Free linux project management software

Linux developer plans to give away free apps - HBE Software's open-source model for applications software - Company Business and Marketing

Open-source approach gives programmers chance to test, modify code hosted on Web site

A Montreal developer of Linux software plans to be the ultimate Internet application service provider by giving away applications for free, rather than renting them.

The difference, says Raymond Luk of HBE Software Inc., is that the applications hosted by OpenDesk.com will be open source.

That way they'll be under scrutiny by a world of developers, who will make sure they're reliable, he said.

Programmers will also be able to build their own apps for the site using SmartWorker, the HBE open-source Web application framework used to build OpenDesk, so users will have a choice of software to use.

Applications will eventually be able to run on mobile devices, he said.

Users will have to pay for documentation, support and customization services.

As an added incentive, OpenDesk will host a forum service for developers who have contributed to OpenDesk and want to sell customization services.

"We want to be the premier provider of software on the Internet that's free, multilingual and not dependent on any device you have," said Luk.

A beta version of OpenDesk for PC, Linux and Macintosh platforms is now running on the Web (www.opendesk.com) in English, French and Chinese. He hopes the final version will be ready by the end of the month, which will support German, Japanese and Spanish.

Right now it has only browser-based productivity tools such as a calendar, contact manager and e-mail, as well as collaborative tools allowing users to store up to 5 MB of files from their own word processor and hold group votes.

In addition, he said, developers are now writing accounting, human resource, project management, expense tracker, word processing, group discussion, bulletin board and workspace chat applications.

Security is handled through the browser's secure sockets layer.

Passwords are encrypted on the client side.

OpenDesk is aimed at mobile professionals as well as small businesses and workgroups that don't have the backing of an IT department.

With more companies seeking services on the Internet, a firm could one day run its entire business on OpenDesk, Luk said.

Michael Gertds, Unix systems administrator at the University of Wisconsin's computer aided engineering centre, is intrigued by the concept.

Gertds described himself as a "light beta user" of OpenDesk so far, but likes the idea that he can customize the source code for the group calendar function.

People in his department use devices on several platforms, he said, and finding a solution that will solve all connectivity problems has been difficult. With OpenDesk, he can write an interface for several applications.

Keith Ellis, an analyst with International Data Corp. (Canada) Ltd., believes the site's collaborative features may be of interest to some companies, particularly because workgroups and mobile workers are becoming more common.

The ability to test the service for free will attract users, he said.

However, he is skeptical that companies will risk using a free service with non-brand software for critical work such as a financial application.

A firm will have to ask what it will do if it doesn't like OpenDesk, and how it will pass data from OpenDesk apps to more commonly used financial software.

But Luk said the connectivity question won't be an obstacle.

If the market wants compatibility with an app, then someone will build it, he said.

Businesses will want to be part of a service that is open source and offers a choice of applications so they aren't tied to one or two vendors, he said.

Companies that can afford an administrator or programming staff will turn to solutions such as Microsoft Exchange, OpenText's LiveLink or Lotus Notes, he said.

HBE Software (the initials stand for Hard Boiled Egg) also develops Linux-based e-commerce applications, including software which allows media organizations to create Web portals and lets organizations market and distribute online education courses.