[Linux-aus] Open Source DMS- folder structures

[Anestis Kozakis]

On 18 August 2010 23:48, Daniel Pittman <daniel at rimspace.net> wrote:
> Tim Bowden <tim.bowden at westnet.com.au> writes:
>> On Thu, 2010-07-15 at 12:35 +1000, Anestis Kozakis wrote:
>>>
>>> Apologies if this is the wrong place to post this, but I am looking
>>> for an Open Source Document Management System that does not use a
>>> fodler-based structure for the display of documents.
>>
>> Just out of interest, what is the downside you see of using a folder based
>> structure?  Is that just a particular use case for you, or is there some
>> philosophical reason not to go that way?
>
> Well, not being Anestis I can't answer for him, but I can tell you why
> I cringe a little bit when "folder structure" is touted as a feature on this
> sort of tool:
>
> I already have a perfectly good tool for creating a folder structure full of
> files; ext3 and xfs have plenty of history and work fine for that.
>
> What I want from a DMS is something that goes beyond: that lets me index and
> access the documents more sensibly and robustly based on metadata, and to
> modify that data efficiently.
>
> So, when someone tells me how very much like the file system their DMS
> solution is I wonder why they think that was sufficient, and what value they
> are going to add.
>
> (Usually, the answer is "a web UI to manage permissions", and maybe a little
>  bit of "email when a file changes", and that is about it.)

This is the exact reason.  A folder based EDMS will allow for the
habit of storing different versions of documents in different folders
exactly like your Desktop or file server.

A metadata based revision systrem (like TRIM EDMS) allows one version
fo the document with previous revisions able to access from the
record.  Permissions can then be applied to the record to limit
access, or allow global access.

>        Daniel

[snip]

-- 
Anestis Kozakis | kenosti at gmail.com | http://www.akozakis.id.au/