Current hardware and software applications used for property, inventory and asset management often involve proprietary and/or closed source solutions. These solutions are, by their very nature, expensive and often unmalleable to the end user.
RoSWiC is a software package intended to be used for Property, Asset, and Inventory Management. The software will exist as a client/server interface. The "server" will be a drop in package for use on a preconfigured Web Server. The Web Server will only be required to be capable of providing XHTML wepages through SSL connections that are embedded with PHP 4+ tags and capable of supporting added CGI functionality via Perl 5+. Additionally, the Web Server must be capable of providing PostgreSQL database connectivity for the PHP and Perl access. The "client" will be any Web Browser capable of supporting SSL connections.
The goal of RoSWiC is to provide a software package that does not require extensive, expensive, or exotic hardware to operate on. The project will make all attempts to remain as platform neutral, both hardware and software (OS, Web Server and Web Browser) in both the server side package, and the interface said package provides to the clients, as possible.
The overiding goal of RoSWiC will be to maintain a streamlined interface between the server and all its clients. This will include, but not be limited to, at least 3 major areas of focus:
The HTML code generated will adhere to the most strict standards defined by recognized authorative groups (such as the W3C). Not the least of which in the authorative groups will be those noted for advisory information regarding interface standards for individuals with accessibility disabilities (such as Bobby WorldWide). This will aid in ensuring that all servers and browsers are capable of both producing and interpreting the products from RoSWiC. By ensuring that all client and server products on the market that conform to accepted standards are capable of using our software, we reduce the operation cost of the end user by allowing them to select the server and client platforms that best suit their needs.
By exerting efforts to ensure that the database and other software calls of RoSWiC are as efficient and "optimized" as possible, RoSWiC will naturally perform well on any selected platform. RoSWiC will not require high end machines with ever expanding computational, memory, and storage space as the end user's managed product volume grows or rapidly fluctuates. Efficiency, not Overkill, is the name of the game for RoSWiC. The target platform requirements for RoSWiC are computers that would otherwise be classified as "disposable" or "outdated" in the current "Moore's Law" PC climate.
The client will have extensive customizability of the returned interface provided by the server. This will allow for as verbose or as consice a display as desired/needed. Speed of input combined with a reduction in errors are all the more capable when an end user interfaces with only the information they require to complete their task. Customers using RoSWiC on highspeed networks with large display workstations will be capable of viewing vast amounts of product information (possibly containing image, audio, and/or video components). On the other extreme of the interface scale, clients with small user interface displays on low bandwith connections will still be able to interact with the software with the same level of efficiency by fine tuning their desired interface to only the most pertinent information necessary to efficiently complete their task at hand.
The "management" of RoSWiC implies the software's ability to aid the end user in all tasks associated with purchasing, appropriation, categorization, collection, distribution, usage, safety, loss, excess, ranking, quality control, logistics and transportation of the end user's products.
RoSWiC will be developed as a project at SourceForge.net under the GNU General Public License (GPL).