Tuesday 15 September 2009

Thoughts on koha


The Koha community is currently undergoing a spasm, with a company apparently forking the code.
As a result a bunch of people are looking at where the community should go from here and how it should be led. In particular the idea of a not-for-profit foundation has been floated and is to be discussed at a meeting early tomorrow morning .
My thoughts on this issue are pretty simple:
  • A not-for-profit is a fabulous idea
  • Reusing one of the existing software not-for-profit (Apache, Software in the Public Interest, etc) introduces a layer of non-library complexity. Libraries are have a long history with consortia, but tend to very much flock together with their own kind, I can see them being leary of a non-library entity.
  • A clear description of a forward-looking plan written in plain language that everyone can understand is vital to communicate the vision of the community, particularly to those currently on the fringes

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