Hey folks :)

I'm currently seeking volunteers to help with features and bugfixes to the OGA codebase.  You'll need a working knowledge of PHP (or at the very least, a solid understanding of coding in general and a willingness to figure it out on your own), and an understanding of Drupal is a big plus (although I understand that's a rare skill set).

Reply here if you're interested.

FAQ

Q. Why isn't the OGA codebase currently open source?

A. Two reasons, both of which are temporary.

1. Before I put the OGA codebase out there for the public, I'd like to get some eyes on it that I trust to make sure I haven't done anything dumb from a security standpoint, since it runs a production site.  I'm pretty good about security, so the probability of major security issues is fairly low, but since OGA is fairly popular, I want to do my due dilligence first.
2. The unique code that makes up OGA is a set of Drupal modules that probably won't work unless they're running on a site that's set up exactly the same way OGA is.  Since the purpose isn't to write general drupal modules, but rather to run OGA specifically, I don't have the time to set them up so they'll work in the general case.  I also haven't had the time to create a script that will generate a small, "sanitized" copy of the OGA database, which means there's no easy way to set up a copy of OGA running elsewhere that doesn't have everyone's personal info and passwords, as well as gigabytes of files.

Q. How can we make OGA open source, then?

A. Note that I have no intention of making major changes to the modules to make them work in the general case, since they're specifically intended for OGA (once they're open source, someone else is of course welcome to do this).  So, in order to allow people to set up development copies of OGA in their own environment, we need a script that takes the OGA database and strips user information as well as the vast majority of the art files, so that a copy of OGA can be downloaded in a few megabytes.  This will have to be a task for an OGA administrator who already has access to this data, as opposed to just anyone.  After that, it should be fairly easy to open the codebase so more people can develop.

Q. Why now?

A. My wife is pregnant, probably due in June.  While I have no intention of stopping development of OGA, I'll be caring for an infant and will likely have almost no time for the next year or so after that, so it's imporatnt that we do this now so that OGA development doesn't come to a screeching halt. :)

Also, realistically, OGA is already bigger than I can code on my own at this point.  Opening up the code isn't going to be a small task, so I'm going to need help from people just to make sure everything is easy for people to work with.  The more help and suggestions I can get on this, the better. :)

Q. I want to help.  What kind of computer setup do I need?

A. If you're an OGA admin, I can set you up with direct access to the development server.  If you're running Linux and familiar with a UNIX command line, you have everything you need.  If you're running Windows, you'll need Putty, WinSCP, and a good text editor (like Notepad++).  If you're running a Mac, I'm not sure what the relevant software is, but I'm guessing I can find out. :)

(Edit: makrohn says: "Mac users would just use their built in Unix terminal, and could use scp instead of SFTP, though Cyberduck is an excellent program for them.  And TextWrangler instead of NotePad++.  All free (beer).")

Once everything is open sourced, if you want to set up a local copy of OGA, it will probably be easiest to run it on a Fedora or CentOS VM.  We'll get that when the time comes. :)

Q. (PHP|Drupal) is for idiots.  You should reimplement the site in a (language|CMS) that I like.

A. That's not a question. ;)