I suspect you know everything I’m about to say below, @DCRob, but I think you’re being a bit fast-and-loose with terminology here. That can be very misleading to people who don’t understand how Frappe/ERPNext works behind the scenes.
All apps in a Frappe instance use the same database. Full stop. If you create a new site and install CRM, Gameplan, ERPNext, and HRMS, there is only one database for all of them.
Frappe has a wonderful unified UI called Desk. It is the one UI to rule them all. It is robust, mature, and under very active development. The vast majority of things you can do in Frappe/ERPNext can be done only through the Desk. Recently, certain developers have been making specialized workflows tailored for particular workflows. These are opt-in. You can ignore them completely if they’re not useful to you. The Desk is no less powerful than it was before their release.
No grand shift in ERPNext’s functionality is taking place. Frappe Inc, the company behind the bulk of ERPNext’s development, has always been highly decentralized, with independent developers working on projects that interest them without much top-down control. That model will not suit everyone’s needs, but I’d argue it’s pretty beautiful to see in this day and age.
Actual issues raised here, as far as I can see, are just a few things:
- The new apps have in several instances recreated doctypes that already exist in core Frappe, leading to potential data duplication within a single database.
I agree fully that this seems like an unfortunate design decision. Gameplan in particular loses most of its utility, in my opinion, by not using core Frappe’s ToDo doctype for tasks. A few scripts written in Desk would make syncing these relatively straightforward, but it shouldn’t be necessary to do that.
- The new apps do not (yet?) have desired integrations with ERPNext.
The only specific missing feature I’ve heard named here is CRM Opportunity → ERPNext Purchase Order. I agree that’s a useful feature, and something that Rushabh has said is coming. Adding it to your own site in the meantime would be a relatively simple customization that can be made directly from the Desk.
- Frappe Inc is putting time and resources into things that I don’t value.
Yep. They don’t work for us. If you want them to add the features that you do value, there is a simple and established pathway for it. Or, you can add them yourself.