Stuff I've been working on
We’ve spent the last month fixing about 100 bugs, and security auditing 1.1.4 (and fixing several things along the way)
so this is the most stable, and safest foswiki release ever.
I’ve also fixed a few TWiki compatibility bugs that were broken in TWiki since about 2005 – so foswiki 1.1.5 is quite possibly more TWiki compatible than TWiki 5 itself!
please try it – and report any issues you find so we can work on them for the release next week
along with the other 300 foswiki extensions for you to install.
see http://fosiki.com/Foswiki_debian/
Hope you like it 🙂
Google Labs has just added DataWiki – it looks like one of the features Foswiki (and its parent) have been doing for 10 years…
Google Labs has just added a GoogleAppEngine based Java application called – DataWiki.
So far, project information is very minimal, but it looks like one of the features Foswiki (and its parent) have been doing for 10 years…
The timing is excellent, as I’ve been working with others in the Foswiki Community to improve Foswiki’s mashup-ability:
enable easy input/output from a variety of endpoints, e.g. via Twitter, ODK or SMS from a remote location
Right now we’re working on a proper REST API for foswiki data – enabling us to retrieve and save changes to datasets in formats that are convenient to the external endpoints – and to simplify the development to dynamic visualisation and editing tools for complex data.
Perhaps what we’re looking at is a combination of the acquired and shut down JotSpot, and a response to Yahoo Pipes 🙂
Foswiki is an extremely mature (10 years) DataWiki capable enterprise wiki, with significant traction in workplaces around the world, and a strong, motivated developer and user community.
I guess having other people see what you’re working on is too threatening for the not-quite open source project TWiki.
It seems that allot of the developers that moved their main attention from TWiki to Foswiki have been kicked out of the public mailing list without warning, explanation or permission.
I guess its somewhat consistent with the password protection of the irc logs of the #twiki channel on Freenode (snigger).
I initially though that my mailing list password had been hacked, or maybe theirs, but thinking further, it feels consistent with the lack of deep understanding of the idea of ‘open’
FoswikiOnAStick v0.1 (running foswiki 1.0.6)
I was asked on Friday night if I could make a demo foswiki USB system, and given that its high time we did one, I started to look into it. Initially I thought this would be a great oportunity to try out the HTTPEngine work Gilmar has been doing, but we’re not quite there yet. And so, I started a quick perusal of the existing WebServer on a Stick systems. Ideally, I want to use Strawberry perl, apache, and have the server and a browser start up automatically when the USB stick is inserted into the computer.
MicroApache was the first thing i looked at, as the contact pointed out DokuWikiOnAStick, but that server doesn’t seem to have source, nor is the upstream web site there (last release seems to be 2007, so too old for Strawberry perl too) Server2Go looks nice, but as its not really free in the debian sense, I’ll pass on that unless nothing else works. XAMPP – unzipped it, foswiki and did some minor configurations. unziped, removed everything except apache, added strawberry perl, and wrote a systray icon and menu system for you to control it with. TADA! FoswikiOnAStick v0.1v0.3 (running foswiki 1.0.6). please try it out.
before ejecting the usb key, you need to stop the webserver by running stop_foswiki.bat yes, thats all. Please report any issues or observations to me – SvenDowideit@fosiki.com
I have made no attempt (yet) to reduce the accesses to the disk – so it may use up all the blue smoke in your usbkey, cause your bits to turn green, or one of many other unforseen side effects which may or may not appear amusing if they happen to someone else. I’ve tested this on Windows7rc, Windows Vista, Windows2003server, and Windows XP – if it works for you, excellent :).
Yesterday I uploaded the first Foswiki Installer for windows to Foswiki Downloads. It will install Apache 2.2 (if you don’t already have it) and Strawberry Perl and then configure and install Foswiki v1.0.0 beta 3.
if you’re working or just running Perl on Windows, drop everything, run, don’t walk, to StrawberryPerl. Adam Kennedy has not only made a real Perl for windows, he’s made a proper Perl . One where CPAN just plain works.
Even better, he’s made a Perl that you can use portably, from your USB stick, so you don’t even need to install Perl on your locked down computer.
To learn about his code, I’m building a FoswikiOnAStick distro based on his code, and then I hope to work out how to extend the concept to other platforms.
3 weeks into a fork compelled by the Trademark problems of the 10 year old TWiki name, and we’re almost fully reborn.
Foswiki – started out as Free, Open Source Wiki – When Community matters.
Next steps for us will be to create the Foswiki Association, and to release Foswiki v1.0 – all before Christmas 🙂