Software framework

It has been agreed that some kind of open source content management system should be used. At the time of writing, Drupal is the obvious choice, but this may change. This document does not seek to describe the implementation in any particular system, only to describe requirements.

The important thing is that the framework used should be

• open source, so as not to exclude any developers or schemes
• as standards compliant as possible
• modular, to enable innovation and for people to work separately

The CMS currently focussed upon for this application is Drupal, which provides a useful balance between power and ease of use. It is not the only option, however, and any CMS with sufficient flexibility can by used to construct (most of) the human-machine interface since the work relating to inclusivity (multi-lingual support, adaptations for the visually-impaired, etc.) have been developed within their own communities.

Such a rich variety of interfaces will make it easier to support the full spectrum of people with any community, ranging from the most technologically excluded (who will interface to the system through other people - neighbours, friends, family, brokers) to the most technophilic (who will probably feel most happy accessing the system directly through a variety of means from their browsers to their mobile phones).

John Waters says:
LoCuS will apply in particular to modular, extensible, adaptable web applications comprising a growing variety of interchangeable modules. Using interfaces and protocols based upon existing standards, it will be possible to employ modules written in a variety of languages both to maximize re-use of existing code and to make participation open to a greater ranger of developers than would be possible in a monolithic, single-language project.

Modularity offers a number of other advantages: robustness under load; ease of maintenance; scalability; ease of extension and adaptation; and a far more distributed and open developer base.
Modularity also permits
- substitution of alternatives modules to carry out a particular
function within the system;
- the development of modules in a variety of languages, determined
by purpose (e.g. R for statistical modules developers' preferences;