ArsDigita Community System FAQ
Original document by Tracy Adams, updated by
Adam Farkas on June 19, 2000.
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 ArsDigita 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
- Vox Populi
will allow you to add polls to your site
- Telegraph
will allow forms on your site to send email
See also: Adding
collaboration to a Web Site without buying or maintaining an RDBMS and Free
Services For Web Publishers
I would like to use the ArsDigita Community System. How do I set up the basic infrastructure?
To use the ArsDigita Community System, you need a computer with Unix or Linux,
Oracle, AOLServer and the Oracle driver for AOLServer installed.
We have written a document
to aid you in the process of installation. It takes you step-by-step through
the steps necessary to build a working system from a bare hard drive through
a basic ACS install. We have found that if this document is followed precisely,
setup of a complete system usually take 4-5 hours on a reasonably fast machine.
The ArsDigita Community System can now be run under Windows
2000. However we advise the use of Unix, as it is the most well-tested and
best documented platform for ACS.
Those who wish to pursue the 100% open-source route will want to check into
the OpenACS project. This is a port of
the ACS headed up by a group of external developers. It currently uses PostgreSQL
as its relational database of choice, though there are plans to make OpenACS
work with other open-source databases in the future.
I have a machine with Unix/Linux, Oracle and AOLServer installed. How do I install the ArsDigita Community System and the ArsDigita Server Architecture?
We strongly recommend that you thoroughly examine the step-by-step
ACS 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 ArsDigita
uses to generate properly running sites. Deviations from these defaults are
recommended only if you are an expert system administrator.
Once you have a working ACS installation, there are several utilities written
by ArsDigita 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:
When upgrading, you should grab the latest utilities file.
Where can I find ArsDigita Community System documentation?
- The latest developer resources are always available at arsdigita.com
What teaching and training is available? How can I sign up?
- The One
day web course will be offered in several cities. (Latest
schedule and registration)
- ArsDigita Community System Conventions
are held quarterly in Cambridge and San Franscisco. (Latest
schedule and registration)
- We conduct 3-5
week boot camps covering the core skills needed to install, configure
and extend the ArsDigita Community System and the ArsDigita Server Architecture.
These are available to people who:
- are planning to do something for a non-profit organization
- are willing to commit their time to support or extend the ArsDigita
Community System and its community
- are MIT students
- are considering employment at ArsDigita
If interested, please apply online.
- Software
Engineering for Web Applications is taught by ArsDigita at MIT and Caltech.
Students cover several problem sets and then complete a gallery
of student projects. Materials for this course may be used at other Universities
or for other programs at no charge. The problem sets have been used as course
work at the University of Michigan, UC Berkeley, Stanford, and UCLA.
- The ArsDigita Systems Journal
is an online publication is designed to share the knowledge acquired during
the construction and operation of Web-based information systems.
See also: Teaching
What resources are available for learning and reference?
ArsDigita offers a variety of free teaching material:
Recommended purchases
I am stuck. Where can a ask a question?
Where do I make feature suggestions, report bugs, and look for code patches?
Go to the ArsDigita developer
site for the latest details on how to contribute..
What ISPs and independent developers support the ArsDigita Community System?
(aside from ArsDigita.com) How can I let ArsDigita know that i'm an ACS developer?
The most current list of outside firms and people who implement and host ACS-based
systems is available on the ArsDigita
developer site.
if you're an ACS developer and would like to publicize your work, please send
us mail.
How can I contribute to the development of the ArsDigita Community System
Please go to the online
discussion forum if you would like to contribute. We need:
- ACS 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.
- Module creators: individuals and firms
have created and publicized new modules.
- Teachers: Use our teaching materials
to teach your company, friends, or at a University.
Where can I learn about ArsDigita, the company?
See arsdigita.com
How can I work at ArsDigita?
See Job Openings.
afarkas@arsdigita.com