Steve,
> Where can I download the source for GNUMed? Is there a tarball somewhere or
> a CVS server available? How much work has been done already?
A CVS server is available at source forge, but it is still empty. After several large
projects I learned that to get a project going into the right direction, you must
already have something to start with and to build upon - otherwise everything will
grind to a halt by endless discussions. So we have decided to release the source first
when it reaches sort of an alpha stage.
The web page at present does not represent the current state of the project by any
means and will be pulled down for a complete overhaul soon (as soon as I find somebody
willing to do it).
You can't download much yet other than a SQL script to generate demographic data
related tables with some constraint definitions and an import module to pump data from
"Australias most popular medical software package". We have just changed backends
from Postgres to Interbase, as the multi-generation transaction system of Interbase
suits our needs much better, and we are just about to define the tables and relations
of the database core. The whole lot of ER diagrams and all table definition scripts
should be ready for public scrutiny by end of May. SQL buffs are urgently needed to
help (SQL is certainly not my strong part).
The only part compiling & working already is a GUI skeleton of a Linux client (some
screenshots on the web page). It does not much yet, you can use it as a "living
screenshot". Source code about to be cleaned up as soon as our transaction API is
defined; release scheduled for early June. The screen shots do not represent our
favourite design: it was more to tease "Australias most popular medical package" at a
conference in Sydney this year when the GNUMed project was presented for the first
time, as it is almost identical in some aspects (but not too much in order to avoid
copyright hassles).
I spent most time so far in designing the "transaction server", and did a lot of
performance testing with different models (forking servers, multithreading servers,
SELECT based servers, message queing servers ...). Expected source release by mid to
end June.
Short term goal (first week in July) is to
- have a simple 3 tier system capable of recording demographics, progress notes and
prescriptions uploaded to a CVS server; compilable and useable (as an alpha preview)
- The Interbase server will run on both Linux (recommended) or NT (not recommended),
but our first generation of transaction servers and clients will only compile & run on
Linux / freeBSD. We considered for portability (and are still considering) using ACE
or similar wrapping libraries; at present the learning curve of new libraries would
just take too long, so I decided to stick to what I know and use Posix threads &
sockets directly without intermediate libraries.
The first beta release of the whole package (the clinical part without billing etc.)
is scheduled forJanuary 2001.
If we get more people to help, we willget results earlier.
Apart from that, I have loads and loads of source from previous projects (not only
mine; one of our team has written a complete family medicine package including billing
etc. which has been in use for some years already; I have written two packages for
surgical departments in larger hospitals which are still in use). Takes some time to
scavenge the needed parts, but most of that code is proven, stable and debugged
already. Just a matter of plugging the right modules together. (Modules literally, as
some are written in Modula, others in Pascal, C, C++)
The problems I posted on this list are some of the "top ten unresolved" ones.
> pps - I was looking at maybe going to the O'Reilly conference in Monterey
> this July and I noticed that you will be presenting. It would be a pleasure
> to meet you.
Looking forward to meet you! Will be in Bordeaux at the "libre" conference as well
(first week in July). Some interesting people will come to the "health IT" sessions
there.
Horst
P.S.: Have to pull down my family home page. It's too embarassing. Was a "Sunday
night" project with the kids 2 years ago, playing with different web editors, and then
nobody took it up again to continue. Not that I could do it much better now, never did
much with web sites before. Still waiting for somebody who _can_ do that stuff to
re-organize the GNUMed web site.
