I have been involved with OpenVPMS since it's inception in 2005 and through its first tentative steps till now where it has to be considered a comprehensive, quality software solution for veterinary practices.  During this initial growing period I was never concerned about its success as it had enough people who where genuinely committed to making it work.   As with all community driven projects without these people OpenVPMS would not exist. 

As the project grows, just like a child,  it needs to be fed and nurtured but more importantly it needs the whole community involved in its up bringing.  Without this involvement the project will eventually become increasing isolated and will stagnate and die.  Apathy is the cancer of open source projects ...

So am I concerned about the OpenVPMS projects future ?

Well I believe it will always have a core following that will keep it alive but the real strength of any project of this nature is its ability to grow organically through a growing community of users, implementers and developers who actively contribute to the projects objectives.  The key word is actively here.  If only a few people produce and many consume then this growth and the projects future will always be at risk.

So what can you do to help:

• Communicate.  OpenVPMS thrives on open discussion and change.  Don't wait for someone else to advocate for the changes you want .. be your own advocate. Don't complain behind the scenes just get on the forums and post your concerns and be active about how you can see them resolved.  Do this in a positive manner and you will be surprised how quickly things will improve. 
• Contribute to the Community.  By all means ask and consume information but if you get a chance return the favour in any of the many ways you can contribute to the project.  It doesn't need to be technical (in fact most often it is best not to be) and it can take the form of documentation, sharing forms and letters, reports  or just answering a question on the forums.
• Contribute Financially. Too few people contribute financially to new features.  It is always the same people who put their hands in their pocket but many reap the benefits of this development.  You don't need to contribute much but think about how much you have saved because of what the OpenVPMS project has delivered to you.  Maybe a small percentage of these savings could be allocated to new projects ?
• Promote. The veterinary industry is small and word of mouth is the best means of promoting the project to your peers.  If you happy with OpenVPMS tell others .. if you are not refer to the first three points :-)

I hope this post stimulates some active discussion about the projects future and how we can all contribute to its ongoing success.  

Cheers

Tony