Development Update Sept. 24th 2009

[Nick]

Since 0.5.2 alpha, I've been right through the code and changed it all to be compatible with object-oriented plugins. That was a pretty hefty task and is the reason for the delay in making Hotaru 0.6 available.

Things are starting to look a little more solid now and we're getting ready to let you try it. I've updated all the documentation in these forums to reflect the changes in Hotaru 0.6 and would like to do just a little more testing on the SVN 0.6 branch before moving the new code to the trunk. Once that's done, I'll upload it to the demo site for some final live testing before releasing it as a .zip download at the start of October. If you'd like to help out with testing, that would be greatly appreciated.

When we get into October, we can start extending Hotaru with more features. :cool:

[Nick]

By the way, I'd be interested to know what you think of the documentation. Is it too complicated? Is it too shallow? The documentation section is kind of like a wiki (without revision history). Only moderators and admins can start new threads, but everyone can reply with feedback for improving the content of each post.

[runnertalk]

Will 0.6 be ok for using on a live site or is it to unstable?

The documentation looks good. Perfect for a newbie like me ;)

[Nick]

Will 0.6 be ok for using on a live site or is it to unstable?

If you're thinking of running a social bookmarking site, SWCMS (http://www.socialwebcms.com) is a more stable and feature-rich option at the moment. Your best bet is to go with SWCMS and then import your site into Hotaru later. That's what I'll be doing with JapanSoc.com.

If you just want to upload Hotaru to a server to play around with, you can do that with 0.6.

If you use Windows and would like to set up a local server on your computer, we can talk you through that. It's actually surprisingly easy using a package like WAMP (http://www.wampserver.com/en/). Once you've done that, you can access the SVN and help us improve Hotaru! ;)

[Nick]

I've moved the 0.6 branch to the trunk for some final testing. The file structure has changed quite a bit since 0.5.2, so you might want to delete your existing trunk and start again with this one.

[Nick]

I've uploaded 0.6 to the demo site. Bug reports for registration, post submission or anything else are most welcome!