Optaros Releases OSS User Interface for Alfresco

By John Conroy | Published Jul 18, 2008

Optaros has announced the launch of a new user interface framework for Alfresco. DoCASU 1.0 is an open source initiative, bringing AJAX and Rich Internet Application features to the Alfresco Enterprise CMS platform UI. Docasu “is not intended to replace the already existing Alfresco web user interface,” but rather is aimed at those who require a simpler and more user-friendly, yet highly configurable interface solution.

In a post at ECMArcitect, Jeff Pott goes into greater detail (Jeff is an architect at Optaros):” Optaros has written a streamlined web client for Alfresco based entirely on REST (web scripts) and Ext JS. We’re calling it DoCASU, which stands for Document Access for Casual Users, and we’re making it freely-available as an open source project.”

As open source Enterprise CMS frameworks continue to mature in terms of features, stability and security, easier and richer UI and UI configuration is perhaps the final frontier standing in the way of wider adoption (the scenario is no different in the Web CMS environment). In this context, initiatives like Optaros' add value in a very real way to the Alfresco project and we can expect to see many more in both OSS Enterprise CMS and Web CMS.

You can get this fantastic new addition to the Alfresco product as an Alfresco module (or simply browse the code), and can grab it from the Optaros download repository.

For more on hacking the Alfresco UI, visit this forum thread here .