Status Update #4 -- May 7, 2003

1. Releases

On April 21 we released chandler 0.1. To date, there have been over 33,000 downloads, distributed as follows:

Platform:

• Linux: 4078

• OS X: 3980

• Windows: 24,424

Type of distribution:

• Source code: 1428

• Developer: 1066

• End User: 31,428

We also updated the OSAF website with a number of new documents, including:

• what is compelling about the Chandler vision,

• a product roadmap,

• a licensing plan, and

• additional info about Chandler and OSAF.

I also just posted an updated version of the "For Developers" document.

I've been surprised at how little discussion of the 0.1 materials has occurred in the OSAF Chandler forums. I thought the architectural description and roadmap would generate some discussion, but there has been very little. Please let me know if you've got thoughts as to why this might be. Or join the initial Chat session and let me know -- see details below.

We hope to have information on our 0.2 release posted shortly.

2. Initial Chat Sessions

Jurgen Botz suggested that I follow each of these Status Updates with a chat session, and this sounds like a great idea. So the first IRC chat sessions will focus on questions, comments, feedback you have to this Status Update. They will be Thursday, May 8 at 12:30pm and 5:00 pm, Pacific Time. I'd rather avoid two sessions, but it's the only way I know to avoid the middle of the night for someone. After we've done a few of these we'll try to figure out if there is a single time that's acceptable.

To join, you'll need an IRC (Intenet Relay Chat) client. You can find a range of IRC clients at the irchelp.org website, along with information about IRC. If you use the Mozilla Application Suite, you have an IRC client already; go to the "Window" menu item and select "IRC Chat."

Whatever client you use, type

/attach irc.osafoundation.org

in the text input field to connect to OSAF's IRC server. Once you are there, type

/join #chandler

to join our chat session. Basic info about using IRC can be found at the irchelp.org site.

3. Additional Chat Sessions

We'll have Ducky host them all so that there is some continuity, and then have a particular developer with expertise in a particular topic join her. The chats are really a chance for people to "talk" with OSAF staff, so they won't be formal. And if you don�t' have questions, or comments or feedback, they'll be very short. I'll probably ask the featured developer to start with a paragraph or two about overall goals and what they did in 0.1. After that we'll look for questions, comments, etc.

This is an experiment to see if real time communication is valuable. If it is, we'll try to do more. I'm thinking of the following topics: Architecture, Calendar, the Parcel Framework and Writing a Parcel; Contacts and Sharing. If you think something important is missing, let me know. I hope to get these started next week. I'll announce the chat sessions on the mailing lists.

4. Meet OSAF Event

It would be helpful to know what size group would be seriously interested in making the trek to the San Francisco Peninsula for such a gathering. I'm looking for reality here. So if you'd like to get here but the chances of actually making it are slim, then please don't count yourself as likely to attend. For those who live elsewhere, we'll be on the lookout for good events and locales as Chandler progresses.

If you are likely to attend an event somewhere on the Peninsula, please go to http://wiki.osafoundation.org/bin/view/Jungle/AttendEventSpring2003 and add your name.

-- MitchellBaker - 06 May 2003