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FW: Commentary on Paul's Koha 3.8 Release Manager proposal
by Marcel de Rooy 08 Sep '11

08 Sep '11

I think both proposals (from Paul and Ian) contain very good points, are ambitious and motivating for the community. With people like Ian and Paul in the release team, we will definitely reach a Koha 4.0! I would however not favor working in parallel on Koha 3.8 and 4.0 as well as maintaining 3.6.X (and possible even 3.4.X for a while). I think that three or four versions together with lowering quality standards will not result in a better product, but could imply more bugs, rebasing problems and time lost on synchronizing between versions, testing in multiple versions, etc. Why not keep it simpler? Develop in master (heading to 4.0 and solR), and keep 3.6.X stable (as soon as 3.6.X is there, declare 3.4.X end-of-life too). Just focus on those two versions. A long feature list for 4.0 is very nice and Ian's development plan may theoretically be the best way to go, but probably hard to realize in practice. A simpler approach would be: as soon as solR and searching is ready and stable, we reach 4.0. This could be after 3.8, 3.10, .. (Stick to the 6m cycle.) We have been growing into a higher QA standard when we came from 3.2. I think it would be a pity if we already lower that standard too quickly. A problem is obviously the longer time between submission and pushing. Probably, we could improve in that area by adding some persons at the QA level (Ian may have two assistants in 3.8?), asking the bug wranglers to test older patches first and let them communicate more about these patches, and doing QA first on these older signed patches. Currently, time does not really rule selection of a patch in signoff or QA, but other factors like author, size, attractive title, etc. At the same time we could allow people perhaps to sign the more easy, trivial patches themselves (especially if they have them running in production already somewhere). If QA would disagree, they could lower the patch status back to Needs signoff for getting another external test. We could make a proposal how to change current procedures for this without compromizing quality. What we should avoid, is large, very large patches without test plan. These patches did not come through now too. Which is quite understandable. Such patches should be broken up into manageable units with a test plan. Hope this helps, Marcel > Everyone, > > > Enclosed is my response to Paul Poulain's proposal for Koha 3.8 Release > Manager. The details of his document can be found here: > http://wiki.koha-community.org/wiki/Proposal_paul_p_RM38 > > I thoroughly agree that the time has come to start thinking beyond the > next stable release, and on to Koha 4.0. Those of you who have seen > either my presentation at KohaCon 2010's hackfest or KUDOScon 2011 know > I'm very excited about the possibilities of where we can take Koha in > it's next major iteration. However, I disagree with a couple of the > details of Paul's proposal. > > The major disagreement is with the timeline. The proposal as it stands > is to start working on Koha 3.8 and Koha 4.0 in parallel, with Koha 3.8 > releasing April 2012, and Koha 4.0 releasing Oct. 2012. I feel that > going from Koha 3.8 directly to 4.0 is unwarranted. To my mind, there > are many possible releases between 3.8 and 4.0, like 3.10, 3.12, 3.14 > and so forth. This is supported by the actual database version numbers > in Koha: the current release is actually 3.04.04; the zeros are squashed > out for convenience. > > I would counter that, while we should continue releasing new features > every 6 months on the 3.X line, Koha 4.0 should be defined by it's > features. Paul's proposal calls several features to be key, including > Solr integration, database abstraction, updated online help, improved > authentication stack and automated tests. I agree that all these things > are important and should be worked towards, but I'm not convinced they > should be the sum total of the changes that define Koha 4.0 > > I would like to see the following in Koha 4.0: > > * arbitrary metadata formats (beyond MARC) > * arbitrary biblio relationships > * full support for authority records, including uploading through > the GUI, automatic linking, "explode" searching and more > * improvements to the borrower data structure (fewer pre-defined > data fields, more flexibility) > * separation of "receiving" and "payment" in acquisitions > * serials import and export (MFHD, prediction patterns, etc) > * many, many more things > > I think that the community should meet and discuss what features are > both desirable and reasonably likely to be completed in the next few > years (is there interest by libraries to sponsor these developments, or > from developers to code it "for fun"?). > > Once a feature set is agreed on to "define" Koha 4.0, the developers of > these features would meet to hash out what underlying structural changes > would be required to make them happen. Hopefully commonalities could be > found, so that the underlying structure could be developed in a way that > accommodates multiple developments at once. Identifying these > prerequisite changes early on would reduce the difficulties of rebasing > developments, since we'd all be working off a similar set of base > assumptions. It would also provide a reasonable basis for excluding or > delaying developments that don't fit into the overall plan. > > Once the features were chosen and a framework for their development > agreed upon, it would be time to code. The development and submission > process would be the same as it is now (basing patches off master and > submitting to the patches listserv and Bugzilla). As new features > become ready, they would be incorporated into the time-based 3.X > releases by the release manager for that particular cycle. This way, > what works is made available, and what needs more time continues to be > tested until it's stable for production use. Once all the agreed upon > features were ready, it would be time to release Koha 4.0. Hopefully, > that would be with 1-2 years, but there would be flexibility here. > > One of my other issues with the proposal was the "lightening" of Quality > Assurance standards for the first 3 months of the 3.8 release cycle. If > operating under the 1 year time frame for Koha 4.0 as outlined in Paul's > proposal, this would seem necessary in order to get everything included > in time. Unfortunately, while the next 3 months would be dedicated to > clean up of features rolled in, there is never any guarantee of bug > fixes being generated in a timely fashion. You cannot force people to > write or sign off on bug fixes; we're all free agents here. So code > that has not been rigourously tested could get in and stay in for a long > time, long after 4.0 would release, because no one knows how to test it > or fix it. > > However, if we operate under my proposed model, all code could continue > to operate under the same quality assurance standards, and nothing that > is broken or otherwise incomplete would make it in until it was ready. > Releases would still come out every 6 months, even if a major > development was inoperable, until that development could be completed. > > This has been a long email, so let me sum up. I think: > > * we should continue to release Koha 3.8, 3.10, 3.12 etc on 6 month > cycles using the current community practices for feature inclusion > * we should, as a community, meet and decide what features we want > to define Koha 4.0 > * the developers of those features should get together and come up > with a unified plan for accomplishing them all, in a way that > requires minimal rebasing > * as new features become stable and tested, they should be folded > into the 3.X line until all the features defined as "Koha 4.0" are > ready > * Once all the agreed upon features are complete, Koha 4.0 is then > released. > > I've already gotten some feedback on this in today's Koha IRC meeting, > but I'd very much like to hear what the rest of the community thinks > about this, particular in relation to Paul's proposal for 3.8 Release > Manager. Our time is limited for discussion, as the election time draws > near, but hopefully I've made my thoughts clear enough for a dialogue to > get started. Please let me know if I've been at all unclear. > > Cheers, > > > -Ian > > -- > Ian Walls > Lead Development Specialist > ByWater Solutions > Phone # (888) 900-8944 <tel:%28888%29%20900-8944> > http://bywatersolutions.com > ian.walls(a)bywatersolutions.com <mailto:ian.walls@bywatersolutions.com> > Twitter: @sekjal > > > > _______________________________________________ > Koha mailing list http://koha-community.org > Koha(a)lists.katipo.co.nz > http://lists.katipo.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/koha _______________________________________________ Koha mailing list http://koha-community.org Koha(a)lists.katipo.co.nz http://lists.katipo.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/koha

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3.4.4. woes continue... :(
by Perch 08 Sep '11

08 Sep '11

This is what 3.4.4 throws on me when I try to access the Koha intranet: Software error: syntax error at /usr/share/koha/lib/C4/Search.pm line 497, near "$data ~" syntax error at /usr/share/koha/lib/C4/Search.pm line 498, near "}->" syntax error at /usr/share/koha/lib/C4/Search.pm line 498, near "++;" syntax error at /usr/share/koha/lib/C4/Search.pm line 511, near "}" Compilation failed in require at /usr/share/koha/lib/C4/Heading.pm line 26. BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at /usr/share/koha/lib/C4/Heading.pm line 26. Compilation failed in require at /usr/share/koha/lib/C4/Biblio.pm line 38. Compilation failed in require at /usr/share/koha/lib/C4/Reserves.pm line 26. BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at /usr/share/koha/lib/C4/Reserves.pm line 26. Compilation failed in require at /usr/share/koha/lib/C4/Circulation.pm line 26. BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at /usr/share/koha/lib/C4/Circulation.pm line 26. Compilation failed in require at /usr/share/koha/lib/C4/Overdues.pm line 26. BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at /usr/share/koha/lib/C4/Overdues.pm line 26. Compilation failed in require at /usr/share/koha/lib/C4/Members.pm line 29. BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at /usr/share/koha/lib/C4/Members.pm line 29. Compilation failed in require at /usr/share/koha/lib/C4/Auth.pm line 30. BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at /usr/share/koha/lib/C4/Auth.pm line 30. Compilation failed in require at /usr/share/koha/intranet/cgi-bin/mainpage.pl line 23. BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at /usr/share/koha/intranet/cgi-bin/mainpage.pl line 23. For help, please send mail to the webmaster (webmaster@koha), giving this error message and the time and date of the error. What? Why? -- View this message in context: http://koha.1045719.n5.nabble.com/3-4-4-woes-continue-tp4781863p4781863.html Sent from the Koha - Discuss mailing list archive at Nabble.com.

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403 error with Koha 3.4.4
by Perch 08 Sep '11

08 Sep '11

I get this when trying to acces koha 3.4.4 with browser: "Forbidden You don't have permission to access / on this server. Additionally, a 403 Forbidden error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request." This is what the koha-error.log says: [Wed Sep 07 05:58:20 2011] [error] [client nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn] client denied by server configuration: /usr/share/koha/intranet/htdocs/ [Wed Sep 07 05:58:20 2011] [error] [client nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn] client denied by server configuration: /usr/share/koha/intranet/cgi-bin/errors/403.pl I think it's a problem with apache configuration, but how do I fix it? -- View this message in context: http://koha.1045719.n5.nabble.com/403-error-with-Koha-3-4-4-tp4778142p47781… Sent from the Koha - Discuss mailing list archive at Nabble.com.

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Re: [Koha] Migration from Heritage to Koha
by Vimal Kumar 08 Sep '11

08 Sep '11

Dear Jef, I appreciate your effort behind Koha migration from Heritage. You have customized Koha OPAC well. Can you tell how to: display book covers? display of subject cloud? Regards, -- Vimal Kumar V. Mahatma Gandhi University Library Kottayam, Kerala- 686 560 Web: www.vimalkumar.org Blog: http://linuxhalwa.blogspot.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I forget what I was taught. I only remember what I have learnt" -Patrick White

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OPAC error
by Tom Hanstra 08 Sep '11

08 Sep '11

During configuration and install of 3.4.4, I'm getting this error when attempting to go to the OPAC: Template process failed: file error - doc-head-open.inc: not found at /shared/kohapprd/soft/lib/C4/Templates.pm line 119. Can someone point me to some clues on what is going on to cause this error? Thanks, Tom -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tom Hanstra Systems Administrator Hesburgh Libraries of Notre Dame Phone: (574)631-4686 213 Hesburgh Library Email: tom(a)nd.edu Notre Dame, IN 46556 Any idiot can face a crisis, it is this day-to-day living that wears you out. Anton Chekhov -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Migration from Heritage to Koha
by Jean Francois Bucas 08 Sep '11

08 Sep '11

Dear Koha mailing list members, like anywhere else, from time to time, a success story is greatly welcomed. In the case of our small library, until last month, we were using Heritage[1], a Windows based proprietary ILS. We didn't like it, both for technical reasons and functional reasons. It took the combined efforts of the IT-guy (myself) and the librarian to export the data and process it in a way that was importable in Koha. After a few weeks, overcoming many small and big challenges, we are very happy to introduce our new system to our users, and to this date, no complain at all. If you are interested in the result and the steps of the migration, you can have a look at theses addresses: http://library.stp.dias.ie http://www.stp.dias.ie/library/Heritage2Koha/howto.txt Thanks a lot to the Koha community! Kind regards, Jef [1] http://www.isoxford.com/ -- Jean-Francois Bucas IT System Administrator School of Theoretical Physics Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies 10 Burlington Road Dublin 4 Tel. +353 1 614 0132

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KohaCon 2012 Voting
by BWS Johnson 08 Sep '11

08 Sep '11

Kia ora! Apologies to all, I screwed up. I thought voting for KohaCon 2012 started on 1 October. It's meant to close then. That's a big oops. We're hoping that nengard will ride to the rescue and get the survey out and about based on what we did last time for KohaCon 2011. If you don't want to, Nicole, we will figure out a fall back. Humbly, Brooke

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Checked In Status on Reports
by Hal Bright 07 Sep '11

07 Sep '11

I want a list of books in a particular Item Type that are only checked in. Is there a code like items.status 'checkedin'? for the item? Hal Bright Farmington Libraries

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LDAP login, auto populate exit date
by Scott Owen 07 Sep '11

07 Sep '11

Hi all, I currently have our Koha system set up to authenticate users via LDAP (eDirectory), but one of my media people is telling me that the "exit date" needs to be populated before new users can check out materials. Is there a way to hard code this date into the LDAP config ?

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Reversing "Ordered" indicator on books
by Raphael Muonga 07 Sep '11

07 Sep '11

Please assist me with an SQL code that can automatically remove "ordered" indicator from hundreds of books to normal status to allow them for checking in/out. This is urgent as we try to commission the system. There was a mistake when manually cataloging the books. Thanks in anticipation. Raphael

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