Functionality is not enough. Base architecture is also not enough. dotLRN will not get penetration in either higher education or the commercial sector unless it can fit into the enterprise. What do I mean? For example, authentication needs to be delegated so that it can fit into an LDAP, kerberos, PKI type infrastructure. Similarly, dotLRN will have to make it easy to hook into back-end administrative systems such as Registrar to get class lists, etc. I hope that OpenACS community will begin exploring these larger enterprise architecture issues....
The LDAP/Kerberos stuff is definitely essential if any OpenACS-based app hopes to get traction in vertical markets of any size. The registrar integration, on the other hand, is a dotLRN-specific need (though a very real one) and should be handled using the IMS Enterprise Specification (http://www.imsproject.org/enterprise/index.html).
We have a huge amount of work to do on the standards and interoperability front.
