Introduction

The goal of this inventory page is to create a better understanding of what functionality OpenACS already posesses, where there is overlap, and where there are gaps. This will help us create the roadmap for OpenACS 5.0 and beyond. OpenACS 5.0 is expected to be released in the autumn of 2003.

So far OpenACS has been released monolithically with all of the packages included but starting with 5.0 we want to release the OpenACS core separately. A part of this change is to re-evaluate which packages should be part of the core.

We also need to clearly indicate which set of packages are recommended and maintained, and which are considered obsolete. A package can be moved to the obsolete repository if it has been superseeded by a better package, or if it is low in quality and it missing people to maintain it. It is important that we communicate the quality / test status of all packages.

The tables below reflect the current state of affairs and the todo column should contain changes that we want to make for the 5.0 release. The current definition of a package being part of core is that it gets installed by default (inital_install_p=t) when you install OpenACS.

Invaluable resources when doing this inventory are the official OpenACS cvs web and Jeff Davis's outstanding CVS browser.

Core Packages

Package key Functionality Maintainer Quality / Test Status Todo / Plans
acs-admin   APM - Peter Marklund    
acs-api-browser        
acs-bootstrap-installer        
acs-content       move to obsolete repository
acs-content-repository        
acs-core-docs        
acs-kernel        
acs-lang   Peter Marklund    
acs-mail        
acs-messaging        
acs-service-contract   Neophytos Demetriou    
acs-subsite        
acs-tcl   APM - Peter Marklund    
acs-templating        
acs-util       move to obsolete repository
search a generic site-wide search API. implemented for PG by openfts package Neophytos Demetriou   implementation for Oracle
skin a demo of the master template functionality in acs-templating     move out of core or move into acs-templating package

Applications

Package key Functionality Maintainer Quality / Test Status Todo / Plans
adserver Roberto Mello Working Improve UI
bboard       superseeded by forums - move to obsolete repository
bookmarks        
bookshelf   Lars Pind    
bug-tracker   Lars Pind    
calendar   Dirk Gomez    
curriculum   Ola Hansson   Coming soon
faq        
file-storage        
forums        
wp-slim Has been done major improvements: scalability issues, permission, styles (UI), slide comments, bug fixes, ready for oracle & pg Rocael Hernandez Working fine. Major changes in the datamodel will be made, probably will be renamed to, wp?
cms        
cms-news-demo        
mp3-jukebox       move to obsolete repository
page Very simple example package.      
photo-album   Secondary Maintainer: Joel Aufrecht (for whichever photo album we consolidate on)    
photo-album-lite       which photo album package do we recommend?
postcard       move to obsolete repository
simple-survey       how does this compare to survey
survey   Dave Bauer   how does this package relate to simple-survey?
ticket-tracker       superseeded by bug tracker - move to obsolete repository
ticket-tracker-lite       superseeded by bug tracker - move to obsolete repository

Services

Package key Functionality Maintainer Quality / Test Status Todo / Plans
acs-datetime   Jon Griffin & Don Baccus    
acs-developer-support       move into core?
acs-automated-testing Automated Tcl API testing similar to XUnit Peter Marklund   move into core?
acs-mail-lite Manage outgoing mail in a simple queue. Tilmann Singer   move into core / integrate with acs-mail?
acs-ldap-authentication        
acs-events        
acs-interface        
acs-workflow       superseeded by workflow - move to obsolete repository
address-book        
adserver Place (banner) ads that users can click through.   Release  
attachments        
acs-reference   Jon Griffin    
authorize-gateway   Bart Teeuwisse    
bulk-mail        
categories site-wide or package specific categorization for acs object Timo Hentschel    
chat        
clickthrough   Ola Hansson    
cronjob        
directory        
download        
ecommerce   Bart Teeuwisse    
edit-this-page let's you build up hierarchies of web pages in the browser Dave Bauer    
email-handler        
faq-portlet        
file-manager        
forums-portlet        
gatekeeper        
general-comments        
glossary        
lars-blogger the OpenACS blogger / weblog application Lars Pind    
logger        
monitoring        
bboard-portlets        
news        
notes        
notifications        
openfts-driver the implementation of site-wide-search for PG (see search package) Neophytos Demetriou    
organizations   Jon Griffin    
payflowpro        
payment-gateway   Bart Teeuwisse & Janine Sisk    
portal        
postal-address   Jon Griffin    
press        
profile-provider        
ref-countries   Jon Griffin    
ref-currency   Jon Griffin    
ref-itu   Jon Griffin   ref-language   Jon Griffin    
ref-timezones   Jon Griffin    
ref-us-counties   Jon Griffin    
ref-us-states   Jon Griffin    
ref-us-zipcodes   Jon Griffin    
robot-detection        
rss-support        
sample-gateway        
schema-browser        
shipping-gateway   Bart Teeuwisse    
site-wide-search site-wide-search for Oracle. Does not use the newer and prefered search package.      
spam        
static-pages       how does this relate to pages?
telecom-number   Jon Griffin    
user-preferences        
user-profile       how does this relate to user-preferences?
value-based-shipping   Bart Teeuwisse    
version-control        
wap       move to obsolete repository
webmail        
webmail-system       how does this package relate to webmail?
wf-ticket-tracker       superseeded by workflow - move to obsolete repository
workflow the OpenACS finite state workflow engine Lars Pind extensive Tcl API tests exist support for Petri-Nets might be added soon

.LRN Packages

Package key Functionality Maintainer Quality / Test Status Todo / Plans
dotlrn        
dotlrn-bm        
dotlrn-calendar        
dotlrn-curriculum   Ola Hansson   Coming soon
dotlrn-dotlrn        
dotlrn-faq        
dotlrn-forums        
dotlrn-fs        
dotlrn-news        
bm-portlet        
static-portlet        
dotlrn-portlet        
dotlrn-static        
dotlrn-syllabus        
new-portal        
calendar-portlet        
curriculum-portlet   Ola Hansson   Coming soon
fs-portlet        
news-portlet        

Contrib Packages

Package key Functionality Maintainer Quality / Test Status Todo / Plans
populate populate an OpenACS server with test data for scalability testing Don Baccus    
irc-logger Logs IRC conversations, and makes them searchable. Bart Teeuwisse    
events let's you manage events such as conferences     move into packages directory
classified-ads Buy and sell items in classifieds style. Roberto Mello Beta. Being worked on. See package doc. Will be moved into packages directory when out of beta.
project-manager Manage an organization's projects and tasks. Jade Rubick In Development See http://openacs.org/projects/dotwrk/project_management/
form-to-mail Enter information into an HTML form on a page, and upon submitting the page the data is collected and emailed to an address of the administrator's choosing. Steve Ivy Beta See the package's documentation.