The Pipeline team is still in a tryptophan-induced Thanksgiving haze, but we nevertheless have some flashy new features and bug fixes to report.
* New Activity tab - The new tab shows the details of each event, not just the summary, similar to a Facebook feed. It also shows the complete history for a project, not just last 50 events. (Use the page links at bottom of the tab to navigate). We also got rid of the sparkline and discussions on that tab, to make things simpler.
* Activity since last login - Pipeline will now highlight events that have happened since your last login. Older events will look faded. This works on all pages, not just the Activity tab. Note: this feature will only start working after your next login (feel free to logout to get it started).
* User-customizable themes - Pipeline comes with two color schemes, a light theme and a dark theme. Users can pick the theme they like best and save the preference to their profiles. Just go to the Settings page (link in top right corner) and scroll down to the Theme panel.
* Better support for private projects - user profiles will now show private projects the user has joined and their activity within private projects if the viewer is also a member of those projects. Previously Pipeline hid all private project info from user profiles, regardless of who was viewing them.
* Upload new file types - You can now use Pipeline to share Photoshop files (.psd), Word documents (.doc), and PDFs.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
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 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!
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.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
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
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.
* 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.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
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!
More info: GVU Fall Research Showcase
Hope to see you there!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)