OpenACS 4.5 is a derivative of aD's ACS 4.2 - the Tcl version. We have no plans to adopt the Java version.
Major features of OpenACS 4.5 compared to ACS 4.2
- Lots of bug fixes
- Supports Oracle and PG with the same code base
- Legacy support for ACS 4.2 packages (I migrated a dozen custom ACS 4.2 packages to OpenACS 4.5 in an afternoon for a client)
- We're moving to a service contract model with plug-in services. For instance a payment gateway packages which plays with multiple vendors (VeriSign etc) will be released in the next 2-4 weeks.
- A new portalling system (not yet released)
- lots more!
The OpenACS project is truly an Open Source project, open to all who have the skill and willingness to participate. There are several small consulting firms involved in the project, and they provide a significant percentage of our developers, testers and documenters. Most of us encourage our customers to GPL custom work we do that are of general usefulness, which also helps the toolkit to grow.
