------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 14:15:42 +1300 From: Rob Russell <rob@sumware.co.nz> Subject: Koha To: rosalie@library.org.nz Hi Rosalie, I saw your web-site today (after one of my clients mentioned the interview on Nat Radio yesterday). Great to see free library software available. I saw this comment on your main page

Rachel We recommended to the library that they release the software as "Open Source". That means that anyone else can download the software and run it up on their machine without paying either us or Horowhenua Library Trust a cent.

I can see the colour draining from your faces from here. Really a free system? But why?

Rosalie Not just for the glory (though this is a world first)!

From the dates on your web pages and reading your dialog, it seems your software became available late 1999?

If that is that so, then I think your claim of a world first is a bit ambititious. We've been giving away our school library software (Athenaeum Light) for 3 years now, over the internet. No strings. All passwords. Savvy users can modify the code, if they have the knowhow and tools. It is certainly different to what you have, but the basic concepts are the same. I heard that you had thousands of downloads. We stopped counting the downloads for two reasons, 1) there were heaps, 2) it is available on a number of servers around the world where we can't track downloads. At least it is nice to know that he first 2 "open" and free library programs available on the 'net both came from New Zealand! Would you like me to put a link to your page on our Athenaeum Light page? I believe that we should make it easy for users to find the free software. Regards Rob Russell SumWare Consulting <http://www.sumware.co.nz> 25 Brewster Ave +64 (9) 846 7138 Mt Albert +64 (9) 846 1115 fax Auckland 021 378 999 mob New Zealand ------- End of forwarded message -------