business applications

Enterpise Apps Today: "In the end, one of the main benefits to the OpenERP open source business applications suite is that you can start small by choosing only a module or two and freely add more at no extra costs later on.

That and the fact you can develop your own customized modules or take advantage of the development community's add-on module contributions."

By 2014 "citizen developers" are expected to build 25 percent of new business applications, according to Gartner research.

IT shops without governance policies in place to address this trend could face consequences, the study warns.

Microsoft offered new Windows Phone 7 details to developers even as it works to position the phone for both consumer and business applications.

InternetNews: "The work will see Asterisk getting a boost with a tie-in to IBM's Smart Cube. The six-month-old IBM Smart Cube platform is designed for small- and midsized businesses (SMB).

The general idea is that the server is an easy-to-configure appliance for a variety of business applications."

Look for a third-party market of component tools that allow developers to build business applications based on Adobe's Flex rich client programming platform to emerge this year.