HomeNotesDolphin 7... On the way! (Updated)
1175 days ago in 
Tags: dolphin
 

Dolphin 7... On the way! (Updated)

We planned for Dolphin 6.2, but while working on it we realized that we have to change so many things and the whole script needs quite a few structural improvements.

So, we've gathered all our programmers, including those working on Poseidon, and fired up a one month program for the development of this major update to the current Dolphin. This is going to be the last major update before Poseidon, and we will only have smaller subsequent updates (7.1, 7.2). In fact, Dolphin 7 is an attempt to create something very close to Dolphin 8 in a nutshell, while the core will be the only thing changing with the introduction of Poseidon.

As I said before - 7 is the bridge version, but make no mistake - it's definitely not a fast-baked or temporary update. Dolphin 7 is the result of more thought, more manpower and more planning than any of our previous releases. Moreover, its mission is to introduce some strategic shifts in technology, licensing and pricing strategies of BoonEx.

 

Features

We'll be talking about features in more details when the first betas appear, so for now, just a scoop...

1. New design.

2. New layout.

3. New menu structure.

... good start, huh?

4. Completely re-built profiles, browsing pages, content search and user search systems.

5. Wall (think Facebook)

6. New integrated Flash widgets (some are very exciting).

7. Desktop agent based on Adobe AIR.

8. Iphone APP for your site users.

9. Google OpenSocial integration.

10. Re-structured media sharing components.

11. New live feeds, AJAX loaders, spies, notifications, trackers.

12. All new user accounts.

... and much more. We'll be rolling out betas very soon and this time we plan to work with you collaboratively untill the product is REALLY ready for release. Remember, Poseidon-based products will need a lot of time to catch up in terms of features, so Dolphin 7 should now be packed with everything you could possibly think of.

 

Now united

We are combining Dolphin, Ray and Orca into one single package, with one single license. Dolphin 7 is nearly useless without Ray widgets, but we don't want to seem to trick you into buying another product - so all widgets will now become part of Dolphin, and the same is true for Orca. You'll be getting a single package, which encompasses Dolphin, Ray and Orca - all properly integrated - and all under the new single name - Dolphin 7.

Dolphin 7 Free will have less ads/links, and once you buy a license to remove them - no need to re-install. We're also developing a more flexible pricing structure for the package, but rest assured that it's going to be more affordable than now.

Everyone who holds active licenses now will receive proper upgrade deals.

 

I have so much more to tell, but let's do this step-by-step. Next time, I want to back up my words with a few demos, so get ready for the upcoming testing race and the excitement of a huge software update.

 

Oh... and yeah... when...? We're talking a couple of weeks, or so.

 

UPDATE:

In response to many of your comments, I would like to say we're reading every single comment and build a lit of features/reports to be addressed. We'll also try to answer the questions ASAP, but I'm afraid I can't answer every comment now. 

Many of your points, related to the upcoming release and BoonEx operation are very valuable and have already changed what we do, so keep them coming. 

Beta stage is close and we'll be able to talk even more about the subject, when we see it in action, together.

Thank you for your support, critique and participation - you're great!

Plussed by

 
 
 
 

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botay
U ROCK
Please add Multi-Server Load Balancing Plugin Store - Convert video - music - images - database on an Unlimited Number of Servers
Convert non-latin char
More templates
Andrew Boon
All these things are definitely on the list.
sammie
i am writing
http://www.boonex.com/trac/dolphin/wiki/DolphinForDummies

a dolphin for dummies guide, can i get an Alfa of 7 so we have some documentation i can start to write so its ready for when its launched?

i'll continue with the present guide but name it 6 so that the next generations can follow.
Andrew Boon
We'll publish an early beta very soon. Access t Alpha makes little sense, because we still make structural changes. Thank you for your great work! I hope we'll be able to join in and get it better together closer to the release.
sammie
the sooner i get to see it the more i can write. there will be changes yes, but i guess nothing more than just editing the guide and moving things about.

a head start would be an advantage, as their are new things that would need to be covered, the more i can write now the better.
Juker
Sammie - Good idea with the book! - I want to hear a good review from you and DosDawg about 7.0 so I'm gonna wait until you guys test your copy before I upgrade from 6.1.4.

You Go Girl!

Juker
sammie
i am reading this and its saying there will be a 6.1.5 but no longer a 6.2? is that correct?
AndreyP
Will released version 7, no more any subversions of version 6. Here very many features was added. So, just wait a little - all on way
Synergy
This is a great Christmas gift!!
jerardg
It sure is wonderful news
www.expertzzz.com
zaestar
This news is outta sight! I can't wait. I trust the upgrade from 6.1.4 to 7 will be relatively straightforward.
Andrew Boon
We really hope to make the upgrade process as seamless as possible. There're some serious changes though, so upgrade of modified versions can be a little tricky, but we will definitely provide instructions and diff. files.
gregorscharff
i know you do with your team a amazing job !!!!
let us know if the beta out
kind regards
gregor
iced
now this sounds really exciting and the next 2 weeks will definitely be something that I look forward too! Well done with the good work. Dolphin 7! What a big leap!

Cheers
Stuart038
Good news!
Q. How easy or otherwise will it be to upgrade from 6.1.4 to Dolphin 7?

Will the majority of widgets etc. work with 7?

Would it make more sense to start afresh with Dolphin 7??

Regards,

Stuart
iced
Good points indeed... I was thinking of uninstalling any major/complicated mods and starting afresh as it allows for less errors during the upgrade process
Andrew Boon
Fresh install is simpler and is often a ticket to fewer problems, but I really hope that we'll be able to provide a clear and effective upgrade path.
boogerd
it would be nice to do a fresh install and just have a SQL importer/converter for the new version also..
Juker
Andrew,

O.K. You Got Me! - What is Poseidon? - I like the whole idea of 7.0 but if I understand correctly Poseidon is a core database with plugins? I really think you folks are on to something because 6.1.4 is really not that bad and the upgrades to 7.0 sound good.

Thanks for a welcome surprize and Merry Christmas!

Juker
iced
==========<quote = unoboonex>==========

it is the core of Dolphin 8, Orca 8, Barracuda 8 and Shark 8.

Why would you want, say, Dolphin 8? How about...

- 100% separation of core and functional modules. Poseidon treats everything as a plugin. Blog, search form, photos browser, comments, video player, you name it. Upgrade, modify, delete, activate or add new plugins and your site is still rock-solid.

- Super-simple upgrades. Thanks to full separation of plugins and core, you can upgrade see more separate plugins selectively. Upgrade the core with minimal impact on plugins and with proper compatibility verification.

- Ecosystem. We have Unity, Expertzzz and a few 3d party partners that we’re getting together to develop modules for Poseidon. Unlike Dolphin 6 mods, Poseidon Plugins distribution and installation is very simple. Ever purchased music from iTunes? It’s THAT simple.

- Designed for colossal performance. Poseidon is intended for massive traffic loads. Not “adapted”, but developed from the ground up with millions of users in mind. This is what so many of you have written about and have waited for!

- Latest technology. While Dolphin 6 is a product of evolution, Poseidon is based on the latest and greatest web-development technologies, solutions and practices. Completely new design, thought-out user interface, superior site structure and an all-new approach for the admin interface.

- Stability and security. Again, thanks to separation of the core and plugins we are building a lot more stable and secure core.

- Better code. Poseidon development is heavily supervised to ensure highest programming standards.


- Openness. Poseidon is going to be released under an open-source license and will support 3-rd party modules/apps the same as native plugins. From the very beginning, Poseidon will support OpenSocial apps and will treat them as plugins. Plugins developed by Unity members or even your own team would all seamlessly become parts of your site.

- Top-notch templating and language systems.

- Simplified licensing. Poseidon-based products would have a lot less hassle in terms of licensing than the current version of Dolphin, Orca and Ray.

- Built-in Ray Widgets. All, and some new, Ray widgets are going to become Poseidon plugins, without the need to buy extra licenses and without separate installation.

and a lot more
==============</quote>==============

Here is the link
http://www.boonex.com/unity/blog/entry/BoonEx_Turns_8_Happy_Birthday_

Sounds like quality stuff right?
Andrew Boon
What we're trying to achieve in Poseidon is the answer to most of the questions you hear now - how easy it is to upgrade? what's gonna happen to my mods? how about load-balancing? etc. Dolphin 7 is going to be close to Poseidon in terms of user-side layout and features implementation, but in the core you need something highly configurable, something that treats every little piece of functionality as a separate module, something like Lego-Blocks if you will - do what you need, upgrade, play, configure, see more change - it's still sturdy and usable. That's Poseidon.
hd4real
I have been waiting for news like this. This is great :)
Keep it up. Looks very promising. Can't wait to play with it.
robmeister
Brilliant news cannot wait, will there be an opportunity for members to be able to create seperate photo albums?
Andrew Boon
Yes, we're working on user albums for media too.
gautam
A nice move by Boonex by planning about version 7 release. This would avoid the troubles which were to be faced in case there were some intermediate versions like 6.2 . And no doubt, this version 7 would provide us a picture of how the Poseidon is going to be.

There are few requests from my side which need a little concentration from Boonex. I would be soon writing a separate blog post on that and hope that Boonex would try to work on them once they roll out the version 7 and take a satisfactory see more break ;)

Keep the good work coming!!!
rkhurana
Please change the directory names also in license version - it gives you link kind of advantage when it directory name RAY or ORCA - its like you have to put directory name dolphin even if you pay. Please I have no installed both of these just because of this
Andrew Boon
Good point, and yes, we'll be removing "Orca" and "Ray" references from Dolphin completely.
Nighto2007
Woow Good Sound , I can't wait it ..

but please I want request from Boonex team .. please please can you make pay way by moneybookers.com or Master card directe

because I can't pay by paypal cause the paypal not support my country .. so that I can buy the license in future

thank you so so much for the hard work and I'm waiting Dolphin 7

best regards
Rawaf
a7lakalam.com
Andrew Boon
Unfortunately we can't accept anything but PayPal or Direct Bank Wire TRansfer at this point. You should have no problems with the latter, though.
andyinbangkok
this seems cool... will it have a function to upload multiple photos at once like facebook? i have had so many requests for this....
Andrew Boon
Good one, and yes - we're working on that too.
Evandromar
Uaaauuuuuu !!!!!!!! daily access boonex.com, waiting for new posts boonex, and time for a few moments when I read that a new version of this dolphin to be released.
Boonex direction anxiously await the details of values, as recently launched my dolphin and already have to spend a little more, hopefully a good price:).

I await anxiously.
houseperu
is a great gift

thanks boonex
Evandromar
Please contact those responsible to know more about buddypoke, and they told me that this application is compatible with OpenSocial.

Boonex says: Google Opensocial Integration.
If anyone knows answer: Is it possible to include in our applications such as dolphin http://www.buddypoke.com/ ??????
playasurge
All the experzzz should be excited about this hundreds of people payed thousands of dollars to custom mod their sites, and will pay more money to upgrade all that work to new dolphin
Andrew Boon
Some mods would definitely be affected, but that's not necessarily bad. Some new default features of Dolphin would make certain mods obsolete, while some mods would need very minor tweaks to work with v7. And there's a good chance that majority of mods would work just fine with the new Dolphin.
MichaelSkowronski
You might find an easy way to re-integrate your changes would be to do the following...

...1) Get a good source control system.
...2) Add the original script code to this system. That would be the code you originally modified but in its original form
...3) Create two user accounts or check out locations.
...4) Check out the source code under one location and apply your changes.
...5) Check out the original source code again under a new location and apply boonex changes.
...6) Check the boonex see more changes back in.
...7) Resolve conflicts/Integrate your changes in.

This does require a system that allows for multiple check outs and the ability to integrate and resolve conflicts when checking them back in.
 
 
 
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