GAKU Engine is a student/assignment focused student and school management system.
The kanji for "learning" is 学[gaku]. So literally GAKU Engine alone means "Learning Engine". The full Japanese name further uses "ateji" to make the name into 学園陣, which is broken down into 学園[gakuen] "academic" and 陣[jin] "encampment/battle formation". Either way it's always read the same, so take your pick of the meaning: "Learning Engine" or "Academic Encampment".
For the English we also chose to treat GAKU as an acronym, which can be seen above. You know, because confusing acronyms are radical to the max.
This software is dual licensed under the GNU GPL version 3 and the AGPL version 3. Separate licenses are available upon consultation. Please contact info@genshin.org for details.
It allows for full student management, grading etc. It's bascally what all student grading tools are but it's unique in that:
- It's completely Open Source, licensed under the GPL3. (See note #1)
- It only uses Free Open Source components and does not rely on a licensed back end - so you don't need to worry about the BSA suing you. (See note #2)
- It's Rails based, so it's easily extendable and runs on everything.
- It does not require a special client to use. Any web browser will do. Special clients can be developed, and one for students will eventually be created [for use on smart phones].
- It will feature a full set of "social" interfaces for students. Students will be able to check their grades, assignments, download notes and printouts, communicate with teachers and staff and share links and information. These features can be enabled or disabled and can be easily regulated by staff.
- It is multi-locale. Generated reports and paperwork will be formatted appropriately for your schools country of operation (if paperwork for your contry is not available yet please file an issue and we will see about adding it).
- ruby >= 1.9.3
- sqlite3
- mysql
- postgresql
You have 2 choices:
Get gaku_base_app and follow the instructions.
Create a new Rails application:
$ gem install rails -v 3.2.13
$ rails _3.2.13_ new my_app
Then add GAKUEngine to your Gemfile.
gem 'gaku_engine', github: 'Genshin/GAKUEngine'Install dependencies:
$ bundle
Create the database:
$ rake db:create:all
Run the install generator to copy migrations, initializers, run seed data...
$ rails g gaku:install
If you want to populate sample data:
$ rake gaku:sample:load
Defaults: user: admin pass: 123456
$ rails s
Check http://localhost:3000
Change to core engine:
$ cd core
Recreate test_app:
$ bundle exec rake test_app
Run specs using Selenium:
$ SELENIUM=1 rspec
Development continuing is contigent upon receiving proper initial funding. Currently what you see here is a very rought demo which is being refined as time permits. Failure to acquire funds will not end the project but may inhibit its progress. If you would like to participate in development or if you are a school and would like to see GAKU Engine developed (we will offer services for free to everyone who funds development) plese contact Genshin Souzou K.K. at info@genshin.org
Pull requests are very welcome! Please try to follow these simple rules if applicable:
Separate branch:
- Please create a feature branch for every separate change you make.
- Open a pull-request early for any new features to get feedback.
- Make sure your patches are well tested. All specs must pass.
- Follow Bozhidar Batsov's style guides: ruby-style-guide and rails-style-guide.
- Run rubocop to ensure no style guide issues.
Master branch:
- Commit directly onto the master branch only for typos, improvements to the readme and documentation.
https://github.com/Genshin/GAKUEngine/contributors
irc: { server: 'irc.freenode.org', port: 6667, channel: 'gaku' }
- Schools can use it for free - though ideally we want schools to hire developers on maintenance contracts so the software can be improved and schools don't need to worry about the system being poorly maintained by untrained internal staff.
- Part of the reason GAKU Engine was created was to eliminate dependence on commercial licenses from certain companies.
- These licenses are expensive, and many school management systems are built on and rely on them.
- The problem is some companies have created organizations that actively go after schools for license infringement.
- Though unrelated to GAKU Engine core, we recommend switching to OSS software on school workstations as well, such as LibreOffice, GIMP, InkScape, GNU/Linux (we love Ubuntu and Debian), etc. This will reduce cost and eliminate the risk of having bad licenses.
GAKU Engine is primarily being developed by the Genshin Souzou organization in Japan. It is also being developed in Ruby/Rails, in which using Japanese names is a common practice. So we chose to use the character for "learning", which is 学 - read "gaku". But "gaku" alone in Japanese isn't a very good name for a software project. So we added "Engine" because it's also a common Rails naming construct and because adding the word "Engine" to something makes it sound all powerful and cool. So now the name was literally "Learning Engine". We decided to take that one step further and create a fully Japanized name using a practice called "ateji". It just so happens the word for "academic" is 学園[gakuen]. Now all we had left is "jin", which we chose the character 陣, which means "encampment" (like a strategic or battle formation). To further make things all cool and confusing we made GAKU into an acronym in English. The debate continues as to weather G should remain "Genshin" or should be changed to GNU, but for now just assume the G in Genshin to be synonymous with GNU.