[Koha] LibLime Thoughts

[Joanna Hause]

As an ordinary mortal and end user of Koha w/ no programming skills at all...



We bought into Koha via LL as an open source product.  We specifically did this to avoid the problems of legacy systems and because we were and are fully in support of the open source concept.  We went with LL because we do not have the capability of hosting and troubleshooting a system on our own.  We were most unhappy with the direction that LL took after selling us what they clearly stated to be an open source product, and which our contract clearly states as well.  But we were very hopeful when PTFS purchased LL that the situation would improve and that the obviously forked product could begin its journey back into the community.  Based on this email exchange, I think our hope was and is misplaced... unfortunately.



It isn't just programmers and/or developers on this list; there are end users as well.  While we rarely if ever post, we do read.   And this is not reading well.


________________________________________
From: koha-bounces at lists.katipo.co.nz [koha-bounces at lists.katipo.co.nz] On Behalf Of MJ Ray [mjr at phonecoop.coop]
Sent: Friday, April 30, 2010 5:46 AM
To: koha at lists.katipo.co.nz
Subject: Re: [Koha] LibLime Thoughts

David Schuster <dschust1 at tx.rr.com> wrote:
> If all of these people were sitting in a room together they would have been
> able to work this out, but due to distance and time communication is harder
> to achieve.

I don't think distance and time are the problems here.  It's more the
mentality.  software.coop has bought and sold across timezones and
distances from Australia to western Canada without serious problems
(well, except the US stone-age banking systems), using email, IRC,
telephones and more.  I doubt the HLT committee are thicker than me.

[...]
> I know this doesn't look like a business transaction, but for PTFS it is and
> that is how they have known how to do business in the past.  They will need
> to become comfortable in talking and working with the community but it can't
> happen over night.

We must not let our Koha community become a business transaction.  The
community is not something to be bought and sold itself.  We must make
it independent in perpetuity, don't you think?

This is not how to do business with a volunteer community, with NDAs,
nighttime conference calls so long that they have agendas and secret
approaches to individual participants.  I'm not sure it's ever a
good way to do business, personally.

Whether PTFS becomes comfortable with that is a matter for them.
We can show the horse to water, but we cannot force it to drink.

[...]
> I hope both parties read this and can pull back rethink how this will be
> approached and try again.  We are all very attached to this emotionally so
> we need to be careful on how we react to postings and emails in a
> professional manner.  I would hate to see this return to the situation we
> had 8 months ago.  At least PTFS was willing to talk with HLT which is more
> than we had gotten previously.

Professional is overrated - passionate is better.  At its core, a
professional is someone who professes something because they are paid
to do so, a lawyer or advocate being the classic example.  I prefer
working with people who believe in what they're doing, even if I don't
agree with them, rather than an organisation doing things for the money.

We should still be polite and civil, though.

I think the acquisition of LibLime has set us further back than 8
months ago.  In terms of community, we're just a little further on
from where we were 16 months ago.  Happily, the software has continued
moving forwards.

Regards,
--
MJ Ray (slef)  Webmaster and LMS developer at     | software
www.software.coop http://mjr.towers.org.uk        |  .... co
IMO only: see http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html |  .... op
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