-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Hello Frank and Alex, let me answer your questions or comment your points in one posting. As Alex already mentioned there are different ways of contributing to an open source project. (0) The missunderstanding (?): OTRS::CiCS(::ITSM) is never sold by us as a totally own project or software. First of all, it's not sold at all. It's available for free under GPL. Whoever downloads and installs it, may use, modify or backport OTRS(::CiCS) as (s)he likes - as long as it stays GPL. Second, in ALL of our workshops, presentations and press material OTRS::CiCS is described as an EXTENSION for OTRS and we always refer to the OTRS-project as the base for this extensions (presentations on Chemnitzer Linux Tage, Berliner Linux Tag, CeBit, etc.). Third, OTRS::CiCS requires OTRS to be already installed. Therefore it should be clear enough, that we don't sell OTRS as our own. However, the extensions are made by us, so please allow us to publish them under our name :-). If you've got the feeling that we are saying OTRS is invented by us, I'm sorry. (1) The bugfixing issue: As a matter of fact, c.a.p.e. IT reports bugs, that have been found by us to bugs.otrs.org - also suggesting bugfixes. Furthermore we participate in maintaining the filemanager and I for myself am sort of responsible for user backend related issues in OTRS. Of course this work is community work and supports the OTRS-project. (2) The community support issue: We also try to support the community by giving answers to questions, this does not always happen on the mailing list or the otrs-forum(.de) because some requests arrive directly in our support system or our personal mailboxes. If we have the time we answer these request as well. (3) The backporting issue - what's been done: OTRS::CiCS is an extension for an existing open source project. Some features which exist since previous OTRS::CiCS versions, will be available in OTRS 2.5.x (e.g. config item events). Also, some other improvements have already found their way to the main OTRS - even though they've been implemented in a slighlty different way. Nevertheless, we are in contact with the people from the OTRS AG to discuss further integration of features from our extension to the main stream of OTRS. (4a) The backporting issue - the discussion problem: Even though many OTRS users like the OTRS::CiCS-extensions, not all users want all of them. Obviously, there is a big need for discussion which improvements/extensions should be integrated to main OTRS and which shouldn't. Unfortunately, there is no such thing like an open commission or OTRS development board (yet?). The development road map is defined by the OTRS AG. In order to live the open source idea we thought, sharing our extensions with the community by publishing them is the right way. I think keeping them secret would really break the open source idea. However, since these extensions are build by us. (4b) The backporting issue - the time problem: OTRS::CiCS consists of many extensions of which we thought are useful for OTRS. But we wanted them now and not after months of discussion (so did our customers). Just have a look at some enhancement requests at bugs.otrs.org and you will see what I'm writing about. (5) OSS - an evolutionary sotware development approach OSS and the idea behind lives from a wide variety of versions of a software. The different versions/distributions exchange ideas and implementations, thus creating new and better versions of the software. What if there were only one Linux distribution? What if there were only one open source CMS? Or a non OS-sample: what if there were just one fast food chain? ...just Big Macs :-) To prevent another possible missunterstanding: this comparison entails the thought of a fork, which is not intended by us. However, what I want to say is that a wide variety of extension packages is useful for the OTRS project and extends the acceptance. ...there is a bunch of other points which could be discussed here, but which do not belong to this (public) mailing list. Nonetheless, I rest my case :-) and I hope I met your concerns and clearified the situation. regards, T. - -- Torsten Thau, Dipl. Inform. c.a.p.e. IT Labs GbR - Annaberger Str. 240 - D-09125 Chemnitz phone: +49 371 5347 623 cell: +49 176 66 680 680 personal pgp-key: 0x93E0A174 fax: +49 371 5347 625 http://www.cape-it.de -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.9 (GNU/Linux) iEYEARECAAYFAkskwKsACgkQvXo8m5PgoXT1JACdErfzJg/rXo+432BX3VjANOr1 We8AnAkO8O82Wxwd1fCFB7XzGCkQ/n3y =twAf -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----