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It is just under 30 years ago since I bought my first computer, an Apple 2. I was a lowly military conscript at the time and it took 3 months of salary to buy it. However those were exciting times. It seemed like this small plastic box and its cult of supporters pointed to the future. I feel the same about the Open Source movement today. more ..
On the early Apple computers, all programs ran in Basic and they were interpreted. That means that you could see the Source code of each program. This is what enabled Lotus to copy Dan Bricklins Visicalc and make Millions from Spreadsheets. It was a short while later when the first compilers came out and you could compile our code and hide the source. This ushered in a new era.
I did not appreciate it then, but this was the Berlin Wall going up between us, the developers, inside and them, the users, out there. Those who could run Checkpoint Charlie stood to make fortunes and many, myself included, did. We came to take for granted, dongles, unlocking codes, support contracts and slow moving software. It ushered in a period of 20 years when the software industry was run by accountants, lawyers and marketing managers. Software releases were planned in conjunction with the advertising agency. Programers were an expense and users a record in a database.
The growing Open Source movement of the 21st century changed all of that.
The line between developers, consultants, and users blurs and many of the ideas that drive the TurboCASH Project are derived and driven by the community. Customers have moved from being isolated islands to being integral members of our community. Instead of having a "complaints department" we have a "community forum" in which the TurboCASH program is reviewed openly by all concerned, warts and all. Over the 20 years that I have worked with TurboCASH, hundreds of people have made significant contributions, but none more so than in the last 4 years under the Open Source model. Today even though I run the project as a one man business, I am assisted by hundreds daily. The incredible thing is that as the user base grows, support reduces . Our whole support department has been replaced by a simple ebook, Accounting Made Easy . The TurboCASH program has never been better. While there is a free forum for anyone to slag the program, most comments are positive. The Myth that Accounting is complex is exposed.
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