Open Source Software Class for NASCO Institute 2007

Question and Answers

Q: How do I make a simple web page?

For a very simple site, consider PBWiki which will allow you to create a new site up in minutes.

If you have more complex needs, or want to also support the possibly for dynamic (scriptable) content, you will need to create your own website and have a company host the website for you. An easy way to create a website is to use a graphical HTML editor like Quanta Plus. Other open-source HTML editors are also available. To host your website, there are a number of free, ad-supported options including Freewebs and BravaNet. If you don't like ads, just search for "website hosting" and take your pick – it should cost you no more than $15 a month for a basic hosting package.

Q: How can multiple people keep track of changes to a file over the Internet?

For example, it is often the case that people will share revisions of a single document over email. One person will make a change, and then send the new document to the rest of the group. This process is repeated over and over by other participants in the group. Is there a better way to manage this?

The traditional way to manage changes between multiple people is to use what is called version control software. Subversion is probably the most popular open source version control software. Subversion clients for end users include TortoiseSVN for Windows and SmartSVN for OS X. Unfortunately, version control is not easy to set up and it requires some learning by all users.

If you're intending to make changes to a single text document (e.g., a word processing document), consider using a public wiki like PBWiki or a web-based word processor like Google Docs.

Feel free to contact John or Daniel if you have any additional questions!

  • Open Source Alternatives
  • Class Notes
  • Class Presentation Slides
  • NASCO Institute 2006 Open Source Class

Contact Information

John Nishinaga Email: jingoro@casa-z.org

Daniel Miller Email: daniel@nasco.coop