• Appreciation Thread!

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Help us to improve OpenKM! Be part of the Open Source Community.
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 #19584  by shaardu
 
Well, when i was looking for an open source dms, i looked through many and finally settled through Openkm! This ,indeed one of the best open source dms out there...

I liked the architecture perfection, technologies like gwt used, the way the app is built, webservices, apis...everything is top class! i really would like to thank you guys for this great app..

I want to know the story behind openkm, i mean when it started, how many people built this, are you 2 guys the sole developers? What was the idea behind the architecture chosen? Why gwt ? Why java? How much time you guys took to decide the entire architecture? what was your pattern to start building such big app? Who are your big clients? I would like to know everything, whenever you guys get time, please write it down here!!!

Thanks again , have a great day!

P.S - I didnt know where to post, so posted it here!
 #19603  by jllort
 
Well, first we're please you feel good with OpenKM.

I will try ask some of your questions but others I think is better do not be public and is not an article to be published in some manager.

The main OpenKM core arquitect developers have more than 15 years expertice in application development ( I said 15 but could be 20 ). In my particular case i got my first computer at thirteen I still got my Commodore Vic-20 with 3,64kb which I made my first own games ( has passed 27 years ). What I want to said is that we're people that we likes our work ( except the days when we test OpenKM with Microsoft IE or other Windows buggy apps, these are dark days ). And yes :) we're more than two developers althought in this forum pavila and me are major posters.

The company maximum is "if you have not implemented easy, is not good, think again. If is not the day, think tomorrow. Be easy". Obviosly some complex problem can not have easy way to be solved.

Basically ten years ago me and pavila started working on it. If you go to wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenKM we put some notes about our history. Why ? we was involved in some tedious projects with some comercial dms. We was tired and talking one to other somebody said "we can do".

If you looking for multiplatform applications, actually you should work with java. Java can offers scalable architecture, robustness etc... User interface was not so clear. Was clear web 2.0 but not the technology for doing it. We looking for zk ajax framework ( xml was not pleased ), among other tecnologies but we decide for GWT. Why GWT ( really then was on beta, I remember GWT 1.0beta. From what I know, us we publish the second application done with GWT ), we like the concept "write on java publish to javascript" and project is sponsored by Google other reason to believe will not be discontinued. Had some risk but we believe that could be good election. Other election were jackrabbit and jboss that has helped a lot ( actually we change to our own repository structure and tomcat ). We spent about 1-3 months to decide architecture.

Excuseme if I do not talk to other questions, like our clients, our organization type etc... or the future of openkm for 2013, but people ( other companies ) sometimes are more worried with neighbor than himselves and in past we got some tries to be plagiazired.

Hope this could satisfy your curiosity in some way. My curiosity is on the question "which is the origin of your curiosity about it" ?
 #19609  by shaardu
 
This is excellent!!! Thanks for taking your time and writing up everything....This is so generous of you!

Ours is a startup and in my company, I alone handle this openkm development for our company needs as and when required....When my company asked for some things, I used to do come coding as I am still new to this (just more than a year experience in java), I was really fascinated by the architecture as it was so easy to add new toolbar buttons etc, especially apis are the wonderful things ..So easy to access any part of openkm at any place, i am still learning the most of architecture of openkm.

The main reason why I asked you these questions is to know how you guys built this app.. In future , when I want to build any new app, I just wanted to be sure to know the basics of everything to be required! Its nice to know that you guys have really dedicated lot of work to this application....

Also it was really funny abt your "dark days"! Is gwt with IE lot of trouble? Is there any workaround?

Again, Thanks for taking your time and writing up everything
Have a good day!
 #19615  by jllort
 
The problem is not GWT. The problem is that microsoft is not doing appliations in standard way, IE is a clear example of it. The standard html code which browse perfect in all browser does not going correctly with IE family, why ? basically because microsoft has not decided doing things on the well defined standard by W3C, he has decided to create their own implementation. Menanwhile UI defects in other browsers are minimal with IE have to spend 1-2 complete days ( or more ) to solve IE bugs ( problems downloading files under SSL because has decided use other headers or because has some bug in windows register or because has decided to do not solve some bug, like known webdav bug that has more than 4 years.

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OpenKM is part of the management software. A management software is a program that facilitates the accomplishment of administrative tasks. OpenKM is a document management system that allows you to manage business content and workflow in a more efficient way. Document managers guarantee data protection by establishing information security for business content.