I've read the various forums including Drupal tags where I have not seen this question asked, so I hope it's not a repeat question.
Why can we not port Omeka as a Drupal module? A lot of institutions and groups run Drupal as a front-end to their projects, so it would make sense to create a dependent version of Omeka that integrated into Drupal (or maybe wordpress, although I'm not as familiar with their level of add-in module support).
It would *seem* to me that the integration could leverage a lot of what has already been done. Couldn't we simply set a definition variable at installation? Perhaps
if ($drupal_node == "FALSE")
define("INSTALLATION", "Standalone");
else
define("INSTALLATION", "Module");
Then we use this definition to run a series of functions dependent on the need. So, if we're a module, we'll pull DB information and schema from the Drupal parent, but if we're stand alone we create a new db and build in that?
** Caveat - I have not poked around in the Omeka code base to see if this is possible / feasible. I'm just wondering about it. Maybe a project I pick up after dissertation time is over....
An integration between Omeka and Drupal (or WordPress) isn't really feasible, since they follow very different design principles in the code and in the data model. All three treat their content in different ways, and trying to integrate them would be a bit Frankenstein's monsterish. It would be better to port content from one to the other, and then build the specific functionality you need within the platform's own API and plugin structure.
Call me an ignorant fool, but why wouldn't we want to work towards some kind of integration like this? I mean, the purpose of the project is to construct narratives within a context, if I may paraphrase thusly. Why insist on a stand alone tool?
I know it's completely different, but I'm just wondering if the project wouldn't benefit from a philosophical fork? Perhaps the add-in module for Moodle or Drupal or Wordpress would be a fork?
That's an accurate paraphrase, and is also very much why Omeka was created as a separate tool.
None of the other tools you mention are designed with narrative interpretation (and standards-compliant metadata) specifically in mind. Drupal is the only one that could be made to do so, but only at extremely high technical and administrative costs for Omeka's target audience.
For any of those platforms, Drupal included, reproducing the functionality of Omeka would require much more than a single module or plugin or theme. It would call for a suite of plugins and themes that would push them beyond their core design more than a suite of addons properly should.