[Savannah-hackers] address@hidden: GNU Evaluation: Edventure]

[Richard Stallman]

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Date: Mon, 01 Apr 2002 14:33:18 -0500
From: Hugo Gayosso <address@hidden>
Subject: GNU Evaluation: Edventure
Sender: GNU User <address@hidden>
To: address@hidden
Cc: "Richard M. Stallman" <address@hidden>,
   Free Software Foundation <address@hidden>,
   GNU Software Evaluators <address@hidden>
Organization: The GNU Project
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Please confirm that we can close this evaluation.

GNU Software Evaluation - Outline for Evaluations
- - -------------------------------------------------

* General Information

** Package name and version

   Edventure 3.6.9

** Author <Email>

   Douglas S. Blank <address@hidden>

** Should the authors(s) be contacted? (Y/N)

   No

** Requested by

   savannah-hackers@@gnu.org

** Message-ID

   200201170443.g0H4hRGH017417@@ada.brynmawr.edu

** Evaluator

   Misha Tavkhelidze <address@hidden>

** Home page

   http://dangermouse.brynmawr.edu/edventure/

** Source

   http://dangermouse.brynmawr.edu/edventure/download/edventure-3.6.7.tgz

** Describe in your own words what job or jobs this program does.

   Edventure is a web based course management system written in PHP,
   designed to replace non-free proprietary programs such as WebCT or
   BlackBoard at a university or school. It provides course material
   online management capabilities, allows creation of exam questions
   and combining them into exam papers, tracking enrolled students
   marks, etc..

* Package specifics

** Binaries available (Y/N)

   Not applicable

** GNU/Linux support? (Y/N)

   Yes

** License:               (specify type - any problems?)

   GNU General Public License Version 2 or any later version.

** Dependencies:             (ok/problematic + notes)

   PHP

   Hugo: Do you know if it can be used with PHP3 ?
     
   Mikheil: Unfortunately, not straight away. It uses some built_in
            functions and features that are present only in php4
            (i.e. "include_once" or default values for function
            arguments). Although, I think it can be easily rewritten
            to be usable under php3.

   Apache, Postgres or MySQL (any other RDBMS), GD (a graphic library
   for fast image creation) which is not GPL.

   GD copyright and licence statement from gd-1.8.3 readme.txt
   follows:

        Portions copyright 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
        by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Funded under Grant
        P41-RR02188 by the National Institutes of Health.

        Portions copyright 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 by
        Boutell.Com, Inc.

        Portions relating to GD2 format copyright 1999, 2000 Philip Warner.

        Portions relating to PNG copyright 1999, 2000 Greg Roelofs.

        Portions relating to libttf copyright 1999, 2000 John Ellson
        (address@hidden).

        Portions relating to JPEG copyright 2000, Doug Becker and
        copyright (C) 1994-1998, Thomas G. Lane. This software is
        based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.

        Portions relating to WBMP copyright 2000 Maurice Szmurlo and
        Johan Van den Brande.

        _Permission has been granted to copy, distribute and modify gd
        in any context without fee, including a commercial
        application, provided that this notice is present in
        user-accessible supporting documentation._

        This does not affect your ownership of the derived work
        itself, and the intent is to assure proper credit for the
        authors of gd, not to interfere with your productive use of
        gd. If you have questions, ask. "Derived works" includes all
        programs that utilize the library. Credit must be given in
        user-accessible documentation.

        _This software is provided "AS IS."_ The copyright holders
        disclaim all warranties, either express or implied, including
        but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability and
        fitness for a particular purpose, with respect to this code
        and accompanying documentation.

        Although their code does not appear in gd 1.8.3, the authors
        wish to thank David Koblas, David Rowley, and Hutchison Avenue
        Software Corporation for their prior contributions.

** Configuration:

   GNU coding standards compliant? No

   Installation and configuration is meant to be just setting up a web
   server (if needed) and copying the contents of tarball to
   appropriate directory (http document root), but in practice it's
   not so easy and needs some tweaking.

   Although README says package can be used with other RDBMS, SQL
   schema is present only for Postgres and to make system work I had
   to manually add 'admin' user to appropriate table.

   All configuration parameters are meant to be stored in a single
   file (edventure.php) used by other scripts, but in some files
   (dbi.php or help/index.cgi) some parameters are hard-coded.

** Compilation:

   Not applicable

** Usability/interface:      (ok/problematic + notes)

   Ok. Interface is web based and seems pretty good to me. I've tested
   it with Netscape, IE, Konqueror.

** What languages is the program written in.

   PHP, some scripts in Perl. Entry page states JavaScript requirement
   but I was able to use package with JS switched off.

** Code

*** Clarity/maintenance: (ok/problematic + notes)

    Ok

*** Does it meet GNU Coding Standards?

    Not applicable

** Performance:              (ok/problematic + notes)

   Not applicable. Non of the parts of a package are performance
   critical.

** documentation:

*** Does the package include a good introduction or tutorial manual?

    No. It has built in help system, but it's unfinished.

*** Does the package include a good reference manual?

    No. See above.

** Does the program recommend or encourage the use of any non-free software?

   No

** Does it have certain capabilities that can only be used in conjunction with 
some non-free software package?

   No

* Evaluation summary

** Does the program fit coherently within the GNU system?

   It should be useful to have such a package which targets academic
   user base and allows to migrate from proprietary systems.

** Does the program meet necessary requirements for being a GNU package?

   Unfortunately I can't judge overall quality of Edventure as I'm not
   familiar with any other course management software packages.

   On other hand the package seems not to be quite ready for
   "production" use: some features are marked "under construction",
   some are implemented but aren't working, etc..

** Are there any licensing issues that need to be resolved?

   No, if GD licence (see above) is acceptable.

** Is there a large overlap with some other GNU package?

   None I'm aware of.

** Does the program have any gratuitous incompatibilities with other GNU 
packages?

   None I'm aware of.

* Notes and comments during the evaluation process

  17 Jan 2002 "Douglas S. Blank" address@hidden

  I wasn't aware of CAPA, but I took a look at it, and here is what I
  see as the main differences:

  CAPA looks fairly narrowly tailored to a specific teaching
  methodology and purpose. For example, it seems to focus on
  individual training question sets for students. In their own words:
  "... it enables faculty to augment their courses with individualized
  relevant exercises."

  On the other hand, Edventure is meant to be a general purpose,
  extendible, modular, framework with which to manage course materials
  and activities. This would include managing passwords for students,
  uploading assignments, maintaining a secure gradebook, providing a
  well thought out versioning system for questions and exams, etc.

  In other words CAPA could be turned into a plugin for Edventure,
  with Edventure providing the necessary infrastructure, API, and
  management tools, and CAPA providing exactly what it was designed
  for.

  CAPA is not meant to be a Black Board, or WebCT (two proprietary
  systems currently on the market). Edventure *is* meant to be a
  replacement for these types of systems.

  Black Board (blackboard.com) is the largest on-line course
  management system. Microsoft has just invested $20 million in Black
  Board. Black Board has vowed to make its system "work better" with
  Windows systems (as quoted in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Nov
  23, 2001).

  Our schools are not the places to allow some systems to have
  advantage over others.

  Black Board (and WebCT) already make it very difficult for
  instructors to extract their course material out of their respective
  systems. Why would they make it easy to stop using their software?

  School administrators need a choice, and this could end up being a
  very important project. Microsoft has made it clear that they intend
  to battle for a place in education.

  There is another initiative: the Open Knowledge Initiative. However,
  they have been working for a year, but haven't make any details
  available to non-OKI members. Maybe the OKI will fill this niche. If
  so, I would be glad to jump on that band wagon.

  I suspect that Edventure could be fundable from outside sources, and
  I will follow up over the coming years.

  I think Edventure is an important concept, and I think it fits in
  with the GNU Project very well.


- - -- 
Hugo Gayosso
GNU Software Evaluators
Coordinator

http://www.gnu.org
http://www.gnu-friends.org/~hugo
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