[Koha] Koha - Mobile web version.

[Magnus Enger]

2011/11/14 Ian Walls <ian.walls at bywatersolutions.com>:
...
> Some questions to ask:
>
> CSS-based, or a new template?

I have been working on a non-Koha specific mobile web app for
libraries based on WordPress and searching through Z39.50/SRU (
http://demo.mobibl.no/ ). I have used jQuery Mobile (JQM) to do the
interface, and I'm very happy with it, so maybe it could be a good
basis for working on a mobile version of the Koha OPAC too? It would
require new/extra templates, though, since JQM has quite rigid
expectations for the HTML it works with.

> What features first?  Search and biblio details seem obvious.  What about
> user logged-in features?

Seems natural to start with the non-logged in parts and then progress
to the logged in parts?

> Specific features for mobiles, like integration with GPS, compass,
> accelerometer and camera?

Do we need them? I don't think we do if all we aim to do is reproduce
the functionality of the current OPAC for mobile browsers.

> This may require OS-specific apps, but would make
> the model tool that much more appealing

I think we need to focus on building a mobile web-app version of the
current OPAC, since this is something that would work out of the box
for every library using Koha, and something that would build on the
current code. A native app (at least for iPhone) would have to get
through the whole approval process etc. Would there be one app per
library, or would there be one Koha app to rule them all, where you'd
just choose your library? If so, who would "own" the app in the app
store? This would be more of a stand alone project as far as I can
see, that would communicate with Koha over Z39.50/SRU and ILS-DI,
perhaps. I'm not saying we should not do it, I just don't see this as
a natural part of the main Koha project/codebase...

Just my NOK 0.02...

Best regards,
Magnus

PS
Here's the source code for my moBibl project:
https://github.com/MagnusEnger/mobibl-wp-plugin
https://github.com/MagnusEnger/mobibl-wp-theme
https://github.com/glitre/glitre
It's far from being wrapped up in one coherent, easy to install
package, as you can see...