Priorities
OK; Here is my opinion :- Maybe I am being tough but just accept it as "tough love". First of all most people are not coders and many people who may be interested in what OpenAcs has to offer have never wrote compiled a line of code in there life.
New Install HELL
As someone newish to OpenACS, I say it is very very tough to get from a bare bones system to running web services.
For OpenACS to succeed it is critcal to build up a critcal mass of users/developers, I guess too many new people give u saying "Yes it looks good, yes it nice, but I couldn't compile it, so I am now using mySQL and php". I took me 2 nights to work thru all the problems. You need an installer application that can get a Linux system from zero to running by a person who doesnt have a clue about the tools of a developer, Make, emacs and error.h files. It was no problem for me to get a php,postgres, apache system up running...yes I know this is comparing apples to oranges, but it was no problem, openacs fails because the newbie "get it going" hurdle is set too high.
Post Install "Where do I go from here", "how does that work" Confusion
After installation you should have "standard" web site showing off the great features the OpenAcs. I would prefer start with a fully installed system of all standard packages, then tailor them to my sites requirements. Gosh I shouldn't need to be looking at code to work out how to get the "FAQ" to work.
Finally
I cannot help with this work as I dont know enough to be productive. But if the forum whish can retask a PC server (1GB*1GHZ*80GB) connected to 24*7 100MB/sec internet link to this work to develop such a "running start" openacs standard site.
BTW any comercial companies using OpenACS, could they offer a bug kill "bounty" system to time rich,
money poor home developers/students from 3rd world countries like Australia to kill the bugs holding OpenACS 5 back? Kill a bug get $50, build functionally y get $100?
