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<sect1 id="acs-faq" xreflabel="Open Architecture Community System FAQ">
<title>Open Architecture Community System FAQ</title>

<para>
Updated for OpenACS &version;, March 2002 
</para>

<sect2 id="acs-faq-free-enhancers" xreflabel="I have a site made of static html pages. How can I add some collaboration
features without setting up my own machine?">
<title>I have a site made of static html pages. How can I add some collaboration
features without setting up my own machine?</title>

<para>
Some of the basic Open Architecture Community System modules are
available as free services. Just sign up for them by filling out a form. 
</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.greenspun.com/spam/index.tcl">Spam</ulink> will allow you to
maintain mailing lists</para></listitem>

<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/">LUSENET</ulink> will run a discussion
group for you</para></listitem>

<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.greenspun.com/boohoo/index.tcl">BooHoo link manager</ulink> will
allow your users to post related links</para></listitem>

<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.greenspun.com/com/home.html">Loquacious</ulink> will allow your
users to post comments</para></listitem>

<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.greenspun.com/click/">clickthrough.net</ulink> will track how
many people follow links from your site to sites that you recommend</para></listitem>

</itemizedlist>

</sect2>

<sect2 id="acs-faq-infrastructure">
<title>I would like to use the Open Architecture Community System. How do I set up the
basic infrastructure?</title>

<para>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. </para>

<para>We have written an <link linkend="unix-install">installation guide</link> 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.</para>

<para>The Open Architecture Community System can now be run under <link linkend="win2k-installation">Windows</link>.
However we advise the use of Unix, as it is the most well-tested and best
documented platform for OpenACS.</para>

</sect2>

<sect2 id="acs-faq-architecture-install">
<title>I have a machine with Unix/Linux, Oracle or PostgreSQL and AOLserver installed. How do
I install the Open Architecture Community System?</title>

<para>We strongly recommend that you thoroughly examine the <link linkend="unix-install">step-by-step OpenACS
installation</link> guide, even if you already have a working Unix and Oracle
installtion.</para>

<para>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.</para>

<para>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.</para>

<para>The <ulink url="http://philip.greenspun.com/wtr/arsdigita-server-architecture.html">overview of
the ArsDigita Server Architecture</ulink> is a good starting point for the
development of a reliable service. The following documents will also help you
keep your system running properly:</para>

<itemizedlist>

<listitem><para><ulink url="http://uptime.openacs.org/uptime/about.adp">Uptime
Installation</ulink>
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://photo.net/wtr/asa-audit">ArsDigita
Server Architecture Audit</ulink> (mainly for OpenACS 3.x)</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>



</sect2>

<sect2 id="acs-faq-acs-docs">
<title>Where can I find Open Architecture Community System documentation?</title>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
	<para>The latest documentation and developer/user resources
	  are always available at <ulink
	  url="http://openacs.org/doc/">http://openacs.org/doc/
	  </ulink>
	</para>
</listitem>
      
</itemizedlist>

</sect2>

<sect2 id="acs-faq-teaching">

<title>What teaching and training is available? How can I sign up?</title>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>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: <ulink
	    url="http://openacs.org/community/">http://openacs.org/community/</ulink>
            </para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
	<para>See also: <ulink
	url="http://philip.greenspun.com/teaching">Teaching</ulink>
	</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</sect2>

<sect2 id="acs-faq-resources">
<title>What resources are available for learning and reference?</title>

<para>
ArsDigita offers a variety of free teaching material: 
</para>

    <para>
      <emphasis>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 <ulink
      url="http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://arsdigita.com">http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://arsdigita.com</ulink>.
      </emphasis>
    </para>
    
<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://philip.greenspun.com/panda/">Philip and Alex&#39;s Guide to
Web Publishing</ulink></para></listitem>

<listitem><para><ulink url="http://philip.greenspun.com/sql/">SQL for Web Nerds</ulink>
(tutorial for the SQL language; links into online Oracle docs for
completeness)</para></listitem>

<listitem><para><ulink url="http://philip.greenspun.com/tcl/">Tcl
for Web Nerds</ulink> (tutorial for the Tcl language; in rough shape right now
and you might consider using the Welch book (below))</para></listitem>

<listitem><para><ulink url="http://philip.greenspun.com/doc/common-errors">Common errors</ulink> made by
database backed web developers</para></listitem>

<listitem><para><ulink url="http://eveander.com/arsdigita/asj/oracle-tips">Tips for using Oracle</ulink> 


</para></listitem>

<listitem><para><ulink url="http://philip.greenspun.com/teaching/psets/ps1/ps1">Problem Set 1</ulink>
(basic db-backed Web sites; AOLserver, Tcl, SQL) <ulink url="http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a?topic=Problem%20Set%201">Question and
answer forum</ulink></para></listitem>

<listitem><para><ulink url="http://philip.greenspun.com/teaching/psets/ps2/ps2">Problem Set 2</ulink>
(extending the Open Architecture Community System, Web sites to support
collaboration) <ulink url="http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a?topic=Problem%20Set%202">Question and
answer forum</ulink></para></listitem>

<listitem><para><ulink url="http://philip.greenspun.com/teaching/psets/ps3/ps3">Problem Set 3</ulink>
(content management) <ulink url="http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a?topic=Problem%20Set%203">Question and
answer forum</ulink></para></listitem>

<listitem><para><ulink url="http://philip.greenspun.com/teaching/psets/ps4/ps4">Problem Set
4</ulink> (all about metadata) <ulink url="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a.tcl?topic_id=24&amp;topic=6916">Question
and answer forum</ulink></para></listitem>

<listitem><para><ulink url="http://philip.greenspun.com/teaching/psets/ps5/ps5">Problem Set
5</ulink> (how to build collaborative authoring environment, Oracle full text
indexing system)


</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.aolserver.com/">AOLserver
Documentation</ulink></para></listitem>

<listitem><para><ulink
	    url="http://aolserver.com/docs/devel/tcl/">AOLserver Tcl
	    Reference Manual</ulink></para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<para>Recommended purchases</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1565922603/">Unix
Power Tools</ulink> (helps students with the mechanics of the Unix shell and
Emacs)</para></listitem>

<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=007882396X/">Oracle 8:
The Complete Reference</ulink> (more concise than the online Oracle docs)</para></listitem>

<listitem><para><ulink url="hhttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0130385603">Practical
Programming in Tcl and Tk</ulink> (Brent Welch 1997; Prentice-Hall;)</para></listitem>

<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0961392126/">Visual
Explanations : Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative</ulink> (<ulink url="http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/">Edward
Tufte</ulink> 1997; Graphics Press; order directly by calling (800) 822-2454) -
general design principles</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>



</sect2>

<sect2 id="acs-faq-bboard">
<title>I am stuck. Where can a ask a question?</title>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://openacs.org/forums/">OpenACS Forums</ulink></para></listitem>
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://openacs.org/irc/">#openacs IRC</ulink></para></listitem>

</itemizedlist>



</sect2>

<sect2 id="acs-faq-ticket">
<title>Where do I make feature suggestions, report bugs, and look for code
patches?</title>

<para>Go to the <ulink url="http://openacs.org/developer/">OpenACS developer
site</ulink> for the latest details on how to contribute.</para>
</sect2>


<sect2 id="acs-faq-isps">
<title>What ISPs and independent developers support the Open Architecture Community
System? How can I let it be known that i&#39;m
an OpenACS developer?</title>

<para>The most current list of outside firms and people who implement and host
OpenACS-based systems is available on the <ulink
	url="http://openacs.org/community/">OpenACS Community</ulink> site.</para>

</sect2>

<sect2 id="acs-faq-contribute">
<title>How can I contribute to the development of the Open Architecture Community
System</title>

<para>
Please go to the <ulink url="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a.tcl?topic_id=21&amp;topic=web%2fdb">
online discussion forum</ulink> if you would like to contribute. We need: 
</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>OpenACS buddies: Many interested users need a little help with the first
installation and initial questions.</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>Module experts: We need experts for both existing and modules in
development to suggest extensions, test new releases, write documentation and
answer questions.</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>Teachers: Use our <link linkend="acs-faq-teaching">teaching materials</link>
to teach your company, friends, or at a University.</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>

</sect2>

<para><phrase role="cvstag">($Id: acs-faq.xml,v 1.8 2006/07/17 05:38:37 torbenb Exp $)</phrase></para>

</sect1>
