Videoconference

The documentation to install BigBlueButton 0.64 on CentOS (and on most other distributions) is really excellent. However, I found that CentOS 5.5 had not been documented yet, so I tried it and run into a few problems. I explain below how to get it all sorted out. I installed CentOS5.5 from a DVD in "server" mode, so without graphical interface.

I'm often faced (locally) to the question about our videoconference tool... It is true that a lot of videoconference tools have appeared recently, even in Open-Source, so we don't really have a unique marketing argument to defend it. The initial idea behind the videoconference was that, at a time where DimDim and other videoconference tool were still closed-source or didn't even exist (in mid-2006, that is), we wanted to offer a videoconference tool as a complementary tool for Dokeos, so we asked Sebastian Wagner, a German developer, to do this for us.

In case it would be of any interest to you, I am currently developing a kind of "branch" of Dokeos (although nothing legally-binding about the branch stuff) in Latin America, and more specifically in Peru. Peru is still what I would call a developing country, so at the same time it is hard to get used to (living there) and possibly excellent for future business opportunities.

We just realised that through an unfortunate series of events, I had removed a line that Arnaud had added in the documentation on the videoconference installation process. It was missing the part where you download the dokeos-conference.war file and copy it to your webapps directory.

Frédéric Burlet, the guy behind the Red5 server mods for the Dokeos videoconference, has recently added a short documentation to explain the process of installing the Red5 server on a... server. I'm adding it as is here, and I already added the file inside the documentation/ folder in Dokeos 1.8.5 stable (to come within a few days).

Dokeos Red5 applications ======================== Table of contents ----------------- 1. Installation 1.1. Red5 1.2. Dokeos Red5 Application 2. Configuration 2.1. How does it work ? 2.2. Recorder 2.3. VideoConference 3.

Next week, we will be releasing an RC1 for Dokeos 1.8.5. The main targets for this version are:

• fixing SCORM (import, export and reporting)
• fixing audio recorder and some videoconference minor bugs
• improving the templating system
• adding repetitive events to the agenda (and iCal import, as well)

I'm quite annoyed because I will have to update the database structure to allow for repetitive events, but we're still before RC1 so it is still an "acceptable" change, and apparently it's been said it would be in 1.8.5, so...

That's it, you can officially download the videoconference tool, in its second version, from the Dokeos website's download page

I've been pretty busy the latest couple of days developing the new videoconference tool to improve its CSS configuration. It's scheduled to be in production with Dokeos 1.8.5, but so far the main bits have been put together in a one-on-one mode only. I thought giving a little preview might be of some interest.

[digg=http://www.digg.com/programming/Tips_and_tricks_for_using_pseudo_CSS_in_OpenLaszlo_4] Having had to deal with this stuff lately with the Dokeos videoconference development, I thought it might be useful. The mainstream page is located on the Dokeos wiki, so in the following weeks, I recommend, looking at it over there. Here goes... The new version of the videoconference tool (to be out at the same time as Dokeos 1.8.5) can be theme-modified via CSS.

[digg=http://www.digg.com/linux_unix/Flash_9_update_3_for_Linux_No_web_cam_support]

A new version of this article has been compiled here to cover
version 10 of the Flash plugin which reportedly
supports V4L2 in its second beta version!

Mike Melanson, the (only?) developer assigned by Adobe to the Linux port of the Flash client, has announced on his blog t