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Websites on a shoestring Good cheap collection data publishing N. Dean Pentcheff Regina Wetzer

Websites on a shoestring Good cheap collection data publishing N. Dean Pentcheff Regina Wetzer Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Why put collection data on the Web? A collection's value is in its information Information is useless unless shared

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Websites on a shoestring Good cheap collection data publishing N. Dean Pentcheff Regina Wetzer

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  1. Websites on a shoestringGood cheap collection data publishingN. Dean PentcheffRegina Wetzer Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

  2. Why put collection data on the Web? • A collection's value is in its information • Information is useless unless shared • The Web is our most efficient way to share

  3. Why put collection data on the Web? • A collection's value is in its information • Information is useless unless shared • The Web is our most efficient way to share Because you’d like to keep your job...(post-Terry Yates address)

  4. Talk Outline • Why put collection data on the web? • How do data flow from collections to the Web? • What are the main pieces of that process? • Who can provide the tools to do that? • commercial vs. free software • promises and costs • recommendations • Data: examples from NHMLAC

  5. The flow of data to the Web Collection with label and other data

  6. The flow of data to the Web Collection with label and other data Desktopdatabase

  7. The flow of data to the Web Collection with label and other data Databaseaccessiblefrom webserver Desktopdatabase

  8. The flow of data to the Web Collection with label and other data Databaseaccessiblefrom webserver Webserver software Desktopdatabase

  9. The flow of data to the Web Collection with label and other data The Web Databaseaccessiblefrom webserver Webserver software Desktopdatabase

  10. Databaseaccessiblefrom webserver Webserver software Server operating system What are the main piecesof that process? Collection with label and other data The Web Web server hardware Desktopdatabase

  11. Talk Outline • Why put collection data on the web? • How do data flow from collections to the Web? • What are the main pieces of that process? • Who can provide the tools to do that? • commercial vs. free software • promises and costs • recommendations • Data: examples from NHMLAC

  12. Who can provide the tools? Commercial software vendors Free or Open-Source software

  13. Commercial software vendors • Operating system • Microsoft Windows Server; Sun Solaris • Web server • Microsoft IIS • Database • Oracle; IBM DB/2; Microsoft SQL Server • Web front-end software • Macromedia ColdFusion; Microsoft ASP

  14. Free or Open-Source software • “Free” as in “freedom” (and often in cost) • Freedom to examine and enhance source code • Freedom to share any enhancements • Licensing so that “...it becomes an inalienable right to cooperate with other people and form a community” Richard M. Stallman 2002

  15. Free or Open-Source software • Operating system • Linux; BSD • Web server • Apache • Database • MySQL; PostgreSQL • Web front-end software • PHP; Mason

  16. Promises and costs • Commercial software • High initial cost • Full support for the end-user • Ease of use for users with little expertise • Free or Open Source software • Low or zero initial cost • Support by the community of user/programmers • Reputation for requiring wizard-level expertise

  17. Promises and costs • Commercial software • High initial cost ?

  18. Promises and costs • Commercial software • High initial cost Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (5 CAL) $844 (includes IIS web server) Microsoft SQL Server database $1226 Total for the base server$2070 (required) Microsoft 20 CAL Package $647(optional) Macromedia ColdFusion $799(optional) Dell 2600 low-end server (no software) $2598(optional) Total Startup Cost $2000 – $6000

  19. Promises and costs • Commercial software • High initial cost • Full support for the end-user ? “Gives you peace of mind to have the support of an established web leader that offers world-class support, services, and a recognized Partner community to ensure your success.” Macromedia ColdFusion 2003

  20. Promises and costs • Commercial software • High initial cost • Full support for the end-user • Ease of use for users with little expertise ?

  21. Promises and costs • Commercial software • High initial cost • Full support for the end-user • Ease of use for users with little expertise “Any sophisticated software is going to take some expertise to run.” Me 2003

  22. Promises and costs • Free or Open Source software • Low or zero initial cost ?

  23. Promises and costs • Free or Open Source software • Low or zero initial cost Red Hat Linux $0 (includes Apache web server) MySQL database $0 Total for the base server$0 (required) Access licences $0 PHP or Mason $0 Scavenged desktop PC $0 Total Startup Cost $0

  24. Promises and costs • Free or Open Source software • Low or zero initial cost • Support ?

  25. Promises and costs • Free or Open Source software • Low or zero initial cost • Support by the community of user/programmers

  26. Promises and costs • Free or Open Source software • Low or zero initial cost • Support by the community of user/programmers • Reputation for requiring wizard-level expertise ?

  27. Promises and costs • Free or Open Source software • Low or zero initial cost • Support by the community of user/programmers • Reputation for requiring wizard-level expertise “Any sophisticated software is going to take some expertise to run.” Me 2003

  28. Promises and costs • Free or Open Source software • Low or zero initial cost • Support by the community of user/programmers • Reputation for requiring wizard-level expertise • High quality documentation is available “Any sophisticated software is going to take some expertise to run.” Me 2003

  29. Promises and costs • Commercial software • High initial cost • Full support for the end-user • Ease of use for users with little expertise • Free or Open Source software • Low or zero initial cost • Support by the community of user/programmers • Reputation for requiring wizard-level expertise

  30. Talk Outline • Why put collection data on the web? • How do data flow from collections to the Web? • What are the main pieces of that process? • Who can provide the tools to do that? • commercial vs. free software • promises and costs • recommendations • Data: examples from NHMLAC

  31. Recommendations • You will need to develop some expertise(or hire someone with expertise) • Your choice: • develop expertise and pay for commercial software • develop expertise and use Free software • Free software allows you to start small and tinker

  32. Examples...

  33. Example Server 20,000 – 40,000 complex accesses per day 500 – 1000 Mbytes data distributed per day

  34. Publishing collection data • The value of a collection comes from the information in it and we must share that • Commercial approaches have high initial cost and are not necessarily simpler • You will need to develop (or hire) expertise • Free software lets you start small and grow later

  35. Publishing collection data • The bad news:You have no excuse for not having your collection data on the Web

  36. Publishing collection data • The bad news:You have no excuse for not having your collection data on the Web • The good news:There’s no reason you can’t have your collection data on the Web

  37. Publishing collection data • The bad news:You have no excuse for not having your collection data on the Web • The good news:There’s no reason you can’t have your collection data on the Web

  38. Publishing collection data • The bad news:You have no excuse for not having your collection data on the Web • The good news:There’s no reason you can’t have your collection data on the Web

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