Wednesday, May 10, 2006

eyeOS: the next steps

We have reached a point where eyeOS is growing very fast and we need to get a complete new organization method for maintaining, using and developing eyeOS. For this reason, we're working very hard, preparing the next step for eyeOS community.
The new eyeOS version
The first update will come in the new eyeOS 0.8.16. We will be revising the apps with a common structure. All apps will follow the same internal structure, will be documented and will have a new system to allow for customizing parameters.
The new kernel will have many improvements:

  • It will come with the user registration option (like in eyeOS.info), that will be enabled and disabled by superuser. This new registration method can optionally require email verification.

  • A new optional statistics gathering system which can permit the analysis of eyeOS usage.

  • A new system function to allow apps to provide user cutomisable parameters. Each app having such parameters will have a new button which opens a configuration panel. The definition of the parameters will be in the properties xml file, and the user values will be saved in the per user application file. EyeCalendar will be the first app to make use of this feature

  • Many cleanups and bug corrections have also been done, and a bigger number of available languages will be implemented by default.


The new eyeOS websites
We also intend to revise completely the eyeOS.org website and all it's services. With the new structure, the eyeOS.org website will be more focused on the end user (with tutorials, reviews, tips and tricks, featured themes and apps, etc.).
The new developer area
A completely new developer area. will be created from scratch. This new area will be divided in two parts: The documentation part, where users interested in join the development team should read, with much information about eyeOS' core and applications, articles explaining how to write good applications for the system, an expanded API documentation, etc.
And the important new part: the new developer network will be based on eyeOS: There will be a new app for maintaining discussions and pages (like actual forums and wiki systems), an app for sending new files (with eyeOS code), and automatic generation of nightly builds with the last eyeOS running in the developers system.

Each developer will be able to send modifications, improvements and bug fixes to the public directory, and after acceptance, they will be made available in the nightly builds, which all developers can download.
After a reasonable period of improvements and bug fixes, we will release a new eyeOS version and update the community system (eyeOS.info).
Summary
With the new eyeOS structure, we will have two servers running (the "big" server for the end-users, with the last stable eyeOS, and the developers server with the last betas of eyeOS).
We will publish more information about how will be releases named, and the system managed.
Please send ideas, suggestions and everything!

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