Project Host

System which hosts initial collaboration infrastructure and toolset.

Selected System

  • Dedicated Server (temporarily: Suse9.3, Apache2.0, Plesk7.5, Python2.4)
  • Manual Setup and Administration of tools
    • temporarily: Trac, svn, ...
  • Implemented within the BASE Project

Rationales

Implementation of a Coherent System relies on the control over the hosting infrastracture. None of the evaluated hosts can provide this, except a self-managed dedicated server.

Tools and Tool-Integration-Projects must have an liberal Open Source License in order to ensure wide usage and thus evolution (see the Assembla Audit for a showcase of the negative effects of restrictive Development Only Open Source License).

Suggestions

An Dedicated Server (or Virtual Privat Server with root access) should be used.

In order to reduce installation, maintainance and administration effort (Requirement "Low Amounts of Administration".) work on this subsystem should be made available as open source.

The infrastructure project is available here.

Candidates

Candidate Type Audit Passes Non Compliant Requirements
Dedicated Server RH yes Administration
http://assembla.com PH Assembla no License, Project, Control, Security, Data, Domain
http://sf.net PH no Control, web interface
http://berlios.de PH no Control, web interface
TextDrive SH Textdrive Audit no Control, Administration, Flexibility
[http://dreamhost.com ] SH Dreamhost Audit no Liberality
RailsPlayground SH no Control, Administration, Flexibility
PythonHosting SH no Control, Administration, Flexibility

Type Legend

  • PH - Project Hosting
    • reduced administration (pre-installed tools)
    • simplified inter-project cooperation
    • centralized user management
  • SH - Shared Hosting
    • minimal administration
    • should provide easy installation of Tools
  • RH - Root Access Hosting (Virtual Server / Dedicated Server)
    • increased administration
    • full control of resources

Goals

  • keep full control over resources, especially project data.
  • reduce effort due to collaboration

Requirements

  • Terms of Service / Liberality
    • Service should be a granted right to User
    • Termination of Services only
      • after Court Decisions
      • after direct violations which can be rated objectively
  • Security:
    • Secured access, communication and transfere
    • Optional enforced security (e.g. key-only access)
  • Administration:
    • low amounts of administration
    • possibility to override central configurations
  • Webinterface:
    • Clean & simple layout and navigation
    • no commercials and other things which gain developer attention
  • Domain:
    • ability to point from the domain registrar to the project host
      • e.g. <project>.ownDomain.com instead of <project>.projectHost.de
  • Flexibility:
    • Possibility to select toolset
  • Tools:
    • Open Source Implementations, if possible in the main language used
    • Simplified installation of Software (Tools etc.)
  • Data:
    • Data Belongs to User
    • Simplified Backup / Restore / Synch
      • The complete project data should be copyable/restorable with one operation
      • Local copies of data can be prepared with local instances of applications.
    • Reduce dependency of Data to Application setup (versions, OS etc.)

Sponsors