ubuntu-ngo team mailing list archive

["Stephen Michael Kellat" <skellat@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Situation Summary:  Packaging an open source library management system
properly for Ubuntu so that NGOs can make use of it

Problem:  Although there is a maintainer the software presently is
packaged in a private repository that currently has fairly complex
instructions for installation.  See:

http://wiki.koha-community.org/wiki/Debian
http://wiki.koha-community.org/wiki/Koha_on_Lucid_using_Koha_packages

Rationale:  Currently there are two open source library management
systems available.  The more commonly seen of the two is named Koha
which originated as a creation of Katipo Communications for Horowhenua
Library Trust in New Zealand.  The system already enjoys a fairly large
installed base across the planet but suffers from complicated
installation instructions.  As part of Ubuntu in NGOs trying to help
make Ubuntu more useful to NGOs, libraries would be part of the target
audience as they are often not government-operated outside the west or
are component parts of NGOs themselves that maintain institutional
memory.  

Proposed Actions:  Since the repository is not within the scope of
Merge-o-Matic properly, contact would need to be made with the upstream
packaging maintainer, Robin Sheat (robin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx).  A team
member would explain the nature of Ubuntu NGO to the maintainer and
offer assistance in having the packages be submitted for Debian and
Ubuntu as well as setting up a PPA.  Contact would also have to be made
with the project's documentation manager, Nicole Engard
(nengard@xxxxxxxxx).  This would be important as this project community
recently had severe concerns over forking within the past few years
caused by one commercial support company that made multiple proprietary
changes.  If the upstream contacts are amenable and good will can be
established, work would then progress in normalizing their packages
within the bounds of what would be typically found in Debian and Ubuntu
repositories with a view to getting the software into lucid-backports as
well as the next possible release's repositories.