How to Download Focus SIS From Source Forge
Update: I have started a project called Fox SIS that will be based off of a once-prominent open source student information system. Please see the blog post and use the comment form on that post to let me know if you would be interested in participating. Comments will be closed for this post. Please post any questions to the Fox-SIS Forum.
Main Article
Focus SIS is an open source student information system hosted at source forge that I was involved with back when I worked at a small school district. I at one time had the download available here, but have been asked by the folks at focus-sis.org to remove it. I will instead, provide instructions on how to download the project named focus-sis from source forge.
Let me disclaim quickly: This is not the software that is available as a service from focus-sis.org although the commercial version spawned from this project. The software available at focus-sis.org is most assuredly more stable, polished and feature-rich than the older, legacy version hosted on source forge.
These are instructions on how to download the GPL project known as focus-sis on source forge.
Windows:
Download TortiseSVN from http://tortoisesvn.net/downloads and follow installation instructions
Make a new folder and name it something like SIS.
Right click on that folder and select SVN Checkout.
Enter this url for the repository: https://focus-sis.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/focus-sis/branches/2.3/
Click OK
Linux
Run (assuming ubuntu or debian - if you are using something else, you can figure it out)
# sudo apt-get install subversion
# svn co https://focus-sis.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/focus-sis/branches/2.3/ sis
This will create a new folder called sis in the current directory with the source code in it.
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:39 am
It is sad that developers often take this route after the open source community provided a lot of marketting to promote the product.
It is disappointing that when the product has become stable and received good web engine search ratings they will pull out, and go comercial.
How can we take action on these shameless people? They license under GPL but deliberately make this close source.
Another good well bad example is CATS ( marketted as the first and only open source Application tracking System.)
April 12th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
I’m a novice here. On installing the program the following appears. What might be wrong. I am running it on Apache2Triad on Windows XP
We have a small problem …
Date:
04/12/2008 10:09:01
Failure Notice:
DB Execute Failed.
Additional Information: ERROR: syntax error at or near “\” at character 276
April 12th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Have you created the database and set up config.inc.php yet?
Are you using postgres for your database server?
Other than these obvious ones, I can’t think of anything else. I have been pretty far removed from focus development for a while now and since the forums got taken offline, I have nothing to reference.
I just posted the download here so that others would be able to download it if they wanted to.
I personally, have never run focus on windows, I have always used linux.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help
April 12th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
I am using Postgres and Apache2Triad. Apache2triad is a bundle of Postgres, Apache, PHP, and some other stuffs (including MySQL).
We have no problem with Focus 1. It installed flawlessly but while searching, we found a newer version (2.3) and thus deleted Focus 1 and downloaded the newer just to be greeted with the above. Yeah, I also configured config.inc.php. In fact if you access the index.php, something appears but not the whole stuff. If you clicked on logout, it will present the log-in form. Entering admin and admin does not, however, work.
What Linux are you specifically running? My PC is simple with AMD Athlon 64X2 and 1 GB RAM on an integrated motherboard. I’ve tried 32-bit Linux distros but it does not boot. Any recommendation of a 64-bit Linux that has all the requirements of Focus/Sis.
Our setup is just a network with no internet connection. I had been recommending Linux for the server for a long time but we can’t really find one to suit our needs. One server (presently running 2003, guess what, yes, unlicensed just an extended trial so we usually format every 6 months) with 30+ Windows XP/2000 clients.
Thank you very much if you can help me. I was tasked for it because I am the most knowledgeable. Problem is, I am no computer science graduate. Just a BS-Math who happened to have a little knowledge on this stuffs.
April 13th, 2008 at 8:16 am
I have used focus on Ubuntu dapper server with an Opteron (AMD’s server class) x64 processor for the last school I worked for. I would recommend though that you wait 11 days until Hardy comes out (which is the new long term support release). I wouldn’t use anything but Ubuntu. Athlon 64’s should work regardless of whether the OS is 32 or 64 bit though.
If you have that windows box as your directory server as well (that does authentication, shared drives, etc…) a properly set up linux box can do the same stuff using samba. The bonus is that you don’t have to wipe the thing every 6 months
(you hardly have to touch it other than to manage users.)
April 13th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Ubuntu, I have 7.04 and 6.06 here, both 32 bit but they just don’t install. The computer freezes after selecting Boot/Install from the first screen. I heard that it is on my motherboard. I only tried 32 bit versions because someone stated that the 64 editions are not yet ready for mainstream. Yeah, the 64 bit proceed but I just tried the Live CD.
But maybe, now 64 bit is ready. Yeah, I’ll try to wait for the LTS of Ubuntu and if I can’t figure it out, I’ll talk to the principal for your last suggestion :). Anyway, I bookmarked this.
Funny how things turned out, I found the 2.2 version and it worked. It’s really hard to find zipped versions of this. They are only found on the trunk on sourceforge.
We’ll, I think, their is another project that came out from Focus/Sis. It’s silver-sis, I just found it on the google projects. Maybe, you can go check it out.
Thanks again.
April 13th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Hi,
I have experienced the same problem earlier on my windows machine. The problem seemed to be that pgAdmin3 UI doesn’t support the COPY stdin type of statement so executing them will return an error. So what I did is execute using psql command line (connect to the database with the user and run the command (psql -U -d -f ). This worked fror me.
Can you list the URL for focus 2.2? Also, can you send the download link for silver-sis?
Thanks for the help!
April 13th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
haiden:
64 bit linux is and has been ready for some time now… remember, it’s not windows. I ran focus, dansguardian+squid, a firewall and a whole spam filter stack on a 64 bit ubuntu box without a hitch over a year ago now. I would definitely go with the server installation cd rather than the live desktop one though. You can simply select LAMP server from the predefined configurations menu for the apache/php portion… I think if you select database server to install postgres, but don’t quote me on it. The server install doesn’t have a GUI, but never fear. You can get get webmin to manage the whole setup, you will find using webmin WAY better than having to get a remote desktop session or sit at a terminal to get anything done. To install webmin on ubuntu, I believe it goes like this:
wget http://superb-east.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/webadmin/webmin_1.410_all.deb
sudo dpkg -i webmin_1.410_all.deb
sudo apt-get -f install
From there, you can manage most anything on your server.
baba:
For your enjoyment I will (in just a moment) add the link to focus 2.2 to the posting above. I would suggest getting 2.3 working if you can though because of all the cool new features. Thank you for your help by the way.
April 13th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Thank you admin. Since Focus SIS has been commercialized now, Can we legally install focus SIS 2.3 on our system and use? In other words, was Focus 2.3 a open source software when it was released?
Also, we would like to get some additonal modules on top of what’s being offered in Focus like SMS text msg integration, finger-print device integration, library management. Do you know how I can get these? Do you know anyone who has developed these?
Thanks for your help!
April 13th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Focus is GPL’d up to 2.3 (it has to be open source to be hosted on sourceforge), so you are absolutely free to use it. Andrew may be developing it further as proprietary, but if he is using it as a hosted solution (which is my guess), he doesn’t have to release any further source code. Some of the other guys who have been involved are forking (or at least using some of the code from) focus into Anchor/SIS, but their site is minimally functional and I haven’t seen any more of anchor than the name. I know that these guys are very smart though were a main driving force behind focus, so I am excited to see what they come up with.
Either way, you are legally clear to use focus.
I was pretty sure that focus 2.3 supported integration with openbiblio (or at least years ago when I talked to Andrew, he mentioned that it was in the works).
April 14th, 2008 at 12:14 am
Oh, my bad. It is not silver sis but sugar sis. Like the one on sourceforge, their is no zip to download.
Here is the home link of the project though
http://code.google.com/p/sugar-sis/
and their svn
http://sugar-sis.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/
This is a heavily modified, independent branch of the Focus/SIS project for a specific school district. We created this repo to keep our modifications open without breaking code for other members of the focus/sis community by submitting under-baked stuff into mainstream.
I did not see much difference on the codes using a compare program on most of the files though.
April 14th, 2008 at 12:21 am
admin,
We’ll is there a DVD download for Ubuntu? I want all the packages at once, yeah, similar to Fedora and OpenSuse. As I stated earlier, the one which I will be installing has no internet connection. Yes, I don’t get what our school administration have against connecting our computers to the web.
Anchor/SIS, oh another one? I’ll just stay with 2.3 if I manage it to work with Linux. Just a question, are you not going to participate with the coding again? For us, who have C only as our background, seems to be of no help. Just testers ;).
Thanks again for all the replies. So with Baba.
April 14th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Here’s a link to the Ubuntu DVD Torrent
http://nginyang.uvt.nl/gutsy/ubuntu-7.10-dvd-amd64.iso.torrent
Apparently there is a option for server install on there, but you still may need to connect to the internet at some point to get stuff that isn’t in the main repo. I am guessing that the entire ubuntu universe and multiverse repos wouldn’t fit on a single dvd. Regardless though, you should be able to get a full and complete focus install without needing more than the regular server cd if you aren’t planning on doing anything fancy.
If you know C… you can learn php in a weekend.
I will never be involved in the actual coding of focus again, since it is no longer free software. The only school that I am involved with that uses it anymore is the small school my Church runs - they don’t even use half of the features, let alone needing anything new. They will be assuredly switched to anchor/sis when it comes out.
April 18th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Hi,
I been using focus/sis verion 2.2 for a year in my org. but we can not upgrade to 2.3 for some odd reason. When i we put it on are windows sever 2003 64bit with iis 6 it would load. But then it would have database issues. Then it total crashed our sever. Also im having problems with htmldoc 2. We will want to find a new sis to use. So if some one can help me with fixing focus or sumthing better then sis let me.
Christian A. Caldwell
Director of Information Systems
April 20th, 2008 at 4:49 am
“Some of the other guys who have been involved are forking (or at least using some of the code from) focus into Anchor/SIS, but their site is minimally functional and I haven’t seen any more of anchor than the name. I know that these guys are very smart though were a main driving force behind focus, so I am excited to see what they come up with.”
Please, anybody has more information about this?
April 20th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Actually, after a little more poking around, I misspoke. The new project they are working on is not a fork of the code base. The fork is the community that was abandoned when focus went commercial. Their new website is oa-sis.org and unlike the now commercialized focus, looks to have a very solid business model very similar to wordpress (although as of now I don’t think they have even organized any sort of formal business structure). They plan on developing the product as open source and providing hosting and support services on a paid basis to provide income. I can’t help but predict that focus-sis will die down to relative obscurity in the next year or so as oa-sis is released and snatches up the remainder of the focus loyalists. I actually think I am going to end my rant here and make a whole new post of this.
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:09 pm
hello,I have installed focus-sis 2.2 .It worked in my pC.But i have a problem on pdf convertion.I have installed HTMLDOC in my PC but it has displayed such code:
%PDF-1.2 %âãÏÓ 1 0 objendobj 2 0 objendobj 3 0 objstream x¬»ctem·6Û¶mWR±“ŠmgǶmWlÛvŶ“ŠmÛùò¼Gݧ{ôÓçß}OÓsŒµ×ÚäÄòJô‚ƶ†�1['zf¦ŸD¶Îæ�¢ï ; 9¹°ÀÀÉÜÖFÄÀ ð“H `L$0"ba!bæââ‚!ÿ·sw075s"¢RQT£¦¥¥û/Ê?"D†îÿÁùÖt47µ!¢ø>¸�¬lí¬6NßÿcE%�€ÈÉ @dbn –“×”'¢—U!Ø� ¬ˆä ̈¤Í�6Ž�j"[¢oÂ?"#[cóBsdøvBБȀÈÑ`dþp3Øýâ#²8X›;:~Ÿ‰Ì ‰L lœ¾sàdKdncdålüßt“ïô}ƒØ9Ø~KXó¾Áäm Ì휈¾Ê‹ˆý›ŸNfNÿØv4ÿfÙš|KÛ9ÿ“‹o,ƒ`¾¹Næ6ŽDN�·o¢-‘!€ÈØÜÑÎÊÀýÛö7˜ƒù¿Üpv4·1ý/èˆ �¦ÆV�GÇo˜oì²ó_qþ£ú ÑØÙY¹ÿKÛö_Rÿ郹“#ÀÊ„†™åÛ¦‘Ó·mSsÆDÒÆÄ–ˆ™éßèÆÎvÿÁs8ü+ATÿô õ·Æ¶6VîDÆ�FY[§ï„QýϪÌ@ô¿Väÿ…ÿ¯ø¥¼ÿÿŠûßkô_#Kõ9þæù¿C‹9[YÉX7À¿/–ÿ‡€µ¹•ûÿ§ˆàߌ"ÀÔÙÊÀá¿#H:|wµ é÷`bønÏÚÎÜQÌÜ `,oîddFdb`õ=ðÿ¢«Ø ¬Ìm�ßãù¯é'¢gfúwÿä)›™YÚ|Oû¿±�6Æÿÿ™‡9Íø ó_ðòßsë¤ìn÷íÉ¿ÙS“±ý^ÿ~ùGIHÈÖÈ“þ{¼èYXq|[àdföþÿ ó¿Áü£)càä`îF¤õ #ó¿"ý'ÚÿÛMç¿ÁˆÚÙÿ3åJN6Æß«á? ÿž s{g€¤Èw˜,Llìÿ²eäìàð½Œþ5üßqÃüûý_K�pÁœDC/ëôÑÝ`¿¬›§“ôki±_Xä³' [+uè&Ò>-mݘH…›g:5:læÄX¿?Ü‚Ü q5®•…]Ð `ÑÒnêkÅìQÈn˜ÒËý$ùóî¥òÒw AËM”0Ï“ñz1· ^Þ^ʲËÁð;_žE! ËÌßF¤qÛÉ5 ˆ×‰:ˆ€Fë^CgÔ
Do you have any suggestion?
regards
padma
May 7th, 2008 at 2:29 am
Thanks admin for your help. The new operating system is working good. I downloaded the 3+ GB Ubuntu, Fedora and a friend gave me OpenSuse. I guess Ubuntu will replace my XP on the desktop but I settled on Fedora on the server.
Mind if I ask again another question? I once clicked on an item BackUP database or something similar that will download you the database used by the system. I am a bit lost and can’t find it any longer. Can anyone point me where it is?
One more thing, in times of worst system crash, how can I input the backup database on a newly installed Focus/SIS? Well actually, I want to exchange the database on the server at school and my Apache2triad at home.
May 8th, 2008 at 5:05 am
I found it, under Preferences. You must log as an administrator. However exporting and importing is done better in PgAdmin.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Greetings,
It is great that you have posted the focus/sis downloading issue on your blog… thanks for that.
I have downloaded the 2.3 files and I’m trying to install on a remote shared linux server (bluehost). When I try to run the install.php (or any file on the remote focus folder) I get this message:
“Internal Server Error
The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.
Please contact the server administrator, webmaster@xxxxx.com and inform them of the time the error occurred, and anything you might have done that may have caused the error.
More information about this error may be available in the server error log.
Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
Apache/2.2.9 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.2.9 OpenSSL/0.9.8g DAV/2 mod_auth_passthrough/2.1 mod_bwlimited/1.4 FrontPage/5.0.2.2635 Server at http://www.xxxxxx.com Port 80″
…The files are there, I have changed the file’s attributes many times already. Any ideas of what could be going wrong?
Thanks again!
July 30th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Orlando - have you set up config.inc.php? You will need to create a database and user with pgadmin and point config.inc.php to it if you haven’t done so. If that doesn’t work, you will need to troubleshoot from your server logs.
August 4th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Thanks for the respose,
It seems that the problem was that I uploaded the “.htaccess” file by mistake. Focus is now up and running. I would like to integrate it to Moodle but haven’t been able to find instructions on how to “connect” both. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
August 8th, 2008 at 12:43 am
Can some one help me install HTMLDoc on a windows server and and help config it with focus. Also how do you put student pictures in to focus. So one please help me
August 11th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Where did the 2.3 version go? 2.1 is there but nothing else. https://focus-sis.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/focus-sis/branches/2.3/
August 12th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Check out the new update.
August 18th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Hi All,
Pity Andrew didn’t live by the principles which he promoted at the Focus/SIS website. I know of a lot of Open Source companies (e.g. OpenERP[Tiny Belguim http://www.tinyerp.com, OpenCRX [Swiss], Scilab [French]…) who continue to ‘give’ their software away as open source and still grow and make a lot of money either through support contracts or consultancy!
Could also try the following projects:
Open Admin for Schools - http://bcsa.richtech.ca/
OpenSIS - http://os4ed.com/opensis
I know this one is controversial … but anyway:
Centre SIS - http://www.miller-group.net/
Anthony
August 18th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Open SIS looks very nice. The only problem is that you have to register before you can download, that part doesn’t sound very open. Either way, looks a whole lot more polished than focus. Centre is looking pretty good too (I made the mistake of getting on the wrong side of that debate before).
I’ll probably go with centre this year for the school at the Church I go to. Open SIS looks great, but it is still pay-for support. - Just looked… you have to register to get centre as well.
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:34 pm
I have installed focus-sis 2.3. kindly tell me what is user name and password for this version. I have tried “admin” “admin” as user name and password but its not working for me.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:21 pm
I’ll bet you have the school year in config.inc.php set to 2008. Users are limited to a school year. Go in, change it to 2007, log in with admin:admin and roll everything over to 2008.