An article in Linux.com ( linked below ) tells the story of a pre-bubble CRM company that took the jump to Linux, after being a Microsoft shop. They were previously using the .NET platform, but disappointed by the licensing restrictions and the overall cost of the product, they looked for a more scalable solution.

And then, there was light. From LAMP, an implementation composed of Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP.

This is but one of the multitudes of of stories on what looks to be a recent, slow exodus from closed-source, expensive solutions, to cheaper open-source alternatives. And one of the many that echo the same sentiment as others have - that it is not merely a case of what’s more financially scalable, but what allows them more flexibility with what they do as well.

Naysayers in the past who have decried the OSS movement’s unreliability - after all, how can you trust software that allows its insides to be seen and poked at - are now gradually going with the chorus of affirmations. The nature of how the source code is treated has ceased to be an obstacle, rather a positive remark about how robust development in the open-source side can be. To paraphrase a quote, a thousand people can’t be wrong.

What’s particularly wonderful about the movement is it is composed of people who actively care about the product they are contributing to. Being both in the consumer and development part of the product creates a far more active dynamic than the alternative. Developers using the product not just as a testbed, but as a part of the production process (as we do here in AtMail) tends to stir some very interesting questions. What do I want to see in the next release? What could I remove? What could be improved?

I certainly hope that the trend continues, and I can see it happening. And I can see it shaping methods of collaboration, development, and the future of how business in the World Wide Web is done.

CRM company dumps Microsoft, remakes itself with LAMP

Sun recently bought out all MySQL stock for $ 800 million dollars - much to “boos” and “yays” in equal amounts. After all, this was hardly expected by many considering Sun’s stellar (no pun intended) support for PostgreSQL.

However, looking back at Sun’s history with OpenOffice.org, I think this is a good thing. Historically, they have been known to be a leading proponent and contributor to open source software; Stallman himself has been quoted as saying that they provide more to the free software community than any other company. And while MySQL has a huge community and developer-base, a bit of help can’t be that bad.

One of the questions asked was if the purchase will affect the development of MySQL for other platforms. Kaj Arnö, the VP of Community Relations, assures us:

“Absolutely not. MySQL is still being managed by the same people, and the charter is still the same. There is no need for reducing the set of platforms or languages. It only makes sense for us to continue to support defacto Web development standards like LAMP, as well as emerging ones like Ruby and Eclipse. This deal is about addition, not subtraction.”

Of course, there is the question of what they can gain from it. Well, a few possibilities:

As we all are aware, MySQL pushes LAMP - an implementation that has been immensely popular, and widely used. Perhaps they aim to gain from LAMP’s userbase and coverage. Perhaps it is a grab for leverage against competing products (IIS/MSSQL, for one). Or perhaps they are looking for integration of MySQL with their existing products.

We can really only speculate for the moment. But one thing’s for sure - I myself will be watching with great anticipation.

Sun Announces Agreement to Acquire MySQL

The online demo site of AtMail, demo.atmail.com will undergo a purge of local accounts at the demo domains.
If you have been using the online demo as an active email account using atmail.com, atmail.org or atmail.nl, this account will be permanently purged 7th Feb 2008. The online demo was never intended as an active email service, only a demo of the AtMail interface.

If you have an active account, two options are available:

1. Login to Webmail and divert your email to another account. Webmail > Settings > Email Diversion. This diversion will be kept in place after the demo account has been purged.
2. Signup for a Hosted @Mail account, and let us host your own domain or previous email account on the paid platform.

The demo site no longer accepts signup at the previous domains, only demo.atmail.com for testing purposes . If you have a previous account you need to access click the external-login page, and login with your full email account by 7th Feb 2008.

Atmail is proud to open the new Research & Development Centre, based in Peregian Beach, Sunshine Coast, Australia.

Due to the expansion of the company, the new office is setup as a creative R&D environment for AtMail, with the intention to further refine the software and release cutting edge new products. The office will house new PHP programmers, usability and design guru’s, open-source developers for Linux, and all things related to AtMail.

The new office in Peregian Beach is 150 meters away from world-class surfing beaches, ocean views from the office, surrounded by Noosa National park, located in the “Sunshine coast” with one of the highest sunshine readings in the world per year, and only 20 minutes from an International airport.

With the opening of the new office we have open positions available for PHP/Linux developers, and a new position for an overseas student to work in Australia on an AtMail R&D project for a 6-12 month period. We are seeking some of the best local and international developers to join our team to live and work in one of the most beautiful environments in Australia.

A map of the new office is below, we are excited to open the expansion of the new R&D centre!