This is the August 2015 edition of the Fedora Newsletter. This newsletter summarizes the most significant activities within the Fedora community over the last month.
Call for Action
Fedora is designed, built, used, and supported by the community. Here are some easy and important ways that you can contribute to the effort:
- A general-purpose Fedora 3 to 4 migration utility has been built. Please download and run it over a copy of your Fedora 3 directories. Then report your results, good or bad, to fedora-community@googlegroups.com .
- Use cases and requirements are being formulated now for the API extension architecture. Please review these and make additions or provide comments on the wiki.
- As always, your development contributions are extremely encouraged. Please sign up for one of the ongoing maintenance code sprints or add a comment to any of these tickets if you are interested in understanding better what exactly is needed.
Software development
New Features
Web Access Control
Fedora community stakeholders gathered requirements and designed a WebAccessControl authorization delegate for Fedora 4. This module is an implementation of the W3C WebAccessControl standard for managing authorization using linked data/LDP. The first of two code sprints runs from August 24 - September 4, and the second sprint will run from September 28 - October 9.
API Extension Architecture
Conferences and events
Events in August
Islandora Conference
Last month's Islandora Conference attracted 80 attendees to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The conference was very practioner-focudsed, with two full days of workshops and a day-long hackfest to close out the week. David Wilcox (Fedora Product Manager) attended the event to deliver an update on Fedora 4, along with a well-attended Fedora 4 workshop. But the highlight of the conference was the Fedora 4 and Islandora presentation by Nick Ruest (York University) and Danny Lamb (discoverygarden inc.) where they showcased a live demonstration of the Islandora/Fedora 4 prototype with a working basic image solution pack. There is still much work to be done to bring this prototype to production, so please join the interest group to follow along and contribute.
Upcoming Events
Hydra Connect
Hydra Connect will be held at the University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis campus, Minneapolis, MN, from 21-24 September. The event (hashtag #HydraConnect) is a chance for Hydra Project participants to gather in one place at one time, with an emphasis on synchronizing efforts, technical development, plans, and community links.
Paris Fedora 4 Workshop and User Group Meeting
A one-day Fedora 4 Workshop and User Group Meeting will be held on Sept. 25, 2015 in Paris, France. The event coincides with the Sixth RDA Plenary Meeting and will take place in the same venue – the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers. The agenda includes a Fedora 4 workshop, Fedora user group presentations from regional Fedora users, and will conclude with a wrap-up discussion. There is no charge for this event, but space is limited so please register in advance. Additional information, including a draft agenda, can be found on the wiki.
DC Area Fedora User Group Meeting
The DC Area Fedora User Group, which meets twice annually, will hold its next meeting on October 7-8 at the Univesity of Maryland. The meeting will include both user group presentations and a Fedora 4 workshop. Attendance is free but space is limited, so please register if you would like to attend.
Fedora Camp
The first Fedora Camp will be held November 16-18 at Duke University in North Carolina. This Fedora 4 training event will begin with the basics and build toward more advanced concepts–no prior Fedora 4 experience is required. Participants can expect to come away with a deep dive Fedora 4 learning experience coupled with multiple opportunities for applying hands-on techniques working with experienced trainers and Fedora gurus. A draft curriculum, including presentations slides, is available on the wiki.
Attendance will be capped at 40 participants so please register now!