“Open Source Meets Groupon” as Large Numbers of Micro-Sponsors Drive Development of a Key New Feature
NORFOLK, Va. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — October 5, 2010 — xTuple, the leading provider of commercial open source business management software for growing companies, today announced a Feature Mob initiative aimed at providing xTuple users with affordable multi-platform email integration. Modeled after popular social network activity and online coupon business models, the open source ERP provider is leveraging “micro-sponsorships” to quickly move ahead with adding email functionality into xTuple.
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xTuple will make the new email functionality available as part of its ever-growing xTuple Connect add-in product, which works with all three versions of xTuple. xTuple Connect is a powerful integration platform that automates connections between xTuple ERP implementation and other software systems enabling real-time import and export from external systems, including EDI, websites and CAD/PLM.
The email functionality will integrate xTuple ERP with any IMAP mail server, and will include an optional email client within the ERP system; users will also be able to use their existing email client if they prefer. All email, incoming and outgoing, relevant to particular customers or other business activity will be stored in the ERP database, and the full history will be available and searchable within xTuple ERP. This approach preserves the flexibility for which xTuple is known – users have their choice of email clients and servers, and can continue to run on any combination of Windows, Mac, or Linux.
Exclusive to Feature Mob participants, sponsors will receive the updated version of xTuple Connect – normally priced at $1,995 – with the new email capabilities and the first year's maintenance at no additional cost. The cost to participate in the Feature Mob goes down as more sponsors join the project. Already twelve micro-sponsors have joined, driving the cost from $950 per sponsor to $900. When the count reaches twenty-one, the cost will drop another $50. And all participants who paid an earlier, higher price will be refunded the difference of the final cost-per-participant.
“Better email integration is probably the most requested feature to help our users grow revenues,” said Ned Lilly, President and CEO, xTuple. “Building on our mission of offering advanced functionality for less, we’re making it easy and affordable for users of any edition of xTuple to have a seat at the table as we implement this major new feature.”
The free and open source PostBooks Edition of xTuple has been the #1 most active project on the Sourceforge.net open source portal for over a year, and has been downloaded over 420,000 times. xTuple continues to break new ground as an innovator in commercial open source; the Feature Mob concept supports the creation of additional mutual value between companies like xTuple and their open source communities, over and above the already-successful core development model. For more information or to participate in the sponsorship, please visit http://www.xtuple.org/email-feature-mob.
About xTuple
xTuple business management software gives growing companies control over operations and the tools to power that growth. xTuple integrates all critical functional areas in one system: sales, accounting, and operations– including customer and supplier management, inventory control, manufacturing and distribution.
As a commercial open source company, xTuple works with a global community of over 25,000 professional users. xTuple gives customers the ability to tailor solutions to meet their needs with multi-platform support for Mac, Windows and Linux, and flexible licensing and pricing options. For more information, please visit the company web site at www.xtuple.com or the community web site at www.xtuple.org.
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