since 2020, bookstores in france, Belgium, Switzerland, Senegal, Spain, Uruguay, and potentially other locations have been utilizing Hive, a free software program published under the AGPLv3 license, to manage their operations. This web application enables booksellers to register new inventory and facilitate book sales.

Spearheaded by @vindarel, a former Python programmer who transitioned to Lisp, the project began as a personal endeavor and has evolved into the primary focus of a small team based in France. Recently, Craig Topham (craigt) spoke with @vindarel, the founder of Abelujo, to delve into the program’s functionality and its origins.

Craigt asked: What inspired you to create Abelujo?

vindarel responded: “When I was a computer science student in France, I fell in love with a little bookstore called Antigone, a non-profit library, bookstore, and cafe run entirely by volunteers. Antigone had a great selection, with an emphasis on supporting small, independent publishers and authors and their ideas. You could find thousands of quality books there. They motivated me more than ever to help these kinds of places.”

vindarel further explained that the team at antigone sought a software solution to streamline their operations. While they used free software on a GNU/Linux OS for the library, they relied on a LibreCalc spreadsheet for the bookstore. Recognizing the limitations of this system, a group of developers and volunteers collaborated with Antigone’s leadership to develop a custom program. after some initial setbacks, the first version of Abelujo was implemented at Antigone. vindarel added, “As then, I have expanded the software with more feedback from professional bookstores which benefit from these improvements.”

Craigt then inquired: How are people using it?

vindarel stated: “Abelujo is a web application that is used by bookstore operators to run and organize their shops. Users of the program complete many tasks every day, including: receiving orders, scanning new books into the system, selling books, editing bills, applying discounts, preparing orders, returning books to the supplier, and logging statistics. These are just a few things that can be done with Abelujo,and all of the functions feature lots of details! There is also a companion website that clients can use to browse stock (we released a free/libre version of this,too).”

Key Features and Advantages of Abelujo

“Abelujo is the only free software for bookstores…this field was lacking in hacker activity.”
– vindarel

Craigt asked: What features do you think really set Abelujo apart from competitors?

vindarel emphasized that “Abelujo is the only free software for bookstores. Yes, unbelievable to me, but this field was lacking in hacker activity. The other non-libre solutions, at least in France, are not web based, and do not run on a GNU/Linux OS. If a bookstore uses a nonfree program instead to operate, the purchase of such software would force it to run a Microsoft Windows machine.”

vindarel also highlighted the program’s modern, user-friendly interface, intuitive search functionality, efficient reception menu, and versatile book addition capabilities. The team prides itself on the interface quality, which is achieved through client feedback, a small team, and self-hosting the web software.

Regarding Enterprise Resource Planning (ERPs) systems,vindarel explained that they opted against using one to maintain independence and design adaptability. “Each bookstore has many specific business rules, so if we had chosen to use an ERP, we would have had to tweak it a lot,” vindarel said.

Book Market Variations and Future Plans

Craigt asked: What are the main differences in the book markets between countries?

vindarel noted that “The biggest difference in book markets is the book price. In France, as in 14 other countries, a title is given a price which is used across the country and must be respected by all stores for two years. A giant store is required to sell a particular book at the same price as the tiniest bookstore. This makes it easier for everybody and helps independent bookstores survive.”

Another key difference lies in the sourcing of bibliographic data. vindarel explained, “Depending on how the market is structured, different actors will be data providers. In France,we connect to the main providers but need to find,contact,and work with another provider for every country. There are no good sources of data for books on the web, in general, neither free as in beer or as in freedom. Even scraping the web for data isn’t enough for professionals.” vindarel welcomes recommendations for preferred book data providers in different countries.

when asked about lessons learned, vindarel advised, “go out in the real world to find software ideas. Also, what’s trendy in the software industry might not be good for you!”

Regarding the choice of the AGPLv3 license, vindarel stated, “The choice was obvious for us. We were using free and libre software, working with free and libre software (Emacs <3), and we wanted our software to be available to other bookstores, no strings attached."

Looking ahead, vindarel shared plans for a simpler-to-install desktop version of Abelujo, transitioning from Python to Common Lisp for faster progress and a more stable environment. More details on this technology shift can be found at lisp-journey.gitlab.io/pythonvslisp/ (website accessible with all Javascript blocked).

Future developments also include connecting to more industry services, improving the handling of second-hand books, and integrating with international online book selling platforms to expand online sales options.