Re: [school-discuss] Project Proposal

[Tonnesen Steve <tonnesen@cmsd.bc.ca>]

On Sat, 5 Jan 1980, Les Richardson wrote:

> Hi Steve,
> 
> What application should be created? (ie. first) ?
> 
> I'm assuming we are talking about creating a group of programs that can
> interop using this shared xml schema approach, or are we talking some sort
> of RPC also?

I think the purpose of ZIS and SIF is that all programs that can speak to
a ZIS server can interchange data, be they proprietary or open source.  As
an example, you might have an open source grade book program that you
really like, but you are using Chancery's Student Information System.
Assuming that Chancery supports ZIS, and you can modify your grade book
program to support ZIS, you can grab student lists from your Chancery
system for your grade book program and upload final marks and report card
comments to Chancery from your grade book program.  Your open source
library program (Koha) could also send lists of users with overdue books
to Chancery so that the main office can collect fees.

So... I believe the intent of the original poster on this thread was to
try and create an open source ZIS server so that schools don't have to pay
through the nose for a proprietary one.  I suspect that what will happen
is that applications like Chancery and other propietary SIF-aware
applications will come bundled with a ZIS server.  A school or school
district just has to set up one ZIS server to support all of their
SIF-aware apps.  Developing an open source ZIS server might make it easier
to add ZIS support to other applications as well.

Steve.