[Zope] Zope v OpenACS and nonprofit application developers

[sean.upton@uniontrib.com]

I haven't used OpenACS or anything of the like, but I would suggest that
Zope offers a much more flexible system for developers with a few things you
won't get with ACS:

1 - An object database - much more natural for non-programmers to work with
content directly within its repository.
2 - Python - which should be easier to develop any sizable application than
TCL on any day
3 - ACS seems to have been hijacked by Java terrorists within AD.  Python is
almost always going to yield much quicker class development than Java:
likely twofold or better.
4 - There is a lower barrier for maintaining a Zope installation, because
you can develop a solution that is free of RDBMS or the need for an external
web server.

So I guess what I am getting at is that, in theory, Zope has a lower entry
barrier for folks to make modifications to the applications developed on top
of it, and a lower TCO; this would be a crucial thing for non-profits, I
would think...

Sean

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Ward [mailto:mward@techrocks.org]
Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2001 7:50 AM
To: zope@zope.org
Subject: [Zope] Zope v OpenACS and nonprofit application developers


Hello all:
I work with a nonprofit organization that helps other nonprofits with
technology. We do everything from developing a free desktop database
application, www.ebase.org, to providing strategic consulting to progressive
activist groups on how to further their mission.

Currently, there is a very active discussion about building applications for
the nonprofit world in open source tools. 2 platforms are being discussed
OpenACS and Zope. The discussion has quite a few champions/developers of
OpenACS, but there aren't any people that seem to have real experience with
Zope. A couple have played with it or done small projects.

The discussion is taking place on a listserver sponsored by the Nonprofit
Open Source Intiative, www.nosi.net, which isn't much of anything beside the
discussion that I am referring to.

If there are some people in this community that have an interest in
nonprofit organizations and would be willing to share their expertise on
zope, it would be greatly appreciated at this important decisionmaking time
for us. Not to mention I think there will be some development power spawned
out of this discussion.

So...You can subscribe from here =>
http://www.nosi.net/mailman/listinfo/nosi-discussion  .   (If you look at
the archives, the discussion gets interesting around the post with the
subject "The problem of picking a programming language/framework".

And honestly, I don't think Zope sucks as badly as the OpenACS people say
; )
(That is a total joke trying to bait people into participating.)

m

--
Michael Ward
Senior Consultant
TechRocks, A supporting organization to the Rockefeller Family Fund
mward@techrocks.org
212-812-4255
http://www.techrocks.org


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