[Koha] Re: Koha Digest, Vol 22, Issue 34

[colmcd at optusnet.com.au]

Gday Kohaers

Yea I have been using and working with Koha in a library in a remote school just outside Wewak in PNG. We have no internet connection so I have to download all the perl modules manually.

I have a few thoughts and suggestions.

Firstly that Koha should come with a FULL INSTALL option. I have to download each file manually off a dial up connection. So when a perl module changes and no one knows I am left with a broken system making upgrades very difficuld. Since perl modules seem to have no stability at all in relation to KOHA can I suggest that we have a Full install (ie a version of KOHA + all perl librarys that are known to work with it). 

Secondly My librarian is very dissapointed with the package. She really lamented not sending for payed software due to numerous bugs in Koha (namely the reports DON't work at all and seem to be tailored to a particular librarys needs). Though another bug is that when you delete a item in koha 2.25 you still have the biblioitem remain. Now this bug is very common throughout Koha as there seem to be allot of linkage tables. ie Biblio - Biblio items - Items - etc. Another good example is where does the Dewey get saved I found three different places. 

What I suggest that to fix problem nr 2 is that we redo the database and normalise it. Ie work out the 1 to 1 and 1 to many relationships so that they interconnect properly. If we have situations like multiple publishers, etc that we ignore these and stick with a simplified database. Why do I say that, simple Koha is just too unreliable at the moment. 

Please do not hit above your weight. Simplify Koha and make it reliable. Features are great but only if they work and in Koha it's about 95% of the time. 

my Two cents. 

Colin McD

P.S. feel free to abuse this email in responce I probably will not be able to read the responces.