Dolphin 7 (Hookie) BETA 1

Over the last few months we were all playing with Hookie Alpha builds and developers have made a lot of changes, added tons of features and improved the script structure quite a bit. This can go on forever, but at some point we need to say "freeze" and pack something that won't be torn apart in a few days. The moment has come and we're presenting what we call a Feature Final Beta of Dolphin 7.

BETA, BETA, BETA.

Imagine yourself running late for a plane and only half of your is stuff packed. You just throw the rest into your cases and off you go. That's pretty much how the current beta is. It has bugs and is very fast-baked. Still, the main idea is to present everything that's going to make it into the final release and gradually polish it.

OK, now... step by step:

1. The full package download is now available here and to get the RMS click here. Download and use at your own risk. Do not use it for live sites/projects. Install and dissect it as you please, but do it for testing purposes only (or blame yourself if things go ugly).

2. The Demo is not updated yet. We'll update it by the end of the week.

3. At this stage we DO need your feedback, bug reports, suggestions etc. Please post them at the forum, so we can discuss them.

4. Notice to moderators and pundits... please gather and double-check bug reports and post them to the Trac. You should have access to it.

5. Depending on who you are, you may want to consider different actions.

- General users would probably be better off waiting for the DEMO update.
- Developers can look into the code, install the script and share their opinion. Take a look at the development manual to see how we expect the modules to be developed.
- Designers should look into how templates are handled now. This document should help.
- If you're into translating, check out the Translation Manual.
- If you run a hosting environment, we'd ask about your experience in terms of tech requirements and the installation process.

- And finally, if you just want to help - any input on documentation or packaging, any bug reports, code submissions, language corrections are very welcome.

What's New

First of all, if you compare Dolphin 7 to 6.x you'll realize that they are two almost completely different beasts. Although they share large chunks of code, the new version is a huge improvement. Just browse through the Alpha updates posts to see what's going on.

As for the changes made since the last public Alpha update, at a glance...

- Group admin/leader can manage fans and allow fans to upload media to a group. Basically, we're trying to create a whole new Groups system, much like the one at Facebook

- Subscriptions. Subscribe to email notifications

- Language file importer/exporter (Administration Panel)

- Articles module

- Categories

- Profile customizer. Finally the real-deal customizer, for MySpace-like madness on your site. Not all parts are ready yet, but we'll add all the page segments

- OpenSocial support. Administration and integration with builders. Your users now can add any OpenSocial widgets to their profiles

- Spy module

- Facebook connect module

- Albums. This is our joy and pain. We're tweaking them again and again to make 'em great

- Overall modules structure was dramatically improved

- Documentation for all Classes is added.

And the plan is...

...to go out of BETA as soon as possible, but there's NO exact or even approximate date. Starting from today we'll be fixing and polishing, we will not add any new features, unless they are absolutely critical. We will not make any serious structural changes. Bug reports will be duly addressed. Every week or so we'll post the next beta build and once we're really bug-free, we'll proceed to the RC stage.

At the RC stage we'll be updating BoonEx.com, which would in turn bring improvements to Dolphin 7. BoonEx.com will also run in BETA mode for about a week, before the BIG DAY.

Buckle up, hold your breath, download.