Version 0.1 Released

Progress Updates (And Ways You Can Help)

EDIT:We have included a zip archive of all files hosted on GitLab for those want to download the complete source code of this website without having to use git.

After a long month of fixing critical bugs, the first public version has been finally completed.

The source code for this release (which is also running this website) can be found on GitLab at:
https://gitlab.com/samjanis/mirrorisland

For this release to be possible, we made the following changes:

• Improvements to the editor. The markdown parser recieved a bit of attention. While only a handful of markdown features made it in, enough formatting tools are available to give a document more meaning.
• Attachments are handled better. Along with editor improvements, if an existing attachment is accidentally deleted it can be undone before the edited post is saved. New attachments however, are immediately deleted when requested.
• Messages you have sent are editable. No matter how far back in time a correction needs to be made, individual messages in a conversation can be edited or deleted.
• Permissions now have presets. Commonly used permission scenarios can now be set with presets. Of course if anybody needs to finely tune a post's permissions, they still can access the advanced permissions dialogue.

Upcoming Features

While core functionality has made it through, this website is in its early stage of development and we still have a lot of work to complete. Essential features making their way in future releases include:

Improved email handling. Filtering of incoming emails with virtual mailboxes, and various methods of navigating large volumes of email. Being able to send and receive attachments via email.

Mobile and small-screen compatibility. Being able to view this web site on multiple devices regardless of screen size is a high-priority task, with responsive design CSS and a javascript-free version in the making.

Websockets for the live updating of posts, statuses and messages.

Semantic web integration. Will allow for a more personalised experienced and advanced content handling. Core of the functionality of a web page changing its behaviour depending on the content being displayed.

Ways You Can Help

There are many ways you can help project Mirror Island. Besides coding, usability testing is a major role in improving and building a better network. Some of the ways you can get involved include:

Sign up and use it. Simply using Mirror Island and giving us feedback can be a huge help. You don't need to provide your real name or an email address to register, and accounts can be easily deleted. It is fast to sign up and start posting here, so go ahead and have fun!

Let us know if something doesn't work. This can be either a bug or a usability issue. Bugs are actual software errors while usability issues aren't actual errors but affect how people can (or can't) use this website. Both are equally important to take care of. To report any bugs, follow the link on the bottom of this page for Report a Bug.

Suggest new features. We really like to hear what others would want to see added. A lot of features are already on our list and we will be writing up a roadmap to let others know what will be implemented in the future. Also, the roadmap will give everyone an estimate of how long a task or new feature would take to complete, and when.

Spread the word. Attracting new users and describing this project to others is another huge way to support this project. We have a very limited advertising budget, so word of mouth is always very helpful!

Start a group. Use this website to organise and promote local groups. This is another area of practical use which can give us feedback for what does work and what needs improvement.

Run a copy of this website yourself. Set up a copy yourself, see how the code works, and let us know what you think! An in-depth analysis of how easy (or challenging) it is to set up a copy of Mirror Island is also valuable. The entire source code can be downloaded from the GitLab link listed above, or with the zip file attached to the bottom of this post.

Sam and Janis.