%myvars; ]> Open Architecture Community System FAQ Updated for OpenACS &version;, March 2002 I have a site made of static html pages. How can I add some collaboration features without setting up my own machine? Some of the basic Open Architecture Community System modules are available as free services. Just sign up for them by filling out a form. Spam will allow you to maintain mailing lists LUSENET will run a discussion group for you BooHoo link manager will allow your users to post related links Loquacious will allow your users to post comments clickthrough.net will track how many people follow links from your site to sites that you recommend I would like to use the Open Architecture Community System. How do I set up the basic infrastructure? To use the Open Architecture Community System, you need a computer with Unix or Linux, Oracle or PostgreSQL (currently), AOLserver and the Oracle or PostgreSQL driver for AOLserver installed. We have written an installation guide to aid you in the process. It takes you through the detailed steps necessary to build a working system from a bare hard drive through a basic OpenACS install. Followed closely on a reasonably fast machine, this document will give you a complete system in 4-5 hours. The Open Architecture Community System can now be run under Windows. However we advise the use of Unix, as it is the most well-tested and best documented platform for OpenACS. I have a machine with Unix/Linux, Oracle or PostgreSQL and AOLserver installed. How do I install the Open Architecture Community System? We strongly recommend that you thoroughly examine the step-by-step OpenACS installation guide, even if you already have a working Unix and Oracle installtion. The guide contains up-to-date information on the default settings that OpenACS developers use to generate properly running sites. Deviations from these defaults are recommended only if you are an expert system administrator. Once you have a working OpenACS installation, there are several utilities written by ArsDigita and the OpenACS community that can be installed to ensure that the server keeps running reliably. The overview of the ArsDigita Server Architecture is a good starting point for the development of a reliable service. The following documents will also help you keep your system running properly: Uptime Installation ArsDigita Server Architecture Audit (mainly for OpenACS 3.x) Where can I find Open Architecture Community System documentation? The latest documentation and developer/user resources are always available at http://openacs.org/doc/ What teaching and training is available? How can I sign up? During the exuberance of the dot com boom, training was provided for free at ArsDigita and other locations. But now you'll probably have to pay for some training from one of the companies that do OpenACS work: http://openacs.org/community/ See also: Teaching What resources are available for learning and reference? ArsDigita offers a variety of free teaching material: NOTE: This material was provided by ArsDigita Corporation. As ArsDigita has ceased their operations, we don't know for how long the following URLs will be operational, and we could not simply mirror them before asking permission from the authors. If arsdigita.com goes dead, you can find these documents under http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://arsdigita.com. Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing SQL for Web Nerds (tutorial for the SQL language; links into online Oracle docs for completeness) Tcl for Web Nerds (tutorial for the Tcl language; in rough shape right now and you might consider using the Welch book (below)) Common errors made by database backed web developers Tips for using Oracle Problem Set 1 (basic db-backed Web sites; AOLserver, Tcl, SQL) Question and answer forum Problem Set 2 (extending the Open Architecture Community System, Web sites to support collaboration) Question and answer forum Problem Set 3 (content management) Question and answer forum Problem Set 4 (all about metadata) Question and answer forum Problem Set 5 (how to build collaborative authoring environment, Oracle full text indexing system) AOLserver Documentation AOLserver Tcl Reference Manual Recommended purchases Unix Power Tools (helps students with the mechanics of the Unix shell and Emacs) Oracle 8: The Complete Reference (more concise than the online Oracle docs) Practical Programming in Tcl and Tk (Brent Welch 1997; Prentice-Hall;) Visual Explanations : Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative (Edward Tufte 1997; Graphics Press; order directly by calling (800) 822-2454) - general design principles I am stuck. Where can a ask a question? OpenACS Forums #openacs IRC Where do I make feature suggestions, report bugs, and look for code patches? Go to the OpenACS developer site for the latest details on how to contribute. What ISPs and independent developers support the Open Architecture Community System? How can I let it be known that i'm an OpenACS developer? The most current list of outside firms and people who implement and host OpenACS-based systems is available on the OpenACS Community site. How can I contribute to the development of the Open Architecture Community System Please go to the online discussion forum if you would like to contribute. We need: OpenACS buddies: Many interested users need a little help with the first installation and initial questions. Module experts: We need experts for both existing and modules in development to suggest extensions, test new releases, write documentation and answer questions. Teachers: Use our teaching materials to teach your company, friends, or at a University. ($Id: acs-faq.xml,v 1.9 2017/08/07 23:47:54 gustafn Exp $)