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Our very first job was to install a 48k modem in a friends home pc. This quickly to developed providing a connection server that linked enabled the whole office to connect to Internet via a 56k modem. This was our first foray in to open source technology. Our product, designed by an associate in Germany was a linux based server with a (for then) very advanced html based user interface which made power of the linux operating system available to the office 'masses'. As such it was a much more cost effective solution than the emerging Exchange Server product. It even included an email checking virus protection system... remember this was 1998! However, we didn't have the development budget of Microsoft so moved on from internet connection solutions to websites. This was in response to requests from local friends including church administrators and charity leaders... thus establishing our community involvement from the outset. Once again we were on the forefront with a product that enabled simple websites to be updated by their owners. We branded the product: 'Done it!'. It was an early for-runner of low cost content management systems. In 2000 we were involved in a .com start up led by a team of local entrepreneurs. An exciting customisable card using local designers/artists, the project could have been hard on the trotters of Moonpig.com. But then the dot com bubble burst and finance dried up. To every ones credit we all remained friends! In 2002 Bathcomms joined the Bath Circus chapter of Business Network International (BNI) which has proved to be an excellent business development environment. Surrounded by it's 'givers gain' philosophy and the skills, expertise and encouragement of a fine group of like minded local businesses, Bathcomms has thrived. In 2003 mature content management system technology from the Open Source software stable became available and we soon realised we had a very powerful tool kit to bring content management-capable websites 'to the masses'. At that time we decided the Mambo project was the most suitable for our clients. In turn Mambo spawned Joomla! and we've not looked back since. Since 2008 we have also been creating bespoke extensions for Joomla! including a whole online job brokerage and workflow "web application" with the backend providing operator panels supported by call centre staff. In April 09 with the team growing to 4 and more, we burst out of the home office in Saltford and moved to more spacious in Coronation Avenue on the south side of Bath. As of November 09 we've built over 30 Joomla! websites with more on the stocks. |