Yesterday we posted an announcement about our updated roadmap for Community Server.
Thoughts?
One is glad to be of service...
Jose Lema: Profiles – We’re planning an update to how profiles for people within the community can be updated and published. Control Panel – we will have a brand new version of the control panel which has been streamlined to simplify common tasks as well as to better enable users to focus on their current tasks.
Consider user-selectable "Profile Themes", and CSS overrides... or profiles could share style/theme with user's Blog?? Also, how about user's Blog, optionally, naving to their profile instead of the blog/about.
I never quite "got" the whole "Exit Control Panel and Return to Site" button-- why can't the control panel just be under the main nav bar? (i did this in 2.1.. makes more sense to me anyway)
Edit:
styx31: I don't agree with that, from a skin-maker point of view : Skinning the control panel, as it's currently build means skinning another website.
I don't agree with that, from a skin-maker point of view : Skinning the control panel, as it's currently build means skinning another website.
In 2.1, it was basically as simple as inserting a copy of the main menubar/div into the ControlPanel Master, above the CP menubar/div, and hiding/removing the "return" button. Haven't done this in CS2007+ but same principal.. having quick access to main nav from the CP. Additionally, I'd moved the editProfile UI to it's own "MyProfile/Settings" tab in the CP- which, seemed more logical.
Looking forward to CS2008!
Thanks for the road map. All those 2007 releases were starting to freak me out a bit.
I really like the groups concept and am anxious to see it in action. I really hope that you can make inviting people to join a specific group simple but controlable (invitations can be restricted to the moderator or group admin).
Jose, it was interesting to read about the roadmap. There are some previously promised features that are missing. Back in June I spoke with someone in Telligent Support about the need for a Wiki feature and was told that a public beta that included a Wiki was going to be released in July. What's happened to that? Will there be the promised public beta this summer? Or has that been pushed to the fall? What's happened to the Wiki?
Reading the roadmap makes me think that CS is trying to play 'catch MySpace and Facebook'. While I think that some of those features will be useful. I think that things like a Wiki are much more critical now. For example, there is a long thread - Stay Away from Community Server - http://communityserver.org/forums/t/489628.aspx which although somewhat biased does identify some significant short comings of CS - like posting articles.
Rick
davelee:I never quite "got" the whole "Exit Control Panel and Return to Site" button-- why can't the control panel just be under the main nav bar? (i did this in 2.1.. makes more sense to me anyway)
The basic skin for the control panel suits very well our needs (since only admins/owners can reach it), and that why I don't want to integrate it with my site, avoiding any specific development.
About next CS features, what I need most is a framework to allow pluggable applications to be easy installed/uninstalled. For example, to allow developers to create additional applications with an easy way to add a tab for our application in the control panel with our settings, a new entry in the "disabled applications" with our one, etc.
Simply, I want to consider blogs, forums, galleries and file galleries more as "modules", with the ability for a developer to create another one using the same framework. I hope that the new applications are made in a such way, I could be very great.
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styx31:Simply, I want to consider blogs, forums, galleries and file galleries more as "modules", with the ability for a developer to create another one using the same framework. I hope that the new applications are made in a such way, I could be very great.
That is the end goal of CS, to be a platform for creating your own applications. I think there is some additional work we need to do to get there. I don't expect things to be perfect in this respect for the 2008 release, but you should find the process to be much easier than in previous versions. We are spending a lot of time expanding some of the core infrastructure pieces (file management, data access, UI design, and permissions). All of these should greatly simplify what it takes to add an application to CS. In addition, the new web service stack should make it a walk in the park to extend CS by reusing the existing data and infrastructure.
Thanks,Scott
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Scott Watermasysk:We are spending a lot of time expanding some of the core infrastructure pieces (file management, data access, UI design, and permissions).
That's really great ! Exactly how I see community server : a platform to allow community-based applications to be build. Just that it not really as easy as expected for now.
Will wait for the 2008 release...
I have to say that i am a little disappointed. In starting to move to community server a very important feature i was looking for was the addition of a wiki system built in. Why was this removed? There are many times where a wiki would be good for a community specifically in business, education, and projects (ie open source or even software products).
It seems odd that it has totally disappeared.
I agree. I'm still waiting for an answer to my earlier post above as to what happened. When I called and spoke to the Telligent rep in June I was told that a Public Beta with the Wiki that Telligent has been using for their documentation was going to be released. I've held off going with another Wiki platform because I would much rather have it be integrated into CS and because Telligent staff told me it was near release. Now the Beta has been pushed back and the Wiki seems completely gone. Telligent, what's going on?
Hi Rick,
I am sorry that you heard that we would release a public beta in July that included a Wiki. While we are still interested in building a wiki, it is not currently targeted for our next release. As such, it won't be part of our first beta of Community Server 2008 planned for the fall.
While we are looking at incorporating more social networking capabilities into the product, we are not attempting to simply chase MySpace and Facebook. Our goal, as Scott mentioned above, is still to be a platform for creating your own applications. We believe that the current items on the roadmap for the next release are indeed the most critical for taking Community Server to the next level.
As for the thread you mention, while the title ain't great you are correct that there is quite a bit of feedback worth listening to...
My guess is that you would use the existing schema upgrade scripts for 2.0/2.1 to 2007, then apply the 2007 to 2008 updates. If it's anything like the past, all the scripts will be included in the download.
Every survival kit should include a sense of humor. ~Author Unknown
i see why there i did not see any upgrade script; i initially downloaded the Express MSI version which does not include any script. The zip version has it.
Jose, thanks for getting back to me. Since I was told this by a Telligent staff member it must have been in the queue earlier and has been removed. That's unfortunate for me since my site must have a Wiki feature soon and I've been holding off for the Beta I was told would be out this month. I'll have to find something outside of CS and then if Telligent adds a Wiki feature in the future, I will look at porting everything over.
We're using WSS 3.0 wikis with our deployment of CS. We've re-skinned CS so that it looks exactly like SharePoint, and even moved around some UI components for a more seamless integration.
I have to say that I agree with other posters in this thread that wikis should be an important component of CS.
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