I will be developing this type of application (web app). When I finish, I can let you know. My plan was to have free accounts ad-based, with pay accounts will more features and no ads. If your friend can wait a couple of weeks, I could use a beta tester, also some help on requirements. Let me know off list if you are interested. Eric Cope On Thu, Dec 31, 2009 at 3:13 PM, Trent Shipley wrote: > Joseph Sinclair wrote: > > > Centric was recently renamed to Concursive (www.concursive.com), and > it's not going to run well on a laptop. It's still a fairly simple install > if you have basic Java skills (you have to build it from source to use the > AGPL version), but it's still a web-based server, not a client application. > > I don't think any full CRM will run well on a laptop, since they all want > to be a web service, and running a server on a laptop is not a good idea > (not to mention the privacy/goodwill nightmare a lost laptop would cause). > > If you're really trying to do this on a laptop, a SAAS solution (like > salesforce.com) is going to be a MUCH better choice, since then it doesn't > matter what you access the service with, and you don't need to worry about a > theft or loss of the laptop taking a big chunk of your business (and all of > your customer trust) with it. The per-user costs for a small business are > lower, on an annual basis, than the cost of a server, backups, etc... > > > I would love to offer a Salesforce.com solution. However, this is for a > single dance instructor, just out of college, so the budget is literally > zero. I've sat through Salesforce.com presentations. They are after the > larger small company and the midsize companies. Not so much the itty > bitty business. > > Backup will be to DVDs, flash drive, or if I'm lucky a USB backup hard > drive sharing the desk with the laptop. > > > If you insist on keeping the entire business contact list on a laptop > (what business is this, so I can avoid ever giving them any of my > information?), > So are you saying that you don't put contact information on your cell > phone? > > Ideally this would not go on a laptop, but the only available computer > is a laptop so on a laptop it goes. Risk is part of business. > > > then it sounds like what you might want is an advanced contact manager, > not a full CRM. > > There are a few simple contact management systems incorporated into the > KDE and Gnome desktops, but I still haven't found anything that can compare > to the proprietary ACT! for this use-case, unfortunately. The closest would > be the Golden Rules Organized (http://www.golden-rules.org/), which is > free-as-in-beer, but NOT open source. > > > > > > > It's more than just a contact manager. ACT! might be good, Golden Rules > Organized might be adequate, but she will want this customized to her > line of business. (I want to customize it because I'm bored and can use > the experience.) At the cost of repetition here are some things she wants. > > contact info, of course. > how they found me > when they registered > enrollment history > injury info > if a certain promotion brought them in > trends, what works, > some info on where they are geographically > > So when done this package would be suitable for independent dance > instructors, yoga instructors, and independent personal trainers. With a > little work, it might be suitable for independent dance studios, yoga > studios, martial arts centers, and gyms. > > > > --------------------------------------------------- > PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings: > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss > -- Eric Cope http://cope-et-al.com