15 September 2014, London. The LedgerSMB project - all-volunteer developers and contributors - today announced LedgerSMB 1.4.0.

Based on an open source code base first released in 1999, the LedgerSMB project was formed in 2006 and saw it's 1.0 release in the same year. It has now seen continuous development for over eight years and that shows no signs of slowing down.

"LedgerSMB 1.4 brings major improvements that many businesses need," said Chris Travers, who helped found the project. "Businesses which do manufacturing or retail, or need features like funds accounting will certainly get much more out of this new release."

Better Productivity

LedgerSMB 1.4 features a redesigned contact management framework that allows businesses to better keep track of customers, vendors, employers, sales leads, and more. Contacts can be stored and categorized, and leads can be converted into sales accounts.

Additionally, a new import module has been included that allows businesses to upload csv text files to import financial transactions and much more. No longer is data entry something that needs to be done entirely by hand or involves customizing the software.

Many smaller enhancements are here as well, For example, shipping labels can now be printed for invoices and orders, user management workflows have been improved,

Better Reporting

The reporting interfaces have been rewritten in LedgerSMB 1.4.0 in order to provide greater flexibility in both reporting and in sharing reports. Almost all reports now include a variety of formatting options including PDF and CSV formats. Reports can also be easily shared within an organization using stable hyperlinks to reports. Additionally the inclusion of a reporting engine means that it is now relatively simple to write third-party reports which offer all these features. Such reports can easily integrate with LedgerSMB or be accessed via a third party web page.

Additionally, the new reporting units system provides a great deal more flexibility in tracking money and resources as they travel through the system. Not only can one track by project or department, but funds accounting and other specialized reporting needs are possible to meet.

Better Integration

Integration of third-party line of business applications is also something which continues to improve. While all integration is possible, owing to the open nature of the code and db structure, it has become easier as more logic is moved to where it can be easily discovered by applications.

There are two major improvement areas in 1.4. First additional critical information, particularly regarding manufacturing and cost of goods sold tracking, has been moved into the database where it can be easily shared by other applications. This also allows for better testability and support. Secondly LedgerSMB now offers a framework for web services, which are currently available for contact management purposes, allowing integrators to more easily connect programs together.

Commercial Options

LedgerSMB isn't just an open source project. A number of commercial companies offer support, hosting, and customization services for this ERP. A list of some of the most prominent commercial companies involved can be found at http://ledgersmb.org/topic/commercial-support

REDMOND, W ash. — Sept . 15 , 2014 — Microsoft Corp. today announced it has reached an agreement to acquire Mojang, the celebrated Stockholm-based game developer, and the company’s iconic “Minecraft” franchise.

The Mojang team will join Microsoft Studios, which includes the studios behind global blockbuster franchises “Halo,” “Forza,” “Fable” and more. Microsoft’s investments in cloud and mobile technologies will enable “Minecraft” players to benefit from richer and faster worlds, more powerful development tools, and more opportunities to connect across the “Minecraft” community.

Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will acquire Mojang for $2.5 billion. Microsoft expects the acquisition to be break-even in FY15 on a GAAP basis. Subject to customary closing conditions and any regulatory review, the acquisition is expected to close in late 2014.

Available across multiple platforms, “Minecraft” is one of the most popular video games in history, with more than 100 million downloads, on PC alone, by players since its launch in 2009. “Minecraft” is one of the top PC games of all time, the most popular online game on Xbox, and the top paid app for iOS and Android in the US. The “Minecraft” community is among the most active and passionate in the industry, with more than 2 billion hours played on Xbox 360 alone in the past two years. Minecraft fans are loyal, with nearly 90 percent of paid customers on the PC having signed in within the past 12 months.

“Gaming is a top activity spanning devices, from PCs and consoles to tablets and mobile, with billions of hours spent each year,” said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. “Minecraft is more than a great game franchise – it is an open world platform, driven by a vibrant community we care deeply about, and rich with new opportunities for that community and for Microsoft.”

“The ‘Minecraft’ players have taken the game and turned it into something that surpassed all of our expectations. The acquisition by Microsoft brings a new chapter to the incredible story of ‘Minecraft,’” said Carl Manneh, CEO, Mojang. “As the founders move on to start new projects, we believe the high level of creativity from the community will continue the game’s success far into the future.”

Microsoft plans to continue to make “Minecraft” available across all the platforms on which it is available today: PC, iOS, Android, Xbox and PlayStation.

“‘Minecraft’ is one of the most popular franchises of all time,” said Phil Spencer, head of Xbox. “We are going to maintain ‘Minecraft’ and its community in all the ways people love today, with a commitment to nurture and grow it long into the future.”

More details will be available upon the acquisition closing.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services, devices and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.