OpenWetWare:Software/Milestones/March 2008

Development Items

Lab Notebook

• Create a model group lab notebook for IGEM users
  • Work with Ricardo to do the design
• Evaluate using a simplified entry form for daily log entries
  • Does not require adding the template calls to the beginning and end of daily lab notebook sections.
  • Also provides a drop-down list of all current projects
• Add auto-create of a Project page
  • No need to enter or edit mediawiki text on project creation

UMS

• Track down problem related to email messages sent to new users or rejected users.

User Poll

• Add a small user poll to the OWW front page just below the current search box
  • When a person responds, the current poll stats will be shown as a histogram.
  • Poll will not be limited to OWW members.
  • Will revise as needed if abuse is detected.
  • Will use existing Ajax-based PHP/JavaScript/MySQL script
  • Reports for all polls will be maintained in an OWW MediaWiki special page
    • All new poll questions will be added via the special page
    • Results will be stored in the OWW database

Search

• Complete poll to determinne whether we should eliminate the Ajax Google-suggest-inspired search
  • The idea of prompted search is sound but the implementation has been criticized by several users
• Jason R. Kelly 17:18, 22 March 2008 (CDT):Should we consider moving to google search? We could have "Go" and "Search", but search would point to a site:openwetware.org google search. I did some informal testing and google seems much better, what's the tech dev position on this?

Invite User

• Complete work on the "invite" extension
• Use the HTML form Ilya and Reed worked on
• The inviting member will be alerted when a user that member invites joins OWW

Contact Us

• Fix the 'navigation' sidebar icon.
  • Part of the problem may be related to caching pages.
  • Also may be related to how labels are stored in the MySQL database and the MediaWiki: namespace

File Upload

• Deploy a test version of the abbreviated file upload process
  • Provide a way to use it within the editor
  • Try out the Java-based drag-and-drop upload.
    • Radlinks has a closed source but still pretty useful component that fits the bill.
    • The initial 'trial' version is limited to small files.
    • Price for the full version is $69.00

Fix Google Search

• Was incapacitated when the "search from current page" feature was added.
  • The code is in the Special:Search page. This is a matter of moving part of the OWW modified version of the page into the OWW subclassed OWWSpecialSearch php page.

User Interface

• Install the FCKEditor
  • Requires MW1.11
    • Notify Steering Committee
  • Solicit input.

Community Features

• Add configurable header text to the Feedback tag.
  • The text will appear in the MediaWiki: namespace

Filename conflict resolution

• • Investigate providing a way for users to see filenames minus any disambiguation tagging.
  • Other users will see the full name.
  • Evaluate in light of the MW1.11 Image programming model change.

Deprecate support for Flash Video

• Decided to just use youtube or google video, rather than host anything ourselves.

System Management

Upgrade OWW Linux Server at Rackspace

• Complete upgrade agreement/service order
  • Work with MIT legal to do this
    • Send a message to her immediately
    • Get back agreement
    • Return to Rackspace
• Move OWW Server to RHEL5
  • Currently on RHEL4
  • 2 weeks to complete the work
  • Move /data directory
  • Reconfigure MySQL
    • Standard on RHEL5
    • Currently on MySQL 4.1
  • Reconfigure PHP5
    • Will use the native RHEL5 PHP5 package
  • Install sudo and other packages needed
  • Load all Databases
  • Test Mediawiki
    • Test all extensions

Complete upgrade to Mediawiki 1.11.2 (or most recent release)

• Load all Databases
• Test Mediawiki
  • Test all extensions

Modify backup procedures

• Add all MySQL backups to the /data rsync process back to MIT
• Move local MIT copy of /data to MIT Bionet server (nightly backup)
• Move rsync job from model.mit.edu (RHEL4) to shmoo.mit.edu (RHEL5)
• Investigate MySQL replication between MIT and Rackspace

Speak to Sasha at Harvard Church Lab re: MySQL database replication

• Explore how this may be accomplished
• Church Lab has excellent web server Internet access and backup facilities

SSL Certificate for OWW

• Price out certificate
  • Verisign: 1 Year: $399 for 1 year
  • Rackspace/Thawte: $249 for 2 years

• • • wjf 13:10, 16 March 2008 (CDT) Based upon the Rackspace Price, I ordered a 2 year SSL certificate.

• • Details of the certificate will be present in the certificate itself:
    • url will be https://www.openwetware.org
    • org is OpenWetWare.org
    • Org unit is 'Operations'
  • Rackspace will invoice/install this week.
  • No issue moving the certificate to another server that I'm aware or
    • Certificate does not contain the IP address, just the DNS name
  • This will allow user logins to OWW to be protected.
  • We don't anticipate deploying SSL for all OWW transactions.
  • The basis for this is non-repudiation and authentication but not general encryption.

Research items

Search

• Evaluate Wikipedia's Lucene Search for OWW
  • Provides for Relevance-ranked searching
• Evaluate Google Custom Search
  • We can create multiple custom searches, each for a major site area such as
    • Materials
    • Protocols
    • Courses

Subscribe to Page Range

• Evaluate a way to subscribe to changes for a range of pages rather than from a specific page.
  • Uses the "Recent Changes" page and a filter

OWW Chat

• Work with Austin to integrate the new Jabber chat features with OWW
  • Figure out what to do about the current Wiki:Chat PHP/HTML/Javascript search
• Is there an way to implement/reserve a way to schedule voice chats?
  • Skype works but is proprietary
    • Most OWW members have access to it.
    • Other VOIP methods?