- Koha - lists.katipo.co.nz

Re: [Koha] FAQ (final?)
by Simon Blake 20 Nov '01

20 Nov '01

Hi Julian On Wed, Nov 21, 2001 at 08:19:31AM +1300, Julian Davison said: > Simon Blake wrote: > [snip] > > We had the Athlon because the server before that (a K6 400) ran the > > database *and* about six copies of Netscape 4.77 for linux (for the > > diskless opacs). Every so often, Netscape would go nova, stealing all > > available RAM and CPU, which rendered the K6/400 fairly insensible. So > > we split the tasks, and put Koha on the Athlon - however, Koha did run > > fine on a K6/400 with 384Mb of RAM, when Netscape wasn't being a > > resource hog. > > What're the diskless opacs, if I may enquire? :) > PCs running linux and X to get Netscape? They're the diskless 16Mb 486SX's with Novell boot roms that ran the DOS-based opac for the old system. Basically, I run a little mini-netware server on one of the linux boxes, enough to talk IPX to the netware ROMS and get the diskless clients into DOS, whereupon they run loadlin, boot an nfsroot linux kernel, and run XDM for the opacs to login. It was done this way because the 486's didn't have enough power to run a browser locally, nor were they anything like Y2K compiliant (I believe their native times bounce around between 1974 and 2048, depending on the BIOS release :-). So it was either use them as xterms, or junk them. It all works pretty well, except for the problems with Netscape going troppo occasionally, and also that I haven't tied down netscape particularly tightly, so occasionally the kids set the foreground and background colours the same :-(. At some stage in the medium future, we'll try putting mozilla on instead, and using the opacs to grant Internet access as well, but that's another story. Cheers Si -- Simon Blake simon(a)katipo.co.nz Katipo Communications +64 21 402 004

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Final, This time for real
by Nicholas Stephen Rosasco 20 Nov '01

20 Nov '01

OK. Round 2 :) Unless you are a _contributor_ (code, faq question or answer, or you worked on Koha at Katipo or HLT) AND I've forgotten you (or misplaced/misattributed you) in the credits block I'm basically declaring this version of the FAQ done. :) Please send last ditch corrections to: nsr_koha(a)hotmail.com (I'm still digging out this mail account from all the help from last time!) <Contributors: I KNOW I AM MISSING SOME OF YOU. _Please respond_ -- it isn't intentional, I was just going off my mail archive, which is as scatological as, well, my existance :) :) > Thanks for all the help... and, *everyone*, thank you for the praise/comments/suggestions, etc. NSR

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barcode scanners?
by Zeki Celikbas 13 Nov '01

13 Nov '01

hi all, I want to buy a couple of "barcode scanners" for the library. I saw koha is accepting 9 column alphanumeric barcodes both for books and patrons. I wonder what kind of barcode scanners are using in the libraries using KOHA. Could you please list me industry standards or properties of this barcode scanners. I will order barcode scanners according to these information. thanks and best regards Zeki Celikbas Librarian ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Istanbul Technical University e:mailto:celikbas@itu.edu.tr Faculty of Aero. & Astro. w:http://www2.itu.edu.tr/~celikbas 80626 Maslak Istanbul Turkey t:(212)2853108 f: (212)2853139 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Mandarin
by Mclurg High School Library 12 Nov '01

12 Nov '01

Just found out about Koha through the Mandarin Library List Server. Has anybody transferred their records over from Mandarin to Koha? We are looking for a new library program. Any comments please e-mail me at mclur02(a)sk.sympatico.ca Thanks for any information. Cindy Petterson Library Tech.

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Displaying MARC record data
by Tonnesen Steve 11 Nov '01

11 Nov '01

Is there some kind of standard way that MARC records are displayed to users? Does anybody have any documentation for how this is done? Steve.

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FAQ v.0.2.1
by Nicholas Stephen Rosasco 09 Nov '01

09 Nov '01

Hello everyone... As part of my attempt to give some (not just install) documentation to Koha, we have a draft version of a possible Freq. Asked Questions ready for comment. Please send any comments concerning _additional_ questions to nsr_koha(a)hotmail.com, 'cause my current inbox runneth over as it is. I'll be soliciting feedback on the responses later, after I have a chance to run down answers to everything else. http://www.people.virginia.edu/~nsr4n/faq.html Thanks (and -please- note alternate email address), Nick

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Frequently Asked Questions
by Nicholas Stephen Rosasco 07 Nov '01

07 Nov '01

Hello all... It's... I suppose I want to say traditional or maybe customary to include a Frequently Asked Questions file on an open source product. The various Koha websites at Katipo and the HLT websites are excellent, but aren't arranged in the usual question/answer format. Based on what I've seen on the list the common questions that seem to come up (or make sense based on the available Koha information sites we've got now), the following questions come to mind: ------------- What is Koha? What can Koha do? Where can I get Koha? Where did Koha Come From? Who or what is Katipo? Where is Horowhenua? Who maintains Koha? What is needed to run Koha? How do I install Koha? Where can I get help with databases? Where can I get help with Koha? Can I get Koha in my own language? How can I contribute to Koha? ------------- Thoughts? New items? Commentary? send to: nsr_koha(a)hotmail.com Apologies for the second email address, but I get sufficient quantities of email here to aggravate my sysadmins as it is :) NSR

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Re: [Koha-devel] For the (non)coder
by Tonnesen Steve 06 Nov '01

06 Nov '01

On Tue, 6 Nov 2001, Nicholas Stephen Rosasco wrote: > Is there any sort of target goal/date (I know MARC/z39.50 "completeness" > is coming along soon -- what a fantastic tool that is! thanks!!!) for > getting a new version packaged, and are any translation issues for the > database for the new format expected? Regarding translation. Despite living in a bilingual country, translation isn't my forte (note the use of french there. :) Translation isn't really required for the database, it's required for the interface. Ideally, every string that is displayed to the user should be sent to a gettext() call that looks up a translation to the user's preferred language, if one is available. This is no small undertaking even before any translations are done. I know that _I_ won't be doing it for this release. Steve.

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Re: [Koha] Re: [Koha-devel] For the (non)coder
by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com 06 Nov '01

06 Nov '01

an install script would be really nice... drop in the cd and stand back while the magic happens! Ed Sharpe archivist for SMECC > Subj:[Koha] Re: [Koha-devel] For the (non)coder > Date:11/6/01 11:11:32 AM US Mountain Standard Time > From:<A HREF="mailto:tonnesen@cmsd.bc.ca">tonnesen(a)cmsd.bc.ca</A> > To:<A HREF="mailto:nsr4n@tetra.mail.virginia.edu">nsr4n(a)tetra.mail.virginia.edu</A> > CC:<A HREF="mailto:koha-devel@lists.sourceforge.net">koha-devel(a)lists.sourceforge.net</A>, <A HREF="mailto:koha@lists.katipo.co.nz">koha(a)lists.katipo.co.nz</A> > Sent from the Internet > > > > > On Tue, 6 Nov 2001, Nicholas Stephen Rosasco wrote: > > > Is there any sort of target goal/date (I know MARC/z39.50 "completeness" > > is coming along soon -- what a fantastic tool that is! thanks!!!) for > > getting a new version packaged, and are any translation issues for the > > database for the new format expected? > > Chris, of Katipo fame, is trying to convince me to package up a new > release. I'll probably give it a shot. There are a couple of technical > issues that I need to work out: > > 1. how to start the Z39.50 daemon, and make sure it keeps running. There > are also some issues that I need to work out with the daemon itself. > Every once in a while it likes to redo all the old queries. :) > 2. how to install the YAZ and Net::Z3950 packages. > 3. script to update existing Koha databases (very scary! Will probably > have an option to allow backing up the existing databases before doing > the upgrade). > 4. Need to move away from DebConf for configuring the Koha package. I > like debconf, but it just isn't portable enough. In its place I'll > have a script that needs to be run after installing the package (be it > deb, rpm, or tarball). > 5. Need to set up a preferences configuration system so that Koha admins > can change system preferences (like which acquisitions module to use). > 6. Need to give some thought to integrating the two acquisitions modules > so that librarians can use either one at any time. > 7. Permissions controls. This is a big one. I'm not sure how HDL does > this, but I have a separate package called K12Admin that I use to > create accounts for all staff and students in my schools. I use this > package to populate the membership database of Koha, and to create an > apache password file for authenticating to the librarian interface. > How should this be handled in the generic case? I'm guessing that > there should be a superuser account that gets created when the package > is installed that has access to everything, and the "Members" section > needs to be modified to allow passwords to be stored for users, as > well as librarian permissions to be granted. As I said before, this > isn't a particular itch of mine, as all of this is taken care of by my > K12Admin program here. > > > I could probably have a package together this week that didn't take of 1, > 2, 5, 6 or 7. Actually, 7 could be semi-taken care of with the superuser > idea. Then there would be one account that had access to the librarian > interface. > > Anyway, just some random thoughts to get me moving... > > > Steve >

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Re: [Koha-devel] For the (non)coder
by Tonnesen Steve 06 Nov '01

06 Nov '01

On Tue, 6 Nov 2001, Nicholas Stephen Rosasco wrote: > Is there any sort of target goal/date (I know MARC/z39.50 "completeness" > is coming along soon -- what a fantastic tool that is! thanks!!!) for > getting a new version packaged, and are any translation issues for the > database for the new format expected? Chris, of Katipo fame, is trying to convince me to package up a new release. I'll probably give it a shot. There are a couple of technical issues that I need to work out: 1. how to start the Z39.50 daemon, and make sure it keeps running. There are also some issues that I need to work out with the daemon itself. Every once in a while it likes to redo all the old queries. :) 2. how to install the YAZ and Net::Z3950 packages. 3. script to update existing Koha databases (very scary! Will probably have an option to allow backing up the existing databases before doing the upgrade). 4. Need to move away from DebConf for configuring the Koha package. I like debconf, but it just isn't portable enough. In its place I'll have a script that needs to be run after installing the package (be it deb, rpm, or tarball). 5. Need to set up a preferences configuration system so that Koha admins can change system preferences (like which acquisitions module to use). 6. Need to give some thought to integrating the two acquisitions modules so that librarians can use either one at any time. 7. Permissions controls. This is a big one. I'm not sure how HDL does this, but I have a separate package called K12Admin that I use to create accounts for all staff and students in my schools. I use this package to populate the membership database of Koha, and to create an apache password file for authenticating to the librarian interface. How should this be handled in the generic case? I'm guessing that there should be a superuser account that gets created when the package is installed that has access to everything, and the "Members" section needs to be modified to allow passwords to be stored for users, as well as librarian permissions to be granted. As I said before, this isn't a particular itch of mine, as all of this is taken care of by my K12Admin program here. I could probably have a package together this week that didn't take of 1, 2, 5, 6 or 7. Actually, 7 could be semi-taken care of with the superuser idea. Then there would be one account that had access to the librarian interface. Anyway, just some random thoughts to get me moving... Steve

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