[HaMBoNE79]

I'm looking for some advice on starting an open source project and I was hoping that some people here might be able to point me in the right direction. I would like to start a project for a web based CDM (CAD data management) and EBOM (engineering bill of materials) and solution, but I'm not a programmer. I can write a little php and perl and I know enough about databases to be dangerous, but I would need some help from web developers interested in working on such a project.

My motivation for this project is simple...I am a mechanical engineer that is addicted to Linux and I know there are alot of people that could benefit from this kind of software (which is why I want it to stay open source). I'm not talking about big corporations (most of them have more than enough money to buy a turnkey CDM/EBOM solution)...I'm talking about small machine/fabrication shops, small engineering firms, and the individual that just enjoys tinkering.

I know that this type of project would require a lot of work and it may be a year before a usable version is written, but I would really like to get it going. Even though my programming skills are lacking, I have several years of experience in managing CAD data and EBOMs for my company. I know what features are most important and I could provide a very detailed roadmap for the project.

If anyone is interested in working on something like this or can give me some pointers on how to get a project like this off the ground, I would really enjoy hearing from you.

Thanks!