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Our recent move to the Firebird
Database has opened up new possibilities for TurboCASH 4. Firebird
is a true SQL database and capable of being used in multi user and
web applications. Firebird databases have little problems handling
hundreds of simultaneous users.
TurboCASH has always been able to handle
volumes and often simple businesses have the highest volumes. In
repeating invoice applications like retailers, TurboCASH is
adept at storing large amounts of line item information in a small
amount of space. What Version 4 has enabled us to do is to spread
this to a network environment. We now have users connecting 10 users
and 6 tills together to create multi user workgroups, using web front
ends to capture their orders and linking to the Banking and Freight
systems for fulfillment. All integrated with Open Source components.
So what are the upper limitations of
TurboCASH?
It would seem that the limitation of
TurboCASH is rather in the business rules than in the network
connections. It is hard to be everything to all people. One of the
key advances in TurboCASH 4 has been to SIMPLIFY installation.
To this end we can install TurboCASH with an embedded database
and copy it to any location like a flash drive memory stick. This is
a world first for accounting packages.
The challenge is to combine this easy
of setup with the power of a multi user system. It helps not that
every installation requires teams to set it up, or that once we have
set it up, there are holes in security. TurboCASH Commercial
version hopefully covers this gap for us. By charging $100 per year
for a Commercial Licence for a multi user system we are able to put the effort into tightening
up these security rules while keeping them hidden from the single
user, who wants a completely flexible and easy to use system.
It seems that as you get up the
complexity curve, systems become more and more unstable. As we start
to investigate the sites of bigger systems, we find “the second
system syndrome”, where companies having had the experience of a
system decide to install a new super duper cover all system. The
first step is to spend $ 100 000 on some complex ERP systems and then
spend the next few years getting it integrated. By the time they have
worked their way through the bugs the next generation of software
available. We have a simpler idea. Use a simple core GL applications
like TurboCASH and add you own plugins to suit your business.
This radically shortens the deployment period and cuts the cost in
multiples.
We have extensively tested the 5 to 10
users systems, and we expect to get users this year in the 50 user
range. Typically 50 user systems cost from $ 20 000 to $ 100 000. TurboCASH is coming in at $ 100. This is an even greater advantage than a free single user system. These are exciting times for the TurboCASH project
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