[Koha] Why are there 2 versions?

[Joann Ransom]

A wee word of caution from someone who has been badly stung and never want
to be again ...

Horowhenua stayed on Koha 1.x for years and years and years because it was
perfect for our needs and we didn't see any value in sifting to 2.x .  This
was largely because the introduction of Marc broke our FRBR system but also
because our acquisitions module worked beautifully and error free. Slowly it
dawned on us that  we were on an abandoned fork. The main project had raced
on and got better and better. When we did make the jump to 2.x it was
hideous - everything was "broken" in our eyes. Shifting to 3.2 was another
big jump; again we had left it too long and did not stay current.

So from now on this is my vow :) I intend to always upgrade to the current
stable version, limit customizations to an absolute minimum, and when I do
commission enhancements I also fund for that work to be incorporated into
the main trunk (and yes it doubles the cost but I want to be certain I am
always swimming in the main Koha stream).

Cheers Jo.

2011/6/4 Lori Bowen Ayre <lori.ayre at galecia.com>

> Thanks Paul!  I appreciate getting my wrong assumptions straightened out.
>  Very good points about that being another value of being on an open source
> product.
>
> Lori
>
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
> Lori Bowen Ayre // Library Technology Consultant
> The Galecia Group // www.galecia.com
> (707) 763-6869 // Lori.Ayre at galecia.com
>
> <Lori.Ayre at galecia.com>Specializing in open source ILS solutions, RFID,
> filtering,
> workflow optimization, and materials handling
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>
>
>
> On Fri, Jun 3, 2011 at 12:06 PM, Paul <paul.a at aandc.org> wrote:
>
>> At 01:00 PM 6/3/2011 -0400, Owen Leonard wrote:
>> > > So while there is no more
>> > > development to 3.2, any bugs found will be fixed.  At some point, even
>> that
>> > > will stop and everyone will be expected to get themselves upgraded.
>> >
>> >And indeed, the 3.2.x Release Maintainer has said that the upcoming
>> >3.2.10 release will most likely be the final release of the 3.2.x
>> >branch.
>>
>> "expected to get themselves upgraded" ... or, of course, to retain 3.2.x
>> in
>> production.
>>
>> We have a functional, extensively customized, 3.2.5 that meets the
>> requirements of our cataloguers and users.  While I might spend some of my
>> spare [?] time looking at 3.4 (I really like the concept of templates),
>> the
>> customization has to be done all over again, and is proving troublesome.
>> Nothing wrong with Koha, all to do with our requirements; I ended up
>> modifying the SQL structure to accept longer, searchable keywords and
>> abstracts; to facilitate serials cataloguing; and to remove all "lending
>> library" features to speed things up considerably (we are
>> reference/research only.)
>>
>> If and when I get 3.4 running to our requirements, we'll evaluate whether
>> we migrate; but in the meanwhile, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."  And
>> I'm sure there's got to be a lot of other Koha users who are also wary of
>> "upgrading" a fully functional tool.
>>
>> This is the great strength of community-driven, open license products -
>> you
>> can reach a point where you have achieved what you set out to do. Anything
>> after that can be considered much lower priority. Quite frankly, my only
>> concern at this point is to get rid of Zebra and integrate different
>> search
>> methodology which is apparently not high on the Koha horizon; barcoded
>> spine labels, dustjacket images and emailed fines are not in our
>> specifications.
>>
>> Everyone achieving their own specs, again, is a Koha strength. Otherwise
>> we'll end up following the "M$ business code" - if Win98 is good enough
>> for
>> a Koha kiosk (and it most certainly is) you don't need to go chasing
>> Vista,
>> Win7 or Win8.  Our Ubuntu 10.10 server is perfect for Koha, so I only look
>> for the ultra-rare Ubuntu security alerts.
>>
>> Given our satisfaction with Koha, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on
>> future versions; but in the meanwhile, I respectfully beg to differ with
>> the statement that "everyone will be expected to get themselves upgraded."
>>
>> Regards - Paul
>> Tired old sys-admin.
>>
>> ---
>> Archives and Collections (ACS) Society
>> 205, Main Street, Picton, Ontario, K0K 2T0, Canada
>> http://www.AandC.org
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>> Dedicated to maritime conservation and education.
>>
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>
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-- 
Joann Ransom RLIANZA
Head of Libraries,
Horowhenua Library Trust.
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