Forum OpenACS Development: article on knoppix customization at O'Rielly

at http://linux.oreillynet.com/pub/a/linux/2003/11/20/knoppix.html

Closed because of "Software-Patents"
In the next few days, the European Parliament will decide about the legalisation and adoption of so-called "software patents" in Europe, which are already used by large companies in other countries to put competitors out of business. This can lead to the termination of many software projects such as KNOPPIX, at least within Europe, because the holders of the over 30,000 already granted "software patents" (currently without a legal foundation) can claim exclusive rights and collect license fees for trivial things like "progress bars", "mouseclicks on online order forms", "scrolling within a window" and similar. That way, software developers will have to pay the "software-patentholders" for using these features, even in their own, completely self-developed applications, which can completely stall the development of innovative software for small and medium companies. Apart from this, the expense for patent inquiries and legal assistence is high, for even trying to find out if the self-developed software is possibly violating "software-patents", if you want to continue to market your software. Contrary to real patents, "software-patents" are, in the current draft, monopolization of business ideas and methods, even without any tangible technical implementation.

The end of Knoppix in Europe?

as well, there is a page http://www.knoppix.net/docs/index.php/KnoppixCustomizations with numerous variant, knoppix based
releases ( morphix, http://morphix.sourceforge.net/modules/news/ which allows modular assembly of variants,  seems worth examination).

I built a debian system from the knoppix 3.3 release, and then apt-get. I haven't re-mastered a release yet.

Issues that I see, in regards to openacs on knoppix or morphix include:

- how to manage writable media (mentioned in previous discussion here) the O'Rielly example mentioned above creates a partition on the target system, so isn't entirely
standalone.

- demo database for an example (also mentioned)

- qmail (which I prefer) on a system without an external internet ip

- size of openacs tree on the disk, what to include

-prune list of knoppix standard apps like games to fit openacs into a knoppix image (they use a 700 mb image)

others?

I'm still working on a new KNOPPIX CD, it will have the latest KNOPPIX
version including aolserver 4 and postgress.
I'm still waiting for the new dotlrn final relase to use that instead
of the old one.

As well I'll make the CD  useable inside a local network (wich
requires DHCP server running) , users inside the network will be able
to access the demo server on the KNOPPIX CD by typing the IP (assigned
by DHCP to the computer the KOPPIX system runs on) in their Browser.

In case we finish the postgress port of the jabber package in time ,
I'll but the package including a Jabber Server on the cd a well.

I can put a ISO image of a littel older version with  a exsample
instalation of dotlrn1.0 (including examle data from a dump,
and a little bug in the db ) for you to download on our server.
In case you want to get an impression on what it will look like.

- how to manage writable media.

- If you want data to be modifieable (like db tablespace) you'll
  have to install them on the ramdisk,  save a coppy of them else
  where (like /usr/local/aolserver/data) and then create the cd.
  You'll have to modify the KNOPPIX startup scripts , to copy
  everything from /usr/local/aolserver/data to the ramdisk befor you
  can  start postgress / aolserver or what ever app. you want
  to start.

This is going to be great, I'm really looking forward to being able to pop in a Knoppix CD and have OpenACS or .LRN demos running out of the box!

I'd love to take a look at your work in progress. Let me know,
or post the url, when you have time. Don't let it get in the
way of continuing work, from my point of view. I'm looking forward to the end work product!

As you have time, I'd be interested in your comments on the knoppix customization process.

For a new user, the delivery of a functioning system could simplify the elaborate dance which leads to the first running openacs system. The particular variations are infinite, but some stabilty targets might exist. The discussion about dotwork could be one of these. A functioning intranet community tool. !!!

Dotlrn applied to the needs of a non-profit organisation. Education is not the sole property of a university. A bootstrap cd with a template which customizes the community server for a non-profit might prove usefull.

Demo does not imply toy.