mozdev.org

Hovercraft 0.2

• What is Hovercraft?

  Hovercraft is a loosely-integrated collection of open source software development and community tools. It's initial target audience is small- and medium-size software development teams, running on a private corporate network, inside the firewall.

  Also, we hope to see Hovercraft used by open source projects who simply want to ease their system administration burden (without giving up total control to SourceForge). We also expect Hovercraft to be used in a variety of ways we've never thought off. Surprise us.

  You may be wondering - why not just install and configure each one individually? Well, it's a major hassle. This is where Hovercraft comes in.

• A little background

  Hovercraft is an installable version of the tools used at mozdev.org (a site where 3rd-party Mozilla-based projects are developed). (Well, Hovercraft will be installable. For this release we have focused on creating only a demoable version.)

  We're hoping to get feedback from the users of this demo - namely you - to help us develop a roadmap. Tell us what you (or your company) would want.

  The component tools are delivered along with a distribution of Linux called Debian. More specifically, Hovercraft is (in part) derived from Knoppix, a bootable Live-on-CD Linux with the uncanny ability to automatically detect and configure almost any PC hardware. Hovercraft 0.2, like Knoppix, does not touch your hard disk (making it ideal for software product demos like this one).

• Hovercraft goals
  • Extremely easy to demo (and soon, install). (Download the Hovercraft ISO file, burn to CD, and reboot a spare machine off the newly burned CD. Within 5 minutes, your local Hovercraft server will be up and running.)
  • Emphasis on widely-adopted and proven component tools, each with its own active developer community. (For example, the good folks at bugzilla.org lead and coordinate development of the Bugzilla source code.)
  • Painless upgrades, managed via Debian's amazing Advanced Package Tool (APT).
  • Run Hovercraft on a public Internet server or behind your corporate firewall.
  • Support for swapping in your own favorite tool, in place of what comes with default Hovercraft. (Eventually.)
  • Open source, of course.
• Version 0.3 target Feb 28th 2003 Possibly including such features as:
  • Option of automated install to hard disk (via hovercraft-hdinstall script)
  • Administrative tools (create your own users and projects)
  • Single message store (Integrated mailing lists/newsgroups/Web-based threaded discussions)
  • Weblog/community software
  • Single signon to Web site content, tools, and CVS (via preexisting or Hovercraft-hosted LDAP server)
  • FAQ manager
  • Wiki
  • Document repository
  • Search engine (probably ASPSeek)
  • IRC server (instant messaging)
  • Doctor (Web-based CVS client)
  • Analog (analyze Web server logs)
• Some useful links
  • Project home page.
  • Chat with us in #hcraft at irc.mozilla.org.
  • Hovercraft CVS respository.
  • Enter a bug or a feature request.
  • View the mailing list archives.
  • Subscribe to the mailing list.
  • We value your feedback - email us with your questions, comments, and suggestions at hovercraft@mozdev.org.
  • Get Involved! It's the open source way.