Pipeline source code released

Big news! Pipeline's source code has been released! Pipeline is now freely available through Github under the GNU General Public License (GPL). This means, in part, that:

you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for them if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs, and that you know you can do these things. 

Releasing the source code under this license expands the possibilities of who can use Pipeline and encourages experimentation and innovation. Here are a few practical implications:

* You can set up a Pipeline on your own web server, if you have one. This will be especially appealing to organizations who want to set up an internal Pipeline that's not visible to the outside world. Note that you can still ask us to set up a Pipeline on our web servers -- just email us a request.

* You can make changes to the Pipeline source code, if you're a programmer. Maybe you need to make changes to use Pipeline for a new purpose we haven't even thought of, or you have ideas for improving Pipeline and don't want to wait for us. We're excited to see what you come up with!

* You can use code from Pipeline in another project. Pipeline has many components, including file management, user management, email notifications, and media encoding, so parts of it could be useful for a wide range of other projects.

To download the source code, go to our Pipeline project on Github and click the Downloads tab. Then click either "Download as .zip" or "Download as tar.gz", whichever you prefer. Your download should start immediately.

Installation instructions are included in the README.txt file. Pipeline requires Apache HTTP Server, PHP 5, and MySQL.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Changelog for November 17

We've got a big art project happening on Pipeline and it's resulted in tons of great bug reports and feature requests! Here's the latest breakdown:

* Private messages - resurrected from an earlier version of Pipeline, private messages are back! Your inbox is accessible from a link in the top right corner. When you have new messages, the number will appear next to the link. Send messages to any user and get email notifications when they reply.

* Lockable discussions - trusted members can now lock discussion topics, meaning they no longer accept replies. They can also be unlocked with one click.

* New look for discussion lists - similar to lists of tasks, projects, etc. these should be easier to scan now.

* Snippets for projects and tasks - sometimes titles aren't quite enough, so now each project or task in a list will also show a snippet of their descriptions. This should make it easier to find what you want before clicking.

* Admin page - if you run your own Pipeline, now you'll have a page that summarizes all activity across your Pipeline, including new projects, new users, and recent activity. Really helpful for getting a bird's eye view of what's happening on your Pipeline.

More improvements are on the horizon, so check back often.

Pipeline demo at Georgia Tech, November 15

We will be demoing Pipeline for the FutureMedia Fest, from 11:15am to 2:00pm, on November 15, 2011. The location, as usual, is the third floor of the Tech Square Research Building (TSRB), 85 Fifth St NW, Atlanta, GA, 30308. It looks like you will need to be registered for FutureMedia Fest to see the demos, which costs between $125 and $400.

More info: FutureMedia Fest

Changelog for November 8

Lots of updates in the past couple of weeks!

* Private projects - you can now create private projects, which are only visible to project members, invited users, and people with the project link. This option is currently only available at project creation time.

* New lists interface - lists of items, like projects or tasks, have a new, cleaner interface. It should be much easier to skim a list of items, and soon you'll be able to sort by column, too.

* Project suggestions - we found that new users often aren't sure what to do after they register. Now, their dashboard will suggest public projects they might want to join. Once they join a project, the suggestions will be replaced by their own list of projects.

* Contributions and Contributors - The Contributions panel now shows all contributions to a task, not just the latest for each member. The latest one shows the status (e.g. "seeking feedback"). Earlier contributions by that member are marked "old". Also, the Contributors panel has been renamed Task Members because not everyone who joins has made a contribution yet. Finally, the order of the panels now depends on your relationship to the task: if you've joined the task, the "Contribute" button will be most prominent; otherwise, the "Join Task" button will be.

* Leaving tasks - you can now leave a task by clicking the "Leave Task" button on the Task Members panel. Previously this was much more confusing: you had to post a contribution with the "stopped" status. (This status has been renamed "finished".)

* Birth date - your full birth date is no longer required -- just the month and year. This better respects your privacy and also makes for a quicker sign-up.

* Forgot password - if you forget your Pipeline password, you can now reset it from the Login page.

Pipeline demo at Georgia Tech, October 26

We will be demoing Pipeline from 1pm-5pm on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011 at Georgia Tech as part of the GVU Fall Research Showcase. The location is Technology Square Research Building, 85 Fifth St NW, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Look for our setup on the third floor of the building.

More info: GVU Fall Research Showcase

Hope to see you there!

Changelog for October 23

It's been about three weeks since we launched the latest version of Pipeline. We're extremely grateful to all the folks who have given Pipeline a try and especially those who have sent us feedback. Here is the latest round of enhancements, in addition to the usual bug fixes:

* Start a Project - previously you could only join a few projects we created, in order to focus feedback on member features. Now, we're opening up Pipeline to new projects created by you. Just click the "Start a Project" link in the header after you've logged in. You'll be asked to provide some basic info (title, description), some optional fields (e.g. deadline), and invite members. We're excited to see the projects our users come up with!

* Edit Attached Files - previously you could only add files to a new Task or Contribution, but we knew this was inconvenient if you wanted to add more files or delete them at a later date. Fret no more. Now, when you edit a Task or Contribution, you can add or delete attached files.

* Auto-linked URLs - Pipeline will now automatically create a hyperlink if you post a URL -- no need to do the HTML markup yourself. This includes URLs in Tasks, Contributions, Comments, the Pitch, and elsewhere.

Changelog for October 5

We launched our most recent version of Pipeline last week and the feedback is coming in. We've made more changes, some big, others not so big.

Bigger changes:

* Diff: Previously you could see edits in the Recent Activity, but just knowing something was edited wasn't that helpful. What exactly was changed? With Diff, now you can know. Just find an edit event in the Recent Activity and click the "diff" link below it. A dialog will pop up and show you the old and new versions. If it's a lot of text, like an edit to the Pitch, the old and new versions will be overlaid, similar to Wikipedia.
* Layout changes: We experimented with a wider 3-column liquid layout to take advantage of larger monitors. Unfortunately it didn't work so well on smaller windows, so we reverted to a 2-column static layout. We also moved uploads and comments to be within the Task and Update panels, to emphasize their relationship to each other. Finally, the home page has been modified to be a little cleaner.
* Protection for younger users: We are now hiding profile info for users younger than 18. This includes their name, age, location, and biography. As a result, Birth date is now a required field when you register.
* Last login: You can now see when a user last logged in on their profile.

Smaller changes:
* The adult consent form now has clearer language to explain that your name is optional.
* The box explaining your relationship to a project (e.g. "You are a member of this project") has been moved to the header bar.
* We fixed some bugs with special characters (e.g. quotation marks) and clarified which HTML tags were allowed, and where. This info is now in the Help page as well as located contextually around Pipeline.
* A minor bug where the bottom of icons were getting cropped is now fixed.
* Lists of discussions now properly show the latest post.
* Logging out of Pipeline now always takes you to the home page, instead of the page you came from. This prevents lots of inevitable Access Denied messages when you redirect to a page you no longer can access.
* Now when you create a new task, you are the default leader for that task.
* Contributors are now sorted alphabetically on the Task page. For each contributor, you can now see their total contributions, not just a link to their most recent.

Hope you enjoy the changes! Please contact us with any feedback.