Gforge

The Gforge software

Gforge is a Free collaborative development application. It helps organise and manage project development teams distributed among various locations, while being flexible enough to respect the existing constraints. Gforge integrates in a single application three of the essentials parts of collaborative work:

• Communication tools: web forums, mailing lists, news publishing system;
• Tracking tools: trackers for bugs and patches, support requests, task and project management tools;
• Information sharing tools: versioning system, shared "code snippets" library, documentation manager, file release system.

All these tools are used and managed through a web interface, which allows for simple usage without requiring any particular homogeneity of the workstations. They can also be switched on and off at will, so that Gforge can be used in the most appropriate way given the existing work methods.

My Gforge services

My Gforge-specific offering spans four main service types:

• Setup: Gforge itself isn't very complex, but it uses quite a lot of different subsystems. Making all these subsystems work consistently together can be tricky and time-consuming. My experience with setting up Gforge means I can do a proper job in a fast and reliable way.
• Customisation: most companies and organisations already have some infrastructure. Gforge can obviously live separately, but integrating it with the existing systems can make life easier for users and/or administrators. Similarly, existing practices may need extra features to be developed in Gforge. Being a core developer of Gforge, I am fully qualified to handle these kinds of work.
• Maintenance and support: even though Gforge is largely self-running, specific needs may arise from time to time, or the system may require an upgrade, or a reconfiguration if usage patterns change. These tasks, although not inherently complex, require technical knowledge that some organisations may prefer not to acquire. My long-term experience with Gforge anre related software can ensure the service runs smoothly and the user demands are promptly met.
• Training: collaborative work methods, often coming from the Free Software world, can differ quite a bit from those tought in software engineering. Similarly, usage of the tools they have produced, although effective, can have a disturbing effect at first. I can therefore provide training sessions. Depending on the audience, they can range from daily Gforge usage and administration to more methodological and "cultural" sessions on distributed work groups and how to get the most out of them.

Obviously, I'm not limiting my offerings to these "standard" services. I've been working with and on Gforge (and Gforge-like tools) for years, in very different contexts, each one having its own culture, tools and methods. I can therefore provide consulting services in a variety of themes, ranging from very Gforge-specific to more general collaborative work methods.