[Foundation]The how, technical propositions

[fbour...@yaltik.com]

# Foundation - The how, technical propositions

Third, and last for today, thread. This one is about technical propositions and debates.

## License

As CubicERP is based upon at least Odoo LGPL v3 code, we must use LGPLv3 or compatible license.
If the mission of community enforced open source ERP is taken, the license which protects the most the users is the AGPLv3 (Affero GPL version 3). It ensures that executed code, even in SaaS mode, must be available, as a source code, to all its users.

## CLA

We may ask for A Contributor License Agreement for CubicERP contribution. There are advantages like allowing relicense if needed. But this is based upon trust and even with good intentions and clear legal status, even a foundation may evolve and close source. If we want to assure our users the contributed code will remain open source, I'm for not asking a CLA, only asking contributions under AGPLv3 or compatible license.

## Odoo

Building and maintaining an ERP is hard and many years of manpower. We have the chance to enjoy a technically good and increasing product, Odoo, which have an open source edition. CubicERP 2018 is based on Odoo v11.

In my opinion, we should ensure compatibility with Odoo :

* because we will take huge benefit from Odoo R&D and work on core ;
* because we will have 3 years of support, bug fixing for all the base ;
* because being source compatible with Odoo means being compatible with external open source Odoo addons.

To really take advantage of Odoo support, we must track and import regularly, maybe automatically commits from Odoo.

I believe we can not seriously consider, at the moment, a divergent fork.
Odoo is very modular and many things can be achieved without diverging.

## Community

Odoo open source community is still quite vibrant and dynamic, even after license change and open core model from Odoo S A. There is a prominent actor in the open source Odoo ecosystem : the Odoo Community Association.

Hundreds of individuals and contributors are part of this non-profit association and maintains many useful projects :

- modules that enhance core features ;
* modules that add new features ;
- vertical projects ;
- OpenUpgrade project, which allows migration between major Odoo versions ;
- OCB Odoo's fork, which contains additional bugfixes.

Also, OCA offers many quality tools to the community. Each piece of code is reviewed and many modules are maintained in the long term.

In my opinion, CubicERP will have a very strategic choice to do :

- Select, test and integrate modules from OCA, officially support them ;
- Contribute back enhancements, fixes...
* Maybe branch the fork not from Odoo but from OCB.

I believe that OCA should be strategic partner and discussions may be opened between the two foundations.

## Packaging

At least we should package CubicERP as docker files and ready to use virtual machine images.
It will serve as minimalist install documentation and make it easier for users to test.
A demo is also needed.

In the mid term, packages for major distributions and OS, runbot instances... may be setup.

## Software

I'm all for "eating your own dogfood". To begin, I think we should use a CubicERP v2018 instance with :

* website ;
* contacts and membership management ;
* discuss modules configured as mailing lists ;
* forums / QA ;
* project for internal organization.

It's always an opportunity to prove that our product is great, and to improve it !
All specific code written for the foundation must be published.