Free Software versus Open Source: Tryton vs Odoo (openERP)

08 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by in Libre Software

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

I could write many pages, but it all comes down to one concept: ethics.
When I talk about Free Software, I talk about not only about freedom, but also community and good will from the software author. The latter probably is the most important one.
You write Free Software because you want to contribute to the community. It’s an act of social activism. It’s about sharing and helping out.
This April I got a mail from Chris Larsen, a doctor working in Rwanda, where he was asking OpenERP the scripts to upgrade to 6.x, since they needed to have the latest Medical version. The response he got was that the scripts were not publicly available anymore. If they wanted to upgrade, they would have to pay a support contract to OpenERP. This is the typical example of a vendor lock-in. They change the rules (even the license) and then the user becomes their prisoner.
That very same day I started the implementation of GNU Health (previously called “medical”) in the Tryton platform. Believe me, this was frustrating and it meant a lot of work, but I had to guarantee the future for the health centers.
That effort paid off. Today Health (GNU Health) is an official GNU package (health.gnu.org), the United Nations University has adopted it, and everyday health centers are downloading it from the GNU official site. Obviously, the GNU Health version that today is an official GNU package runs under Tryton, a community-based project.
I just got an email today that a health center in RDC ( Democratic Republic of Congo ) after testing the functionality, will be using GNU Health under Tryton.
Open Source has become the refuge for some speculators, who apply digital lock-ins, by, for example, not releasing the upgrade scripts. This is not fair. It’s not ethical. It’s not thinking about the community. It’s being selfish and greedy. Lastly, it’s not respecting the underlying software.
OpenERP and Tryton need Python, Postgresql and GNU/Linux. If Python or Postgresql would impose a support contract fee to be able to upgrade, they would not exist. So, none of us have the right to break the evolution chain. 
So, a word of advice . Make sure you use Free Software. This is more than just a license. They should be community-based projects.
Some signs of warning to keep in mind : Avoid software that has a “buy” link instead of a “download”, or “1 month free”. Those are signs of vendor lock-in strategies. Also, be wary of “Commercial Open Source”, projects, led by private corporations. They are usually there only for their money and don’t care about you. 
If you are a programmer, you can – and you should – make money from Free Software. You can make a good income by giving training sessions and implementing your software. Free Software is both ethical and a great way of making your living !
As the author of GNU Health, and as the president of GNU Solidario, my commitment is to the community and the underprivileged, so rest assured that I will always suggest you the best environment for your health center. Now that GNU Health is an official GNU package, our mission is supported and backed up by the Free Software Foundation and the United Nations.

Update (Apr 2016) : Please read Richard Stalman statement against the use of Odoo on his post “When Free Software depends on Nonfree” https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/when-free-depends-on-nonfree

Free Software versus Open Source: Tryton vs OpenERP

08 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by in GNU Health, Public Health

≈ 1 Comment

I could write many pages, but it all comes down to one concept: ethics.
When I talk about Free Software, I talk about not only about freedom, but also community and good will from the software author. The latter probably is the most important one.
You write Free Software because you want to contribute to the community. It’s an act of social activism. It’s about sharing and helping out.
This April I got a mail from Chris Larsen, a doctor working in Rwanda, where he was asking OpenERP the scripts to upgrade to 6.x, since they needed to have the latest Medical version. The response he got was that the scripts were not publicly available anymore. If they wanted to upgrade, they would have to pay a support contract to OpenERP. This is the typical example of a vendor lock-in. They change the rules (even the license) and then the user becomes their prisoner.
That very same day I started the implementation of GNU Health (previously called “medical”) in the Tryton platform. Believe me, this was frustrating and it meant a lot of work, but I had to guarantee the future for the health centers.
That effort paid off. Today Health (GNU Health) is an official GNU package (health.gnu.org), the United Nations University has adopted it, and everyday health centers are downloading it from the GNU official site. Obviously, the GNU Health version that today is an official GNU package runs under Tryton, a community-based project.
I just got an email today that a health center in RDC ( Democratic Republic of Congo ) after testing the functionality, will be using GNU Health under Tryton.
Open Source has become the refuge for some speculators, who apply digital lock-ins, by, for example, not releasing the upgrade scripts. This is not fair. It’s not ethical. It’s not thinking about the community. It’s being selfish and greedy. Lastly, it’s not respecting the underlying software.
OpenERP and Tryton need Python, Postgresql and GNU/Linux. If Python or Postgresql would impose a support contract fee to be able to upgrade, they would not exist. So, none of us have the right to break the evolution chain. 
So, a word of advice . Make sure you use Free Software. This is more than just a license. They should be community-based projects.
Some signs of warning to keep in mind : Avoid software that has a “buy” link instead of a “download”, or “1 month free”. Those are signs of vendor lock-in strategies. Also, be wary of “Commercial Open Source”, projects, led by private corporations. They are usually there only for their money and don’t care about you. 
If you are a programmer, you can – and you should – make money from Free Software. You can make a good income by giving training sessions and implementing your software. Free Software is both ethical and a great way of making your living !
As the author of GNU Health, and as the president of GNU Solidario, my commitment is to the community and the underprivileged, so rest assured that I will always suggest you the best environment for your health center. Now that GNU Health is an official GNU package, our mission is supported and backed up by the Free Software Foundation and the United Nations.

GNU Health en PyCon Argentina 2011

06 Tuesday Sep 2011

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

 

Viernes 23 y Sábado 24 de Septiembre se celebrará la Conferencia del lenguaje Python 2011 (PyCon) en la ciudad de Junín.         
En el marco de esta conferencia, Sebastián Marró e Ignacio Parszyk de Thymbra, presentarán “GNU Health sobre Tryton Framework”.
El objetivo es mostrar Tryton como plataforma de desarrollo de aplicaciones y, específicamente, el sistema GNU Health desarrollado en este framework.

Tryton es una plataforma de desarrollo de aplicaciones de alto nivel y propósito general de tres-capas bajo la licencia GPL-3 escrita en Python y que usa PostgreSQL como motor de base de datos.
GNU Health (http://health.gnu.org/) es un sistema libre de Gestión Hospitalaria y de Información de Salud.


La semana pasada GNU Health ha sido designado por Richard Stallman como Paquete Oficial GNU (http://thymbra-consulting.blogspot.com/2011/08/richard-stallman-designa-gnu-health.html).

Los esperamos en Junín !

Capacitación GNU Health en Tryton .

02 Friday Sep 2011

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

En Thymbra Academy estamos organizando la Capacitación de GNU Health bajo Tryton. GNU Health ha sido designado por Richard Stallman como Paquete Oficial GNU.

Los trainings Funcional y Técnico, son intensivos y se dictarán en  Buenos Aires, Argentina, por Luis Falcón.
Los grupos son reducidos y a pedido, así que no se olvide de reservar su vacante con tiempo.

Mas información: academia@thymbra.com

Richard Stallman designa GNU Health como paquete oficial GNU !

29 Monday Aug 2011

Posted by in events, GNU Health

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Desde el blog oficial de Luis Falcón (english version):
“Es un gran día para el Software Libre. Es un gran día para la Salud Publica”.
Esta fue mi respuesta a Richard después de que anunciara que GNU Health es un paquete oficial GNU.
Que GNU Health sea un paquete oficial GNU significa que es Software Libre en el mas amplio sentido del termino. No solo significa que se pueda utilizar libremente, si no que proporciona libertad al usuarios y que no tiene locks digitales. 
En el campo de la Salud este concepto es mucho mas importante. Los Sistemas de Salud e Información Hospitalario tienen que ser un bien publico, que no dependan de la voluntad de una empresa. Tienen que ser libre de cualquier lock-ins, para que el usuario que tiene el software pueda utilizarlo, adaptarlo y actualizarlo cuando lo necesite.
Por esta razón eligimos a Tryton  como framework para  GNU Health. Un proyecto  basado en la comunidad, libre de especuladores.
Quiero agradecer a Richard Stallman y al  GNU project, especialmente Karl Berry,  por incluir GNU Health y ayudarnos en el proceso de inscripción.

Por último, se están cambiando los sitios de descarga oficial. Los archivos de GNU Health estarán en:

– The European Open Source Observatory and Repository
– The GNU Savannah

Para mas información sobre GNU Health viste nuestra pagina web: www.gnuhealth.org

Sobre GNU Health 
GNU Health (conocido anteriormente como “Medical”) es libre (GPL license), es un sistema libre de Gestión Hospitalaria y de Información de Salud que ofrece las siguientes funciones :
  • Expediente Médico Electrónico (EMR)
  • Sistema de Gestión Hospitalaria (HIS)
  • Sistema de Información de Salud
GNU Health es parte de GNU Solidario ( http://gnusolidario.org/en ). GNU Solidario es una NGO que ofrece soluciones para la educación y la salud con el software libre.
Goviernos que acogen GNU Health en sus portales:

Richard Stallman declares GNU Health an official package

29 Monday Aug 2011

Posted by in GNU solidario

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

“It is a great day for Free Software. It is a great day for Public Health”.
That was my response to Richard’s announcement about making GNU Health an official GNU package.

Being an official GNU package means that it’s Free Software, in the widest sense of the term. Means that is not only freely available, but it provides freedom to the user, and it has no digital locks.

In Healthcare, this concept is even more important. Health and Hospital Information Systems must be a public good, that don’t depend on the will of a corporation. They must be free of any type of lock-ins. So, the user that has the software will be able to use it, adapt it, and upgrade it when needed.

That’s why we chose Tryton  as the GNU Health framework environment.A community-based project free of speculators.

I want to thank Richard Stallman and the GNU project, especially Karl Berry,  for including GNU Health, and helping us out in the registration process.

Finally, we are changing the official download sites. We will be hosting the GNU Health archives at :

– The European Open Source Observatory and Repository
– The GNU Savannah

For more information, please check the GNU Health homepage at www.gnuhealth.org

About GNU Health

GNU Health (formerly known as “Medical”) is a free (GPL license), Health and Hospital Information System that provides the following functionality :
  • Electronic Medical Record (EMR)
  • Hospital Information System (HIS)
  • Health Information System
GNU Health is part of GNU Solidario. GNU Solidario is a NGO that delivers education and health to emerging economies with free software.
Main site : www.gnuhealth.org
Governments hosting GNU Health through their portals :

GNU Health versión 1.3.0 con soporte para Tryton

16 Tuesday Aug 2011

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Desde el blog oficial de Luis Falcon (english version):
Después de varios meses de trabajo, acabo de subir la ultima versión de desarrollo de GNU Health, versión 1.3.0 !
Esta versión tiene muchas mejoras y, la mas importante, es que es compatible con
Tryton. De hecho esta es una muy buena noticia para la comunidad del Software Libre. Ahora todos pueden utilizar GNU Health sabiendo que hay una opción libre (libertad) en todo lo que se relaciona con el software (ERP, Database y Sistema Operativo).

GNU Health 1.3.0  en Tryton y en Debian/GNU Linux . Pantallazo de Genética
Esta versión de desarrollo es ideal para ver las ultimas funciones y tener un anticipo de lo que se viene en Diciembre, cuando se liberará la versión estable 2.0.

Algunas de las nuevas características de esta versión son:
  • Soporte completo en Tryton
  • Nuevo script de configuración para automatizar la instalación
  • Nuevo modulo de Pediatría, incluyendo neonatología
  • Mejora e la seguridad (la información de login del usuario es cifrada gracias a Tryton)
  • Nuevo sistema de reportes, los reportes se crean directamente desde Libre Office
  • Mejoras en la ergonomía y en la navegación
  • Calculo automático del Smilkstein Family APGAR
  • Calculo automático de la Psychiatric Symptoms Checklist
  • Bug fixes y mejoras del modelo
Por favor visite la pagina de  GNU Health, descargue el programa y déjenos su comentarios ! Comparta sus ideas y sugerencias con la comunidad en nuestras mailing list, para que podamos seguir mejorando nuestro Free Health and Hospital Information System !
 
Sobre GNU Health 
GNU Health (conocido anteriormente como “Medical”) es libre (GPL license), es un sistema libre de Gestión Hospitalaria y de Información de Salud que ofrece las siguientes funciones :
  • Expediente Médico Electrónico (EMR)
  • Sistema de Gestión Hospitalaria (HIS)
  • Sistema de Información de Salud
GNU Health es parte de GNU Solidario ( http://gnusolidario.org/en ). GNU Solidario es una NGO que ofrece soluciones para la educación y la salud con el software libre.
Goviernos que acogen GNU Health en sus portales:

GNU Health release 1.3.0 with support for Tryton

16 Tuesday Aug 2011

Posted by in GNU Health, HMIS

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

After several months of  work, I just finished uploading the latest development GNU Health release, 1.3.0 !

This version has many improvements, and, the most important part is that is Tryton compatible. This is indeed very good news for the Free Software community. Now everyone can use GNU Health, knowing that there is a free ( freedom) option in all the related software around it ( ERP, Database and Operating System).

GNU Health 1.3.0 running on Tryton and in Debian/GNU Linux . Genetics screenshot

This development release is ideal to check the latest features, and get and sneak preview of what is coming in December, when the next stable release (2.0) comes out.

Some of the new features in this release are :

  • Full Tryton support
  • New configuration script to automate the installation
  • New Pediatrics module, including neonatology
  • Improved security (user login information is encrypted thanks to Tryton)
  • New reporting system, creating reports directly from Libre Office
  • Improved ergonomics and navigation
  • Automatic calculation for Smilkstein Family APGAR
  • Automatic calculation for Psychiatric Symptoms Checklist
  • Bug fixes and model improvements

Please go to the GNU Health homepage, download it and let us know ! Share your ideas, suggestions with the community  in our mailing list so we keep improving the Free Health and Hospital Information System !

About GNU Health

GNU Health (formerly known as “Medical”) is a free (GPL license), Health and Hospital Information System that provides the following functionality :
  • Electronic Medical Record (EMR)
  • Hospital Information System (HIS)
  • Health Information System
GNU Health is part of GNU Solidario ( http://gnusolidario.org/en ) . GNU Solidario is a NGO that delivers education and health to emerging economies with free software.
Governments hosting GNU Health through their portals :

GNU Solidario en CISL 2011

11 Thursday Aug 2011

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Les recuerdo que GNU Solidario estará presente en la CISL 2011: Conferencia Internacional del Software Libre. La Conferencia tendrá lugar en Buenos Aires los días 8 y 9 de Septiembre.

Luis Falcon, de GNU Solidario, presentará su charla sobre “GNU Health (AKA Medical)”: El Sistema Libre de Gestión Hospitalaria y de Información de Salud” el día viernes 9 de Septiembre a las 10 hs en el Aula 3.
Los esperamos!




Academia GNU Health en la Universidad de Naciones Unidas

22 Friday Jul 2011

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Desde el blog oficial de Luis Falcón (english version)

Finalmente he encontrado un momento para resumir la Academia GNU Health que se impartió en la Universidad de Naciones Unidas (UNU) en Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) durante la ultima semana de Junio. El workshop fue un gran éxito  y me la he pasado muy bien en Kuala Lumpur !
El workshop se llevó a cabo en el International Institute of Global Health (IIGH), en donde he tenido la oportunidad de capacitar el equipo de las Naciones Unidas sobre GNU Health, tanto en la parte funcional como en la técnica.
Participantes de la Academia GNU Health, Luis Falcón, y los directivos de la Universidad de Naciones Unidas en el edificio International Institute of Global Health

En el workshop, se trabajó en la instalación y parametrización de GNU Health, así como con conceptos de implementación.
También se mostraron los nuevos desarrollos y GNU Health en Tryton, una plataforma muy solida, escalable y, lo mas importante, completamente libre y basada en la comunidad.
Algunos de los participantes de la UNU – IIGH en la Academia GNU Health
Mi agradecimiento a: Dr. Nurhizam Safie, Dr. Mohamed Salleh, Dr. Syed Aljunid y todo el equipo del International Institute of Global Health (UNU-IIGH) por su hospitalidad y para adoptar el Softawe Libre para mejorar las vidas de los marginados en todo el mundo.
La Academia GNU Health en la Universidad de Naciones Unidas entra en el marco de colaboración entre UNU-IIGH y GNU Solidario para mejorar la salud con el Software Libre y  el desarrollo de capacidad.
Puede encontrar el evento GNU Health training 2011 en el portal UNU-IIGH :

http://iigh.unu.edu/?q=node/63

La Universidad de UN está dedicada a la generación y transferencia de conocimientos y al fortalecimiento de las capacidades individuales e institucionales para promover los propósitos y principios de la Carta de las Naciones Unidas.
La misión de la Universidad de UN es contribuir, mediante investigación, desarrollo de capacidades y servicios de asesoramiento, a los esfuerzos para resolver los urgentes problemas mundiales de: supervivencia, desarrollo y bienestar, que son la preocupación de las Naciones Unidas, sus Personas y los Estados Miembros.

Pagina web: http://www.unu.edu 

Sobre GNU Health 
GNU Health (conocido anteriormente como “Medical”) es libre (GPL license), es un sistema libre de Gestión Hospitalaria y de Información de Salud que ofrece las siguientes funciones :
  • Expediente Médico Electrónico (EMR)
  • Sistema de Gestión Hospitalaria (HIS)
  • Sistema de Información de Salud
GNU Health es parte de GNU Solidario ( http://gnusolidario.org/en ). GNU Solidario es una NGO que ofrece soluciones para la educación y la salud con el software libre.
Goviernos que acogen GNU Health en sus portales: