Forums
New posts
Forum list
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New resources
Latest activity
Trending Threads
Resources
Latest reviews
Search resources
FarmTV
Farm Compare
Search
Tokens/Searches
Calendar
Upcoming Events
Members
Registered members
Current visitors
New Resources
New posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Forum list
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Navigation
Install the app
Install
More options
Contact us
Close Menu
Forums
Extras
Computers & IT
OpenFarm
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="sy247" data-source="post: 6186586" data-attributes="member: 122126"><p>That's a great question Boysground. Let me explain a bit about myself and my partner who I am working on the project with. I have been working in IT for nearly 20 years, I am a freelance IT consultant, I work as a solution / infrastructure architect delivering End User Computing solutions, usually for large companies.</p><p></p><p>My LinkedIn profile is here:</p><p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonnorman" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonnorman</a></p><p></p><p>I am Norfolk born and bred and passionate about the countryside. When I am not sitting behind a computer one of my interests is shooting, which has brought me into contact with farmers over the last decade or so. I have been working as a freelance contractor in essentially the same field for 15 years and am looking to diversify into new technology and business areas.</p><p></p><p>I met Raj, my partner in the project in a chance meeting around 18 months ago. Raj is a talented developer who is passionate about Open Source software and the ethos that goes with it. He is very active in the Drupal community (Drupal is a web hosting and web application development framework). I was impressed with how generous he was with his skills and time in giving back to the Drupal community by writing modules and solving other people’s problems. Since we met, we have been thinking about how we can combine our skills and develop a product in a niche area which has potential for growth.</p><p></p><p>Raj comes from a rural area in India where farming is low tech. His family have a farming background and he has been thinking for some time about how software can improve efficiency and increase yields. He suggested the idea to me and after researching the market in the UK we realised that there is demand for a modern platform. We also recognise that over the next 5 – 10 years the Internet of Things (IoT) is going to develop significantly. That offers potential to create a very powerful system that combined with artificial intelligence and possibly machine learning could make predications based on a wide range of environmental inputs. That is something we find exciting. The UK Government have an agritech strategy that we would like to align ourselves with and be part of initiates like Agri-Tech East once we have developed a viable product. We believe there is a global opportunity for the right agriculture platform with potential growth in both developing and developed countries.</p><p></p><p>Raj’s LinkedIn profile is here:</p><p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/drupler/" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/drupler/</a></p><p></p><p>I would like to answer your question about how it is possible to create a complex product when there is no license fee to use it. Essentially the way this is done is to charge for services related to the product, but to not charge for the actual product itself. Anyone is free to take the source code under the Open Source model and develop it, providing it is released under the same Open Source license. As an example, many companies use Linux as a server operating system to host systems on, Linux is free to use but many companies provide support and development services which are chargeable. Many websites are hosted on Apache web server, this is an Open Source product. Drupal, the framework that Raj specialises in, and the framework that we are using to develop Open Farm is used by many well known organisations:</p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.drupal.org/case-studies" target="_blank">https://www.drupal.org/case-studies</a></p><p></p><p>In terms of the cost for services associated with OpenFarm we are still in the early stages of the project have not thought about it in detail. As a company we will maintain an Open Source product that anyone can download and install. You could either install it on your own computer or you could install it in the cloud if you wanted to manage it yourself. If a customer wanted us to host it for them (once we have developed a viable product) that is something we would charge to do. The hosting will be low cost, we want to provide an affordable service that will be attractive to farmers. We would provide free community support on a best endeavours basis, if a customer wanted support with a service level agreement, we would charge to provide it. We will take suggestions for features to develop and incorporate them into product releases but if a customer wanted specific functionality that was not on the product roadmap, we would charge to develop it. Because the source code will be freely available any company (or individual) could develop functionality for the platform, not just us. This model creates an ecosystem around the platform which is very powerful. There is a good overview of Open Source software here:</p><p></p><p><a href="https://opensource.com/resources/what-open-source" target="_blank">https://opensource.com/resources/what-open-source</a></p><p></p><p>In the early stages of the project while we are developing the platform, we would provide free hosting for anyone who wants to use it. We want to build a user base and give something back to people who are giving up their time to help develop it. The cost for us to host a small platform are not high. We have started building the database part of the platform but not the front end user interface (web) part yet. Raj has friends in India who are helping with development and we plan to expand the team as the project gathers momentum. We appreciate it is a complex project with many requirements to make it a viable alternative to existing commercial products in both arable and livestock farming. We view it as a long term project and it will not happen overnight. We will build an initial product and add features with subsequent releases. We understand technology but are not farmers which is why to work it needs to be a collaborative effort. We very much appreciate the positive feedback and interest that has been received so far.</p><p></p><p>Thanks,</p><p></p><p>Simon & Raj</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="sy247, post: 6186586, member: 122126"] That's a great question Boysground. Let me explain a bit about myself and my partner who I am working on the project with. I have been working in IT for nearly 20 years, I am a freelance IT consultant, I work as a solution / infrastructure architect delivering End User Computing solutions, usually for large companies. My LinkedIn profile is here: [URL]https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonnorman[/URL] I am Norfolk born and bred and passionate about the countryside. When I am not sitting behind a computer one of my interests is shooting, which has brought me into contact with farmers over the last decade or so. I have been working as a freelance contractor in essentially the same field for 15 years and am looking to diversify into new technology and business areas. I met Raj, my partner in the project in a chance meeting around 18 months ago. Raj is a talented developer who is passionate about Open Source software and the ethos that goes with it. He is very active in the Drupal community (Drupal is a web hosting and web application development framework). I was impressed with how generous he was with his skills and time in giving back to the Drupal community by writing modules and solving other people’s problems. Since we met, we have been thinking about how we can combine our skills and develop a product in a niche area which has potential for growth. Raj comes from a rural area in India where farming is low tech. His family have a farming background and he has been thinking for some time about how software can improve efficiency and increase yields. He suggested the idea to me and after researching the market in the UK we realised that there is demand for a modern platform. We also recognise that over the next 5 – 10 years the Internet of Things (IoT) is going to develop significantly. That offers potential to create a very powerful system that combined with artificial intelligence and possibly machine learning could make predications based on a wide range of environmental inputs. That is something we find exciting. The UK Government have an agritech strategy that we would like to align ourselves with and be part of initiates like Agri-Tech East once we have developed a viable product. We believe there is a global opportunity for the right agriculture platform with potential growth in both developing and developed countries. Raj’s LinkedIn profile is here: [URL]https://www.linkedin.com/in/drupler/[/URL] I would like to answer your question about how it is possible to create a complex product when there is no license fee to use it. Essentially the way this is done is to charge for services related to the product, but to not charge for the actual product itself. Anyone is free to take the source code under the Open Source model and develop it, providing it is released under the same Open Source license. As an example, many companies use Linux as a server operating system to host systems on, Linux is free to use but many companies provide support and development services which are chargeable. Many websites are hosted on Apache web server, this is an Open Source product. Drupal, the framework that Raj specialises in, and the framework that we are using to develop Open Farm is used by many well known organisations: [URL]https://www.drupal.org/case-studies[/URL] In terms of the cost for services associated with OpenFarm we are still in the early stages of the project have not thought about it in detail. As a company we will maintain an Open Source product that anyone can download and install. You could either install it on your own computer or you could install it in the cloud if you wanted to manage it yourself. If a customer wanted us to host it for them (once we have developed a viable product) that is something we would charge to do. The hosting will be low cost, we want to provide an affordable service that will be attractive to farmers. We would provide free community support on a best endeavours basis, if a customer wanted support with a service level agreement, we would charge to provide it. We will take suggestions for features to develop and incorporate them into product releases but if a customer wanted specific functionality that was not on the product roadmap, we would charge to develop it. Because the source code will be freely available any company (or individual) could develop functionality for the platform, not just us. This model creates an ecosystem around the platform which is very powerful. There is a good overview of Open Source software here: [URL]https://opensource.com/resources/what-open-source[/URL] In the early stages of the project while we are developing the platform, we would provide free hosting for anyone who wants to use it. We want to build a user base and give something back to people who are giving up their time to help develop it. The cost for us to host a small platform are not high. We have started building the database part of the platform but not the front end user interface (web) part yet. Raj has friends in India who are helping with development and we plan to expand the team as the project gathers momentum. We appreciate it is a complex project with many requirements to make it a viable alternative to existing commercial products in both arable and livestock farming. We view it as a long term project and it will not happen overnight. We will build an initial product and add features with subsequent releases. We understand technology but are not farmers which is why to work it needs to be a collaborative effort. We very much appreciate the positive feedback and interest that has been received so far. Thanks, Simon & Raj [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Extras
Computers & IT
OpenFarm
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Accept
Learn more…
Top