While most people would tend to think this is a fairly simple endeavor, it's not. Our consortium runs a library automation system on top of VMS on an Alpha cluster. It happens to be one of the best systems out there as far as high availability is concerned. However, it still doesn't take user's needs (Ref. librarians and patrons) into account.
If something like this is going to work, you have to anticipate what your users are going to be asking for. A simple cataloging system could probably be done with MySQL or Postgres, but it will lack any of the functionality that is in existing library catalog products.
In addition to the MARC records, you would eventually need to maintain a patron database, an acquisitions database, a record maintenance interface, circulation records and policies, etc... AND it would all have to be easy to use for a non-technical person. Even the system we use is not "easy" for the average user, it's jst reliable.
Personally, I would love to see an open source and/or free software catalog system that outshines systems like Dynix and DRA. Especially if it brings user interfaces into the year 2000. (There is plenty of talk about new client server interfaces, but nothing has come to fruition as of yet.)
I think the biggest challenge a project like this would face is that programmers are not librarians and vice-versa. They come from very separate worlds and have very little understanding about what the other discipline finds important in an automation system.
The social implications of technology tend to be wholly uninteresting to most "tech-heads". In a forum such as Slashdot, one would expect that most of the audience is likely to be turned off by the social effects. However, Jon Katz perseveres in the face of much negativity. You obviously have a "mission". What is that mission? Are you interested in bringing a little humanization to the table? Do you want to make the "digerati" more aware of the less obvious social effects that their work is having on society? I hope this gets selected as an honest question, because it is. Oh yeah... i 4M 31337! g1v3 m3 w4rEzzz d00dz!!! k-r4D 4-3v4!!
Not enough "eye candy" Was: Re:Not flamebait
on
KDE 2.0 in Action
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· Score: 1
KDE is alright, but there should be something better. Screw system performance. What most people are interested in is "eye candy". The jump from DOS to Macintosh in 1984 was proof of that. The same goes with the eventual mass migration of the genpub to Window 9x from 3.1. I know a whole lot of folks who made the move from Win9x to Linux just to use Enlightenment. One thing a lot of "techies" seem to forget (and I am one) is that the ONLY thing that draws crowds is the "cool factor". I keep hoping that someone will add cinematic MPEG window animations to a window manager so that you can have a window "blow away" like grains of sand rather than just close. Or minimize into the background in a pseudo 3D environment. Does it help system performance? No. Does it improve the functionality of the OS and apps? No. But, frankly, who cares? If you are going to run a GUI on a Linux box, make it cool, easy to use and fun. Those are concepts that appear to be ignored too often. If you don't like these ideas, then pick another GUI, but don't think you will ever convince anyone that your choice of GUI is better than theirs. They picked theirs for a reason and so did you.
I know!!! Transmeta is working on making Linux more user friendly and productive, just like Windows 2000. They've spent the past two years adding all the features users are familiar with: BSOD (Essential) Multiple reboots during installation The Bubble Boy worm And many more...;P
Slashdot Mirror
If this article is to be belived, then someone just had the penultimate core dump. ;P
While most people would tend to think this is a fairly simple endeavor, it's not. Our consortium runs a library automation system on top of VMS on an Alpha cluster. It happens to be one of the best systems out there as far as high availability is concerned. However, it still doesn't take user's needs (Ref. librarians and patrons) into account.
If something like this is going to work, you have to anticipate what your users are going to be asking for. A simple cataloging system could probably be done with MySQL or Postgres, but it will lack any of the functionality that is in existing library catalog products.
In addition to the MARC records, you would eventually need to maintain a patron database, an acquisitions database, a record maintenance interface, circulation records and policies, etc... AND it would all have to be easy to use for a non-technical person. Even the system we use is not "easy" for the average user, it's jst reliable.
Personally, I would love to see an open source and/or free software catalog system that outshines systems like Dynix and DRA. Especially if it brings user interfaces into the year 2000. (There is plenty of talk about new client server interfaces, but nothing has come to fruition as of yet.)
I think the biggest challenge a project like this would face is that programmers are not librarians and vice-versa. They come from very separate worlds and have very little understanding about what the other discipline finds important in an automation system.
Peace,
D.B.
The social implications of technology tend to be wholly uninteresting to most "tech-heads". In a forum such as Slashdot, one would expect that most of the audience is likely to be turned off by the social effects. However, Jon Katz perseveres in the face of much negativity. You obviously have a "mission". What is that mission? Are you interested in bringing a little humanization to the table? Do you want to make the "digerati" more aware of the less obvious social effects that their work is having on society? I hope this gets selected as an honest question, because it is. Oh yeah... i 4M 31337! g1v3 m3 w4rEzzz d00dz!!! k-r4D 4-3v4!!
KDE is alright, but there should be something better. Screw system performance. What most people are interested in is "eye candy". The jump from DOS to Macintosh in 1984 was proof of that. The same goes with the eventual mass migration of the genpub to Window 9x from 3.1. I know a whole lot of folks who made the move from Win9x to Linux just to use Enlightenment. One thing a lot of "techies" seem to forget (and I am one) is that the ONLY thing that draws crowds is the "cool factor". I keep hoping that someone will add cinematic MPEG window animations to a window manager so that you can have a window "blow away" like grains of sand rather than just close. Or minimize into the background in a pseudo 3D environment. Does it help system performance? No. Does it improve the functionality of the OS and apps? No. But, frankly, who cares? If you are going to run a GUI on a Linux box, make it cool, easy to use and fun. Those are concepts that appear to be ignored too often. If you don't like these ideas, then pick another GUI, but don't think you will ever convince anyone that your choice of GUI is better than theirs. They picked theirs for a reason and so did you.
Peace Out
D.B.
This is one of my "kill "THE MAN"" fantasies:
1. Intel has overlooked a HUGE Y2K issue that is present in all of their microprocessors. (Possibly intentionally)
2. Transmeta, while developing their rumored mystery chip discovered the flaw.
3. Come January 1, 2000, everyone with an Intel chip has Y2K issues. (Big or small)
4. Come January 19, 2000, Transmeta has new inexpensive microprocessor/motherboard combo that will solve the problem.
5. Intel's bottom line plummets and Transmeta becomes the new "MAN"
6. A week later, I begin to make my plans to take Transmeta down. ;P
The Demonbitch has spoken
I know!!! Transmeta is working on making Linux more user friendly and productive, just like Windows 2000. They've spent the past two years adding all the features users are familiar with: BSOD (Essential) Multiple reboots during installation The Bubble Boy worm And many more... ;P