to work on it, and all the certifications. So there aren't that many people around.
- pnathan 12y ago
  Well, I'm not sure what the rate is. But I know that it supplies a very valuable service, and other things in the space are very lucrative. I imagine that part of the lucrativity is the value that it provides to businesses.
  - UK-AL 12y ago
    Salary does't always mean value provided. Salary = Supply/Demand.
- AndyNemmity 12y ago
  I wouldn't say it's hard to get an opportunity to work on it. The demand is high (which is why the fees are high). Being good at it is hard, the certifications are sort of meaningless. You need to know a lot of different things, and it's very challenging to have the comprehensive toolset needed.

davidbrent 12y ago

OpenERP could've really benefited from some usability expertise, and if this site is any indication, Odoo may suffer the same fate. If you're going to put this much time/money into a new brand, how could you miss so badly? In my experience with OpenERP, the end users always took a back seat to the developers. Granted, ERP software is inherently complicated, but with each new version you could tell they made an attempt at a simplified interface and never hit the mark.

pessimizer 12y ago
>if this site is any indication, Odoo may suffer the same fate. If it weren't for the "formerly OpenERP" next to the new name, I wouldn't even know what the product was supposed to be. Looks like an app store of some sort for tablets. Spare a sentence or two of explanation, please? Maybe delete one of those rows of giant icons if space is tight.
paulyg 12y ago
OpenERP is still leagues above the million dollar paid apps of Oracle and SAP. I'm not saying you are wrong. Just how bad this particular segment of software is. It is wripe for disruption.
- UK-AL 12y ago
  ERP software is huge, simply because there so many different ways businesses works, all the regulations you have to comply with etc etc It would be very hard for a startup to build it from scratch.

ritonlajoie 12y ago

What are the alternatives to OpenERP today ? (I mean, free and open sources ones, with acceptable UI)

CraigJPerry 12y ago
Even the paid ones have horrible UIs. In fact i've never been lucky enough to see an MRP / MRP2 / ERP system with a usable UI :-( Pointers to nice ones greatly appreciated since it's useful knowledge...
- conception 12y ago
  The phrase I've never heard once in my IT career is "I love my ERP."
  - tixocloud 12y ago
    Why do you think that is?
    - conception 12y ago
      I think the amount of work that goes into them, regularly I hear 12-18 months, and that they aren't usually engineered towards intuitive processes or interfaces. I imagine features rather than experience is a driver.
naringas 12y ago
There is http://tryton.org/ http://tryton.org/ however I don't know what you mean by "acceptable" UI
- ritonlajoie 12y ago
  For me, an acceptable UI in an ERP means this ERP can be used to do basic tasks by someone not having any PhD ni ERP Usage :)
- 12y ago

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

jamesmcintyre 12y ago

If you look around there is no "beautiful ERP" solution out there and the status quo is "you can make a very capable ERP or a "pretty" ERP but not both". I understand the the difficulty of striking that balance but I think by applying the right kind of modularity to the app design (sort of like openERP but even more granular and forgiving) you can arrive at a solution which invites businesses of all-sizes but can grow with the company into very complex processes. There is HUGE opportunity in this market and I believe one big reason is that a new generation of userbase will expect and demand a better UX than any current offering. In fact, I suggest a great startup idea would be a to take the openerp codebase and wrap a new UI/UX around it starting with one vertical ("niche") market and working out from there. (i.e. "A beautiful ERP for medium-sized businesses focusing on your growing warehouse, sales and purchasing needs built on the solid foundation of openERP."). Not saying it would be easy, but just worthwhile. I have a feeling the Odoo rebranding points to an effort for a UI overhaul which acknowledges the opportunity of a great UX.

sharoonthomas 12y ago
> built on the solid foundation of openERP. Solid foundation is a joke. OpenERP is probably one of the shittiest pieces of code every written in Python. Take a look at their ORM code. And, of course they still use floating points for accounting [1]. [1] https://github.com/odoo/odoo/blob/master/addons/account/account_invoice.py#L1665 https://github.com/odoo/odoo/blob/master/addons/account/acco... Disclaimer: I work on the Tryton project
- hbbio 12y ago
  By curiosity I went to your website http://www.tryton.org/ http://www.tryton.org/ It doesn't even have a screenshot, and the main description does not tell clearly what it is. The only apparent link beside the menu bar is "Validate HTML". There is no link on the items such as "Accounting" in the description.
AndyNemmity 12y ago
SAP certainly has pieces of a "beautiful ERP" with Fiori. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYbn9Q6P0cU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYbn9Q6P0cU

gaunab 12y ago

They also discovered how to succeed as a tech company: Better use at least three 'O's in your brand name. "Choosing the right name is hard. To find the perfect name, we analysed the names of top internet companies. We discovered a direct correlation between the company valuation and the number of 'O' in its name. The graph below shows the average valuation of the top 10 internet companies according to the number of 'O' in their names. With three 'O' in its name, 'Odoo' is in phase with our ambitions."

kepano 12y ago

Not sure the rebrand is what will attract new customers to OpenERP. A couple months ago, I evaluated ERPs for our business. OpenERP was one of the main contenders but ultimately the manufacturing module failed to meet our requirements and custom development would have been too costly. I was also shocked to get a glimpse at OpenERP's internal corporate structure. Despite the open source nature of the project, their business model puts them on track to become yet another big, slow, expensive ERP company pushing massive service fees. Unfortunately there's just no great solution in the ERP world. Requirements for this category are so complex that by the time a system becomes adequately feature rich, improvements in software technology make it feel obsolete. I wonder if someone will crack that nut.

thematt 12y ago
Exactly. Every company's business process has it's own uniqueness, so if you try to evolve it into a mass-market tool (as opposed to designing for it up-front), you end up with a Frankenstein system that is enormous and complicated. Then your company starts morphing to match what you're selling. If some YC'ers want to make some serious cash, go build the JIRA of ERP. Make the system: pluggable, VERY configurable, give it a sexy UI and don't require an army of consultants to implement. Want some reasons? Pretty much all your potential customers hate their existing ERP system. Your competition is staffed by sleazy salespeople that sell nothing but snakeoil. Your market is filled with companies of all sizes who will literally throw cash at you to make them more efficient.