Update update update!
13 September 2011
Hey friends!
It's time for another LocalWiki update! What's happened since our last update? Erg, a lot!
Pilots
Folks in Denton, TX playing with the new localwiki software.
We've selected our very first few pilot communities. So far, we've been working with folks in Denton, Texas; Sydney, Australia; and San Francisco, California. Do you (or did you) live in or near Sydney, Denton, or San Francisco? Shoot us an email at contact@localwiki.org and we'll get you involved in the pilot buildout!
There are several more pilots in the queue, and we're looking to work with more folks now. We'll be more aggressively reaching out to people who've contacted us, and our Kickstarter backers will soon get a chance to vote for the next set of pilot communities.
Software stuffs
A bunch has been accomplished on the software front:
- We made a slick diff scroll-through thing.
- Implemented dynamic, global overview map that lets you 'dive' into different regions of the map.
- Added generic files support.
- Improved our file upload process.
- Made a ton of editor fixes and tweaks.
- Added ability to use custom map base layers.
- Refactored some code ("recent changes", most notably)
- Further improved copy/pasting in editor. This stuff is ridiculously complicated.
- Initial version of spell checking in editor.
- We created custom maps for two pilots and in the process learned a metric ton about GIS and the open source map stack
- Created a plugin system for the editor. Our first two plugins are "embed media" (videos, etc) and "include page."
- Cleaned up the way edit conflicts and merging merging happen when editing pages.
- Improved our deployment process.
- Simplified install instructions a bit.
- Conducted our first semi-formal usability test.
- Fixed a bunch of too-boring-to-describe bugs.
Overall, we've been improving functionality based on feedback from the initial pilots. Watching people interact with the software has been really helpful!
We're currently marching toward our next software milestone, due on the first of October. Our primary focus between now and then is to improve the installation process, the documentation, and fix all technical issues that block the public launch of pilots.
Programmer who wants to help?
Are you a programmer-type? Want to help out? Check out our first little code overview screencast, then hop on over to our development site!
Mike got hitched.
On a more personal note, two weeks ago Mike married his girlfriend of 12 years!
xo!-
Philip & Mike
Supported by
Get the code
Our software is free and open-source. Check out our developer site for detailed instructions about how to get the software and contribute.
Our story
In 2004 we started the Davis Wiki, an experimental project to collect and share interesting information about the town of Davis, California, editable by anyone, that soon became the world's largest and most vibrant community wiki.
Today the residents of Davis use it for everything from learning about local news and local history to helping return lost pets to their owners — and it's become the largest, most used media source in the city. In a week, nearly half of residents use the Davis Wiki; in a month, nearly everyone uses it. And 1 in 7 residents contribute material to the Davis Wiki.
We want to help as many communities as possible realize the full potential of such an amazing, collaborative information resource.