[Koha-devel] The future of Koha (some ideas and thoughts) [IMPORTANT] (I hope) and [LONG] (not so)

[Thomas D]

I agree.  Furthermore, there are some significant advocates for disintegrating 
integrated library systems.  An integrated library system seems to discourage 
adding features and interoperating well with other systems.  Modules and 
major components should be fully modularised so that they can play as well as 
possible with others.  Some ILS vendors already market favoured modules 
from their ILS systems for using as an add on to another company's ILS.  Koha 
is much more likely to succeed at being installed in libraries if the ILS is not an 
all or nothing installation.  It is not already all or nothing at the largest library 
using Koha.  NPL uses ITS MARC for Windows for cataloguing.  Koha needs to 
be able to do the same for using any module or major component with another 
ILS.  That may go well beyond a direction for 3.0 but should be developed for 
some future version.

Libraries should be free to choose the best modules from many systems to 
create their ILS or Library Application Suite.  Even if modules work best 
together with other modules from the same integrated system, they should also 
work independently perfectly well.  As long as common standards to 
exchange data are used mixing and matching modules between systems 
should be fine.

Non-proprietary Unix, such as GN/Linux, did not succeed in corporate ILS 
departments by wholy replacing all computer systems at a corporation.  It 
started by allowing the corporate IT department to fulfil one niche at a time with 
print servers, webservers, etc.  Gradually the confidence developed for non-
proprietary Unix to have wider adoption.  Non-proprietary Unix has still not 
been comparably successful in the desktop systems market but that only 
reinforces the point about the advantages of not having an all or nothing 
approach to adopting Koha.


Thomas D

Quoting Joshua Ferraro <jmf at liblime.com> :
> ---------------- Beginning of the original message ------------------
> 
> Fantastic ideas Paul! I think you're absolutely right, we
> need to start thinking in terms of a 'koha suite' with the
> ILS as just one component in a larger framework. Some of my
> ideas for things that could be included:
> 
> Inventory management
> Scheduling management
> Full-text document storage and retrieval (Zebra makes this
> easy)
> Computer scheduling (so patrons can sign up for computers,
> etc.)
> 
> These kinds of value-added features will make Koha really
> stand
> out compared to other ILS products. More modularization of the
> code base will make it easier to incorporate new modules. I
> think
> we should go for it!
> 
> -- 
> Joshua Ferraro               VENDOR SERVICES FOR OPEN-SOURCE
> SOFTWARE
> President, Technology       migration, training, maintenance,
> support
> LibLime                                Featuring Koha
> Open-Source ILS
> jmf at liblime.com |Full Demos at http://liblime.com/koha
> |1(888)KohaILS
> 
> 
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> ------------------- End of the original message ---------------------




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