How Open Source Launch My Project

pshen

from Red1's Story
原文： http://sourceforge.net/forum/forum.php?thread_id=1685494&forum_id=611282

Let me share with u how i got the http://www.limkokwing.edu.my/ University deal which in that single stroke catapult my 1st pet project http://university.sf.net/ into the stratosphere of marketability of my 2-man high-worth consultancy team in that field. A quick successions of multiple large deals are on track due to that single deal when i 'resell' that scoop to other nearby Unis.
First some history. My other half in this project is Shamsul Bahrin or commonly call himself "Sam". I discover him in January 2005 when i started work as the CTO of his company where my mandate was to make and brand their technical expertise as Open Source. At first the leadership of the large local education group was very drawn to what i have to show for the roadmap and early wins where the above SF project gives their company namesake a no.1 Google placing during a search for "University ERP System" which was never before possible.
Then later and systematically the top gun in the group began to sabotage and frustrate my roadmap that he himself endorsed.
1) He create corporate fatigue by doubling up meat onto my plate - he asked me to take on apprentices which i turned down from day 1 as they will delay my fast track progrm to launch the now branded MECCA (my own contribution naming the hew software as Modular Enterprise Component Collaboration Architecture).
2) When i began to work with the apprentices and they did produce some other stuff (as they couldnt do java programming been freshies) particularly technical documentation, that same boss step in and demanded that they do Java programming or they are fired.
3) When i interfere that leave them be, he unilaterally fired them, creating further unneeded chaos as my leadership is compromised, and i have to spent many hours healing everyone that its not the end of their world, and the projec shall carry their names far.
4) The boss then took them back in but under the HQ. This of course was rejected by most of the apprentices, but again unnecesary noise.
5) When OS projects first came trickling in, the boss asked me to take the project out as it is not returning the figures he expected. Their core business is multi-million dollar with the Ministry of Defence E-Learning and Distance Learning programmes.
6) He then requested me to show cause why i cannot be fired.
7) I walked out.
That was a whole 2 years ago.
Immediately after that i won a first small USD20k deal to implement Mecca in a local university college. There i single handedly with Sam still in the old company doing very part time supporting me in the key framework codings, began to extend and loalise the system to fit like a glove for the local industry where the Student Registration, Course Semester setting, invoicing, payment, bursary and library systems are all integrated into one master DB. It took me the whole of 2 years, where payments were far and few in between. I have to do odd and other short projects in between.
Finally as of 2 mths ago that system was declared fit and the college owner demanded his staff to dispence of my last payments (which i have yet to collect been a slow debt collector kinda person).
Also two months ago the highly reputable local but with international setting the above http://www.limkokwing.edu.my/ was frustrated with a 2 year search of an University ERP System. They looked at about 10 systems and shortlisted 2. One is built using Oracle and cost USD 400k per single system license. Its not web based but has 10 local big reference sites. The other is a VB system costing USD150k but has no reference site.
The Project Manager was disheartened to see only such choices in this vertical. He went to Google online and did a search and guess who he hit? He made an entry into the forum asking for assistance and quote of consultancy. Of course at first he downloaded everythng and tested it working. But he couldnt figure out what to do next or do first. And time is running out on his mandate to get this system live where their London and Botswana schools has to login and use. He soon made that call to my phone.
It was basically smooth ride from there because they were pre-educated with our system seeing all our source, guides and screenshots online. They wanted to extend to cover their 2 overseas bases and they have custom needs. They want the goodies inherent form what i learnt and built with the earlier college to be inherited and that become part of the killer points that clinch the deal against the other non web based and more expensive and vendor locked options.
  We culd also show them 5 reference online live sites that are using our Mecca, basically Sam's other company deals.
The contract was soon signed. But here is the real deal. Other universities that came to know this Mecca thru my close associates began to call us up for demos. And guess what demo we gave? We show them our prototype on LimKokWing above (it is not online yet, but was quickly built using Mecca incorporating their look and feel). It impressed al audiences that (1) We rapidly prototype while the contract is been typed (2) It is so pleasant viewing and completely hide the underlying hoods. (3) We clinched the deal against big incumbent guns (4) We clinched a real big branded fish.
Now we been told by the marketing company that closed these sudden deals to accept more money then we initially anticipated due to the fear that this 2 man team will take off to California for good. This concern is further exaberated by the fact that one of us is the reigning leader of the top SF project called ADempiere that has came onto the radar screen of the government and is awaiting a negotiations in progress fund of USD4.3m.
The present deal with LimKokWing has placed me also onto another radar screen - the interest by few investors to allow myself to start my own university! - "Red'1 & Sam's School of Extreme Programming" but that is an article for another day.
Hopefully from my reality story here, i hope u get the same history going for u in the immediate future. And guess what? I m here and free to help u! U heard me, i said FREE. It is my pleasure and passion to make success stories out of u provided u have talent and understand this philosophy. I m not out for your 'the world owe me' money. It just came along with the passion and hobby i have. I truly enjoy it when i see the faces of those around the boardroom sing in unison of approval of what me and my friend here did with Mecca.
Big people call me up when previously i couldnt even get pass their secretaries. They want to be associated with a no.1 who is branded with a unique winning product. All this makes my day and fortune, while i can still choose to turn down jobs, stay and work from my farm home, and help close deals whenever i like (ppl respect me so much that my fee is always given even before i earned it). I m not bragging here. Just selling my story to u.
I like to be associated with u (as an OS success). So if u do have talent, show me the codes + readmes + keys + "empty you pockets", and i shall show u the way to be No.1 in your own vertical.
This is another personal guarantee from.....
red1
btw, guess what is the future of Mecca now? Of course it shall be in ADempiere soon.

qishunyong

thanks  for your long article。