GNU Enterprise (GNUe) is a meta-project started in 1996 and can be regarded as a sub-project of the GNU Project

GNU Project

The GNU Project is a free software, mass collaboration project, announced on September 27, 1983, by Richard Stallman at MIT. It initiated GNU operating system development in January, 1984...

. GNUe's goal is to create free

Free software

Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...

 "enterprise-class data-aware applications" (enterprise resource planners etc.).

GNUe is itself comprises several sub-projects:

Developer Tools

Firstly, GNUe is a set of tools, such as a data-aware user forms interface, a reporting system and an application server, which provide a development framework for enterprise information technology professionals to write or customize data-aware applications and deploy them effectively across large or small organizations. The GNUe platform boasts an open architecture and easy maintenance. It gives users a modular system and freedom from being stuck with a single-source vendor. GNUe supports multi-language interfaces, non-ASCII character sets, and most popular database systems.

ERP Packages

GNUe is also a set of packages written using the tools, to implement a full Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Packages include:

• human resources
• accounting
• customer relationship management
• project management
• supply chain
• e-commerce

GNUe can handle the needs of any business, large or small. GNUe supports multi-currency processing (including euro support).

Note: Packages are not as far along in the development cycle as the tools. Most are still in the planning stages.

The Community

A general community of support and resources for developers writing applications using the GNUe Tools (whether part of the 'official' GNUe Packages or not). It is designed to collect Enterprise software for the GNU system in a single location (much like the GNOME project collects Desktop software). GNUe is a Free Software project (released under the GNU General Public License) with a corps of volunteer developers around the world working on GNUe projects. This provides the added benefits of easy internationalization of applications. The project is working to provide a worldwide GNUe community, allowing everyone who is involved in the project access to other talented business information technology professionals.

External links

• GNU Enterprise home page
• http://www.gnuenterprise.org/community/history.php