Tryton
Encyclopedia
Tryton is a three-tier high-level general purpose computer application platform on top of which is built a business solution (or ERP
) through a set of so-called Tryton modules.
The Tryton platform is organised around a three-tiers architecture: the Tryton client, the Tryton server and the DBMS (mainly PostgreSQL
). The platform, along with the official modules, is licenced under the GPLv3.
The name Tryton refers to Triton
, a mythological Greek god (son of Poseidon, god of the sea, and Amphitrite, goddess of the sea) and Python
, the implementation language.
Tryton's origin is a fork
of the version 4.2 of TinyERP (which was later called OpenERP
; a comparison with Open ERP can be seen here
). The first version was published in November 2008, after major rewriting of some parts of the kernel and the main modules.
In contrast to their parent project and other open-source business software, the Tryton founders avoided creating a partner network which tends to generate opposition and duality between the partners and the community of volunteers. They followed the PostgreSQL example where the project is driven by a federation of companies.
The release process is organised around series. A series is a set of releases with the same two first numbers (e.g. 1.0 or 1.2) that shares the same API and the same database scheme. A new series appears every six months and new versions in older release are introduced when bugfixes are available.
as graphical toolkit. Both are available on Linux
, MacOS and Windows
. A standalone version including client and server exists and is named Neso.
The kernel provides the technical foundations needed by most business applications. However it is not linked to any particular functional field hence constituting a general purpose framework:
Enterprise resource planning
Enterprise resource planning systems integrate internal and external management information across an entire organization, embracing finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales and service, customer relationship management, etc. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated software application...
) through a set of so-called Tryton modules.
The Tryton platform is organised around a three-tiers architecture: the Tryton client, the Tryton server and the DBMS (mainly PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL, often simply Postgres, is an object-relational database management system available for many platforms including Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, MS Windows and Mac OS X. It is released under the PostgreSQL License, which is an MIT-style license, and is thus free and open source software...
). The platform, along with the official modules, is licenced under the GPLv3.
The name Tryton refers to Triton
Triton (mythology)
Triton is a mythological Greek god, the messenger of the big sea. He is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea, and Amphitrite, goddess of the sea, whose herald he is...
, a mythological Greek god (son of Poseidon, god of the sea, and Amphitrite, goddess of the sea) and Python
Python (programming language)
Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
, the implementation language.
Tryton's origin is a fork
Fork (software development)
In software engineering, a project fork happens when developers take a legal copy of source code from one software package and start independent development on it, creating a distinct piece of software...
of the version 4.2 of TinyERP (which was later called OpenERP
OpenERP
OpenERP is an open source comprehensive suite of business applications including Sales, CRM, Project management, Warehouse management, Manufacturing, Accounting and Human Resources. OpenERP has separate client and server components...
; a comparison with Open ERP can be seen here
Comparison of Tryton and Open ERP
Tryton is a community fork of the commercial open source project OpenERP and began development in November 2008. This article compares both projects from technical, business and conceptual perspectives.-Business model:-Concepts and approach:-Functionality:...
). The first version was published in November 2008, after major rewriting of some parts of the kernel and the main modules.
In contrast to their parent project and other open-source business software, the Tryton founders avoided creating a partner network which tends to generate opposition and duality between the partners and the community of volunteers. They followed the PostgreSQL example where the project is driven by a federation of companies.
The release process is organised around series. A series is a set of releases with the same two first numbers (e.g. 1.0 or 1.2) that shares the same API and the same database scheme. A new series appears every six months and new versions in older release are introduced when bugfixes are available.
Modules and functional coverage
The official modules provide a coverage of the following functional fields:- Accounting and analytic accounting
- Sale management
- Purchase management
- Inventory management
- Timesheet and project management
- Calendar management
Technical features
The client and the server applications are written in Python, the client use GTK+GTK+
GTK+ is a cross-platform widget toolkit for creating graphical user interfaces. It is licensed under the terms of the GNU LGPL, allowing both free and proprietary software to use it. It is one of the most popular toolkits for the X Window System, along with Qt.The name GTK+ originates from GTK;...
as graphical toolkit. Both are available on Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, MacOS and Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. A standalone version including client and server exists and is named Neso.
The kernel provides the technical foundations needed by most business applications. However it is not linked to any particular functional field hence constituting a general purpose framework:
- Data persistence: ensured by accessor objects called Models, they allow easy creation, migration and access to records.
- User Management: The kernel comes with the base features of user management: user groups, access rules by models and records, etc.
- Workflow EngineWorkflow applicationA workflow application is a software application which automates, at least to some degree, a process or processes. The processes are usually business-related, but it may be any process that requires a series of steps that can be automated via software...
: allows to activate a workflow on any business model.
- Report Engine: The report engine is based on relatorio that uses ODTOpenDocumentThe Open Document Format for Office Applications is an XML-based file format for representing electronic documents such as spreadsheets, charts, presentations and word processing documents....
files as templates and generate ODT or PDF reports.
- Internationalisation: Tryton is currently available in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian. New translations can be added directly from the client interface.
- Historical data: Data historization may be enabled on any business model allowing for example to get the list of all the past value of the cost price of any product. It also allows to dynamically access historized record at any time in the past: for instance the customer information on each open invoice will be the ones of the day the invoice was opened.
- Support for DAV protocols: WebDAVWebDAVWeb-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning is a set of methods based on the Hypertext Transfer Protocol that facilitates collaboration between users in editing and managing documents and files stored on World Wide Web servers...
, CalDAVCalDAVCalendaring Extensions to WebDAV, or CalDAV, is an Internet standard allowing a client to access scheduling information on a remote server. It extends WebDAV specification and uses iCalendar format for the data. The protocol is defined by RFC 4791...
and CardDAVCardDAVCardDAV is an address book client/server protocol designed to allow users to access and share contact data on a server.The CardDAV protocol was developed by the IETF and has been published as RFC 6352....
. This allow out-of-the-box document management and synchronizations of calendars and contacts.
- Support for XML-RPCXML-RPCXML-RPC is a remote procedure call protocol which uses XML to encode its calls and HTTP as a transport mechanism. "XML-RPC" also refers generically to the use of XML for remote procedure call, independently of the specific protocol...
protocols.
- Database independence is allowed since the 1.2 series and is used in the 1.4 series for the SQLiteSQLiteSQLite is an ACID-compliant embedded relational database management system contained in a relatively small C programming library. The source code for SQLite is in the public domain and implements most of the SQL standard...
backend.
- Built-in automatic migration mechanism: it allows to update the underlying database scheme without any human manipulation. Migration is ensured from series to series (releases inside the same series don't require migration). This automation is possible because the migration process is taken into account and tested continually within the development.
- Advanced modularity: The modularity allows to provide a layered approach of the business concepts along with a great flexibility, which speeds up custom developments.