Comments on: Download All Documents from Blackboard’s Digital Dropbox http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/ Utterly random, incoherent and disjointed rants and ramblings... Wed, 03 Dec 2008 03:43:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: Seth http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-9831 Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:41:00 +0000 http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-9831 Neat perl trick, and certainly suitable to perl ninjas, but for techno-weenies like myself there's a much easier solution: <a href="http://www.download.com/DownThemAll/3000-11745_4-10534942.html?tag=lst-1&cdlPid=10818665" rel="nofollow">Downthemall!</a>, an easy to use plugin for Firefox. Install it, navigate to blackboard, right click. Easy as pie. Neat perl trick, and certainly suitable to perl ninjas, but for techno-weenies like myself there’s a much easier solution: Downthemall!, an easy to use plugin for Firefox.

Install it, navigate to blackboard, right click. Easy as pie.

]]> by: Luke Maciak http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-9141 Tue, 27 May 2008 13:43:39 +0000 http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-9141 [quote comment="9053"]Is there any problem with deleting the subdirectories under the drop box? Are there any references to these links in the database that will be hosed once the directory and file are deleted?[/quote] I'm sure we would. But rolling out a new service on my own, while the university as a whole is committed to blackboard and students already know how to use it, is probably counterproductive. Andy said:

Is there any problem with deleting the subdirectories under the drop box? Are there any references to these links in the database that will be hosed once the directory and file are deleted?

I’m sure we would. But rolling out a new service on my own, while the university as a whole is committed to blackboard and students already know how to use it, is probably counterproductive.

]]> by: Randy http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-9135 Tue, 27 May 2008 01:33:30 +0000 http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-9135 Take a look at moving over to Moodle or Sakai. Both Open Source and free. Will save your university a ton of money. Lots of 3rd party integrations. I have been using Moodle for years. check it out. Take a look at moving over to Moodle or Sakai. Both Open Source and free. Will save your university a ton of money. Lots of 3rd party integrations. I have been using Moodle for years. check it out.

]]> by: Andy http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-9053 Wed, 14 May 2008 22:01:35 +0000 http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-9053 Is there any problem with deleting the subdirectories under the drop box? Are there any references to these links in the database that will be hosed once the directory and file are deleted? Is there any problem with deleting the subdirectories under the drop box? Are there any references to these links in the database that will be hosed once the directory and file are deleted?

]]> by: Miloš http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-7988 Wed, 06 Feb 2008 15:59:41 +0000 http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-7988 [quote comment="7981"]We used to host it, didn't we?[/quote] ...and hopefully we will again very soon. [quote comment="7981"]Btw, I really think you guys should register cms.montclair.edu and point it at montclair.blackboard.com. In fact I'm surprised it hasn't been done yet. :)[/quote] you and I both. Btw, it's an OIT "controlled" service. :( [quote comment="7981"]Btw - out of curiosity: how much storage space do we actually have with blackboard?[/quote] As far as I know, it's incremental, not fixed, so it increases as we need it as long as it is reasonable. Luke Maciak said:

We used to host it, didn’t we?

…and hopefully we will again very soon.

Luke Maciak said:

Btw, I really think you guys should register cms.montclair.edu and point it at montclair.blackboard.com. In fact I’m surprised it hasn’t been done yet. )

you and I both. Btw, it’s an OIT “controlled” service. (

Luke Maciak said:

Btw - out of curiosity: how much storage space do we actually have with blackboard?

As far as I know, it’s incremental, not fixed, so it increases as we need it as long as it is reasonable.

]]> by: Luke Maciak http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-7981 Wed, 06 Feb 2008 02:29:09 +0000 http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-7981 We used to host it, didn't we? I remember that at one point the url was blackboard.montclair.edu. That was long time ago when I was a sophomore (or something like that). I do not remember using blackboard my freshman year. Btw, I really think you guys should register cms.montclair.edu and point it at montclair.blackboard.com. In fact I'm surprised it hasn't been done yet. :) Btw - out of curiosity: how much storage space do we actually have with blackboard? I'm pretty sure it would be much cheaper to set up a local server with twice the amount of storage including backup and maintenance costs. It would be pile of money up front, but it would pay for itself in few semesters probably. And, you know - put it behind SSL for example. But then again, what do I know. :mrgreen: We used to host it, didn’t we? I remember that at one point the url was blackboard.montclair.edu. That was long time ago when I was a sophomore (or something like that). I do not remember using blackboard my freshman year.

Btw, I really think you guys should register cms.montclair.edu and point it at montclair.blackboard.com. In fact I’m surprised it hasn’t been done yet. )

Btw - out of curiosity: how much storage space do we actually have with blackboard? I’m pretty sure it would be much cheaper to set up a local server with twice the amount of storage including backup and maintenance costs. It would be pile of money up front, but it would pay for itself in few semesters probably. And, you know - put it behind SSL for example. But then again, what do I know. mrgreen

]]> by: Miloš http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-7977 Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:59:45 +0000 http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-7977 I agree with all of the assessments made above. Sadly this is another example of being "first" to market and acquiring your biggest competitor (WebCT) which was a much better product. It looks like we might be stuck to it for a while. I mean look at the URL: montclair.blackboard.com. WTF! Why is it hosted by them (I know why sadly and that might change soon) and even if it was hosted internally why do we have their brand name in the URL...why not just something like cms.montclair.edu (CMS = Course Management System) so that we can change our vendor without impacting user community. I agree with all of the assessments made above. Sadly this is another example of being “first” to market and acquiring your biggest competitor (WebCT) which was a much better product.

It looks like we might be stuck to it for a while. I mean look at the URL: montclair.blackboard.com. WTF! Why is it hosted by them (I know why sadly and that might change soon) and even if it was hosted internally why do we have their brand name in the URL…why not just something like cms.montclair.edu (CMS = Course Management System) so that we can change our vendor without impacting user community.

]]> by: Alphast http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-7975 Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:25:08 +0000 http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-7975 Blackboard is indeed pretty outdated and flawed. I still don't know how they managed to become a sort of standard within course management system/ e-learning system? I remember TWT (from the ESB of Porto) was pretty ok, but I don't know if they still develop it. I think the guys at Laval University in Montréal also designed something very nice. Here is another one which is pretty good: http://www.threeships.com/ ; Too bad they don't have an English version of the website though. Blackboard is indeed pretty outdated and flawed. I still don’t know how they managed to become a sort of standard within course management system/ e-learning system? I remember TWT (from the ESB of Porto) was pretty ok, but I don’t know if they still develop it. I think the guys at Laval University in Montréal also designed something very nice.

Here is another one which is pretty good: http://www.threeships.com/ ; Too bad they don’t have an English version of the website though.

]]> by: Luke Maciak http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-7968 Mon, 04 Feb 2008 20:04:13 +0000 http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-7968 Yeah, I used <em>downthemall</em> before but I forgot about it. Thanks for spoiling my fun here. ;P Actually a small modification to my script will allow me to delete the files from BB dropbox after I downloaded them which helps to keep that damn thing clean and managable. I don't think downthemall can do this. Yeah, I used downthemall before but I forgot about it. Thanks for spoiling my fun here. ;P

Actually a small modification to my script will allow me to delete the files from BB dropbox after I downloaded them which helps to keep that damn thing clean and managable. I don’t think downthemall can do this.

]]> by: Vurlix http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-7967 Mon, 04 Feb 2008 19:46:32 +0000 http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2008/02/04/download-all-documents-from-blackboards-digital-dropbox/#comment-7967 Perhaps you should look into this Firefox extension which and I believe does what you need more conveniently: http://www.downthemall.net/ I strongly recommend the beta 1.0b2 -- it works great. Perhaps you should look into this Firefox extension which and I believe does what you need more conveniently:
http://www.downthemall.net/

I strongly recommend the beta 1.0b2 — it works great.

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