[Koha-devel] Ideas for next releases (2.4 ?) - project organisation

[Paul POULAIN]

Hi Emiliano & al,

For al : this mail was sent in my mailbox, but it seems we have a new 
future major contributor in Koha, so I answer on koha-devel.

Emiliano Marmonti wrote:

> Hi Paul
>
> How're you? Hope fine. Thanks a lot for your adjectives to Matias's 
> barcodes code. To be more precisely I will adore that the next time 
> you say that we're located in Argentina...Working for Physics Library 
> at UNLP and actively contributing with SIU Program 
> (http://koha.siu.edu.ar).

ok.

> Really we didn't commit to cvs...because we're studying 
> how-to...Tomorrow our webmaster come from a little trip and will test 
> to commit the code to cvs...And also to put 2.1.1 at work. Any help is 
> very wellcome (we don't have much expertise in cvs managing :(( )

do you have an expertise in another tool ? We are not very happy with 
CVS, MJR jumped to ARCH for 2.0 maintainance, but we are still on CVS 
for HEAD (2.2)
Otherwise, i'm (we are) waiting impatiently for your barcode-printing 
code. (for all : I saw the code, it's clean & works well)

A hint could be to use cervesia, a very nice tool on linux-kde. I alway 
use this.

> I wish to know your oppinion about commiting also member cards, that 
> is almost ready. This functionallity serves to print the card 
> identification, we also added some configuration parameters as 
> defining images at the top of the card, member barcode, and borrower 
> data in three configurable data lines. Trying to follow your 
> recomendations we didn't add SysParameters nor another table and put 
> all configurable data in a separate file.
> Matias and Sebastian are also working in two things: One is referred 
> to add a branch-configurable calendar, using that you could define 
> non-working days for the branch and the hole idea is to use it from 
> every module (circulation for example to automatically add a day when 
> the calculated is no-working, card expiration, and so on...). Using 
> that calendar you could configure repeteable non working days (as 
> weekends), and exceptions to the calendar (for example if a weekend 
> the library must open its doors). It's almost ready to test it.

REALLY GREAT.
Here in France, a lot of people are waiting for such a feature too. And 
i'm sure it's the case for a lot of other libraries.

> The other thing is related to latinoamerican behaviour of libraries. 
> As I mentioned, in SouthAmerica we do not work with fees when the user 
> doesn't return at time a book. The user will be suspended for a number 
> of days. We joint the requirements from four libraries here in 
> Argentina and started the work. In that case we'll need to add a table 
> and perhaps a SysPref or an attribute to the member indicating if will 
> receive a suspension or must pay a fee (traditional Koha behaviour).

REALLY GREAT too.
In france, some libraries uses fees, some suspends the failing borrower.
So, it would be really welcomed in France, I think.

> As my double rol in this project (SIU Program & UNLP Physics Library) 
> I wish to agree with you, or  with anybody that you  could  tell me, 
> this roadmap. The next week my Director has a meeting with UNESCO OSS 
> people and is asking me "how integrated" are we to the International 
> Development. The entire idea is to NOT make a branch, to no affect 
> your roadmap, and to accomplish our local requirements. Sounds 
> difficult, but I think we could...
>
> Two important things are:
>
> * At this time we did NOT affect original Koha code (only for adding 
> links). But the next step will.
> *  When we finished to add this "new features" we'll be in condition 
> to put Koha for a test-environment (this features are acceptance 
> conditions). In this stage we could contribute in a more traditional 
> fashion, I mean correcting bugs and so on...

Koha 2.4 ROADMAP
============
The 2.2 is too close from official release to have such features 
correctly tested & integrated. Because they interact with the actual DB 
(I don't speak of barcodes printing here, of course).
So, we should begin 2.4 roadmap (feel free to create a page on the wiki, 
it will be completed)
What is your own roadmap for those features, in term of date I mean ?

KOHA PROJECT ORGANISATION
==================
The management team should be reorganise, because we lack some/lot of roles.
If your involvement in Koha is expected to last, maybe your arrival is 
an occasion to reorganize.

The first position that you could take, because it's free, is 
"test/quality manager". Are you interested ?

> If you don't understand me in english I could request for a french 
> translation of this message.

Your english is perfect (like mine I mean. May sound poor for an english 
native language, that i'm not ;-) )

> PD: We're already late with testing your new translate method. I think 
> Argentina's UNCuyo will test it tomorrow. We will commit it (withou 
> asking you, I suppose?)  when will ready.

OK

> PD3: I could not talk with you very often in irc-koha by timezone 
> problems (I really start working when you leave...)

Last year, we used to have chat sessions planned. We had the problem 
with timezone, so I often went to bed very late... But with kiwis (new 
zealand), australia, W-europe and America (south & north), we can't have 
everybody waked up at the same time...
If we reorganize the Koha team, we should probably plan an IRC meeting 
for all volunteers at beginning of september.
Any opinion on this everybody ?

-- 
Paul POULAIN
Consultant indépendant en logiciels libres
responsable francophone de koha (SIGB libre http://www.koha-fr.org)