Original Elevator Pitch, circa 2005

In the 1980s and 1990s there were a few types of desktop apps that had enormous markets:

• word processors -- MS Word, etc.
• spreadsheets -- 1-2-3, Excel, etc.
• databases -- FileMaker, Access, Oracle, etc.

Today software developers are taking those desktop apps and reinventing them as web-based collaboration tools. So far, developers have focused on the word processor feature set, resulting in wikis and Content Management Systems (CMSs).

The market is still pretty much wide open for general-purpose web-based collaborative spreadsheet and database software:

• word processors --> wikis and CMS systems (100+ products)
• spreadsheets --> open opportunity
• databases --> open opportunity

OpenRecord is a product spec for a web-based collaborative database tool. OpenRecord could grow to incorporate simple spreadsheet features, as well as interactive charting and graphing features, and OLAP and pivot table features.

The OpenRecord design is inspired by wiki software and sites like Wikipedia, as well as CMSs like Zope/Plone and eZ publish. The OpenRecord design also draws on ideas from outliners like Lotus Agenda and OmniOutliner, spreadsheets like Lotus Improv, and newer work like Chandler and RDF.

Trends and Drivers

• Broadband adoption
  • We're seeing rapid adoption of broadband in the home, both in the United States and worldwide. Five years ago it was not safe to assume that the user's computer had a continuous, reliable connection to the internet. Today it is safe to assume that hundreds of millions of users have dependable internet access. That means users no longer need to save their own content on the own computers. They can now access their own content just as quickly and reliably when it's saved somewhere on the internet. And there's talk of large-scale public projects to provide entire cities with WiFi or WiMax coverage. Broadband wireless access will become increasingly ubiquitous.
• Cheap computers
  • Five years ago a home computer cost thousands of dollars. Very few people owned more than one. Today a home computer costs $500, and in a few years a computer will cost $100. Soon there will be many people who own more than one computer, and people will frequently have access to the internet through other people's computers, at their friends houses, at the library, or at work. It will become more convenient to have your content stored on the internet than to have it stored on your own computer, because you will always have access to the internet, but you often won't be at your own computer. Additionally, it will become increasingly inconvenient (or impossible) to install desktop apps on all the computers you use. Instead, users will want to use browser-based apps that are always available on any computer.
• Browser-based apps
  • Because of the above trends, we're starting to see widespread adoption of browser-based apps that store content on the internet. Examples include Gmail, Flickr, del.icio.us, and Hotmail.
• Wiki and CMS adoption
  • We're also seeing increasing adoption of wikis and Content Management Systems, and increasing interest in development of commercial-quality wiki software (Jotspot, Wikimedia, etc.). Which suggests that the market would be receptive to an app like OpenRecord.
• DHTML and AJAX adoption
  • There's a recent widespread awakening to the potential of architectures based on DHTML and AJAX. Examples include Google Suggest, Gmail, and Yahoo's Oddpost. Development dollars will start flowing toward AJAX apps. In the next decade old-style browser apps will gradually die off, and AJAX apps will take their place.
• Web-based peer production
  • There's been a recent widespread awakening to the potential of web-based peer production. Examples include Wikipedia and Linux. But, we've only hit the tip of the iceberg. This is a great time to catch the wave, and undertake substantial new web-based peer production projects.
• Continued demand for spreadsheets and databases
  • There are still multi-billion dollar markets for databases and spreadsheets. There will continue to be demand for spreadsheets and databases for decades to come.

Technical Specification

• For more details, see: the OpenRecord spec

Non-Profit Revenue Models

• service contracts
  • sales of service contracts to corporate or government customers
  • example: in the 1990's, I think Cygnus Support had stable revenue streams based on support contracts
• donations
  • donations from users
  • example: Wikipedia is run by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation, which has been funded exclusively through private donations
• foundation grants
  • for example, the Shuttleworth Foundation's Open Source Funding
• public funding
  • from government R&D grants, or contracts to custom build particular systems that departments need

Zero-Revenue Models

• Another option is to simply not have any revenue source. That sounds crazy, until you look at projects like Linux and Mediawiki, which gained widespread use before having real funding.
• The real goal is for the project to deliver something that people need, and to be self-sustaining. But perhaps that can be done without money, by relying on volunteers: volunteer programmers, volunteer artists, volunteer translators, etc.