Upcoming Opera Community Downtime
By Vetle Roeim. Wednesday, 4. October 2006, 10:11:23
We will be taking down the Opera Community for some much needed maintenance Tuesday 10th of October. There will unfortunately be none of the promised hardware updates this time around, however we have quite a few new features and under-the-hood fixes for you.
We've had this update laying around the office, with the monkeys groping it, for a couple of weeks, hoping to be able to coincide the software update with the hardware update. We've had to realise, however, that the hardware update will not be doable within a couple of more weeks, due to a lot of unforseen delays outside our influence. Therefore we go ahead with the software update now, hoping the downtime will pay off in terms of increased performance, even on the old hardware.
Due to some major database schema restructuring, the downtime will be significant. We are looking at four to five hours of downtime, starting at 08:00CET (6AM UTC), Tuesday October 10th.
When we return, we will be offering some new features and fixes:
We've had this update laying around the office, with the monkeys groping it, for a couple of weeks, hoping to be able to coincide the software update with the hardware update. We've had to realise, however, that the hardware update will not be doable within a couple of more weeks, due to a lot of unforseen delays outside our influence. Therefore we go ahead with the software update now, hoping the downtime will pay off in terms of increased performance, even on the old hardware.
Due to some major database schema restructuring, the downtime will be significant. We are looking at four to five hours of downtime, starting at 08:00CET (6AM UTC), Tuesday October 10th.
When we return, we will be offering some new features and fixes:
Blogging
- redesigned blog posting interface
- allow blog post excerpts to show on your blog front page with "read more" links to the entry proper
- specifiable URLs for blog posts (e.g., http://my.opera.com/olekasper/blog/new-mms-handler/ )
- possibility to have polls in the sidebar
- improved photo album slideshow in the blog sidebar
Other
- use faster scaling algorithm for uploaded images, should speed up image uploads significantly
- delete self-made folders in "My Files"
- you can now delete own posts in the forums (but not entire topics)
- improved search interface for forums
- moved forum announcements to hopefully make them a bit more visible
- changed RSS feed validator, hopefully making more feeds work when you add them under "Links"
- email activation reintroduced
- a multitude of minor (and major) bug fixes
- a multitude of significant under-the-hood optimisations
WIDGETIZE
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Matt Cox # 4. October 2006, 11:51
You will be keeping the current designs on the server, right? Because my blog is CSSed up using elements from the default skin. If you change that, it'll look stupid.
Ramūnas # 4. October 2006, 12:13
aaer # 4. October 2006, 13:04
Waiting---
FataL # 4. October 2006, 13:07
Tamil # 4. October 2006, 14:09
Eddie Lopez # 4. October 2006, 15:00
This is interesting. I just listened to UIE brainsparks do a podcast on "social design" and the facebook feature "upgrade."
It's becoming more and more relevant to put thought into UI changes with the assurance that the community will not "revolt" against it. Not saying that's ever been a problem with Opera (maybe, but not to my recollection), but worth a thought. Social applications, or just web-apps in general have a strong need to be beta tested. It's the "my-way or the highway" nature of web apps. As mentioned in the podcast mentioned above, in the past, you could choose if and when to upgrade your software. Change was implemented on the user's terms. But with web apps, this isn't the case. The user goes along or finds a new home. In the case of facebook, it was the abrupt change of behavoir that caused the problem.
Clearly the facebook guys thought they were doing a service, but the users did not agree. These considerations should be handled through beta testing or screenshots or things of that nature. I *do* realize that Opera has the elektrans and their own testing, etc...
That said, I look forward to all those changes!
Daniel # 4. October 2006, 15:07
Kc4 the Great # 4. October 2006, 16:55
All sounds good and this alone justifies the downtime for me.
Faster image uploads means more chat time
I haven't really wanted to delete folders but it will be useful.
Finally we will be able to delete posts again.
Better search, great I have had enough of fighting with the current one.
bug fixes... such as?
under-the-hood optimisations I don't know if I should be impressed or scared.
Jadd # 4. October 2006, 17:43
Now all I have to do is wait
Thanks for the warning about downtime too.
dɹɐzılpǝkɔıw ɐʞɐ ɹǝɥgɐllɐg lǝbɐsı # 4. October 2006, 19:58
Vetle Roeim # 4. October 2006, 21:04
Speaking of downtime; Ole Kasper the code monkey is already having some much deserved downtime of his own, hopefully back on Monday well rested and ready to implement new cool features.
Thomas Bojer Eltorp # 4. October 2006, 23:39
司马立林 # 5. October 2006, 03:34
JavaScript support
ALLY G. # 5. October 2006, 03:59
猫喵 # 5. October 2006, 08:45
Will it support Chinese?
Mike A. Buffet # 5. October 2006, 12:48
Kerby # 5. October 2006, 16:26
Thanks for your efforts.
Will the new functions influence the Web Page Layout ??
Fatimah # 7. October 2006, 01:27
Dan DeVille # 7. October 2006, 01:54
Can't wait to see those deployed.
Peace,
Dan
ps.: thanks O.C. team!!!
João Eiras # 7. October 2006, 03:49
Leif Rømcke # 7. October 2006, 05:34
I shall be in another town on Tuesday, down time no problem.
张弛 Sir AzureTimm, Kingdom of Love # 7. October 2006, 06:40
Best regards, a anticipating boy, Timm.
Umman Şahiner # 7. October 2006, 06:52
rogerleos # 7. October 2006, 07:39
For keeping our files, as I deleted some pix from my computer in the hope of your hosting for the next time I need to downloaD my own files for future purposes, I Thank you.
I am amazed to be in the 110's to 120's most visited opera blogs.
I Thank a lot to all you READERS and VISITORS and also to some BLOGSPOT and FOTOLOG friends who very kindly added my opera blog to their weblogs, so spreading the opera community and its tecnology, our ideas, pictures, music and journals.
Florian # 7. October 2006, 07:45
Osman Yuksel # 7. October 2006, 09:35
* It will be fine, if there's a search bar (engine) for blogs.
* Also, it will be good, if there's a control for duplicated posts. Sometimes users posts same text in a time and there will be duplicated posts. Its same as in forum threads too.
Philip Seyfi # 7. October 2006, 09:52
finaly!
Sarah # 7. October 2006, 11:59
This is great to those that are visiting your about page, pulling them into your blog. Been waiting for something like this. Thanks guys.
Ramūnas # 7. October 2006, 14:00
+1 for this idea, because now its a pain in the a** to scroll down to submit button.
Richard # 7. October 2006, 14:13
I particularly look forward to the reintroduction of e-mail notices.
schwarzerpirat # 7. October 2006, 14:30
But i'm still missing a way to add own HTML-Code in the Sidebar, and making own designs beyond changing CSS.
Edward Piercy # 7. October 2006, 19:55
Having more customizable style sheets. That's what I hope for most. UFOs have nothing to do with my blog!
Raphael # 7. October 2006, 21:14
saeedsaman # 8. October 2006, 10:56
improve speed. And People with «rtl» languages are they going to still wait for templates to go with their needs for logntime?
Sarah # 8. October 2006, 15:01
Opera out features most blogs out there already! The next step would be giving you a blank page to create yourself! (have you seen the other blogs???)
green head # 8. October 2006, 15:23
Gary Denness # 8. October 2006, 15:26
anynymous # 8. October 2006, 17:53
amaya # 8. October 2006, 18:19
Can't wait for this changes!
David Blangstrup # 8. October 2006, 22:42
And I am on a perfectly functioning 8Mbit line. What about the other poor bastards?
Stefannie sharron Anderson. # 8. October 2006, 23:18
GOOD LUCK.
R.Frost # 9. October 2006, 06:05
lokutus_prime # 9. October 2006, 08:50
Can I also mention that it would be kewell if you could give us some way to 'group' by alpha-sort or by subect or first-line sort, links within one's own page. For instance...
if I presently create a new link category and call it, say, "Poems About Programmers" (just joking!) and then under that category store all the poems I wrote on that 'theme', I cannot do any 'sort' process. In fact I cannot do any 'sort' process on any links at all. When they are entered, at the moment, they just take their place on my links page as they are saved, and that's that. Any chance of doing something about 'sorting' in general? It would be also kewell to be able to sort Archives, as an option, by first line,etc.
Ok... I am the only one who wants this
.... but on the specific question of facilitating a 'sorting' process on one's own Links I hope you will consider my request. Thanks
Opera? ----Simply The Best!
Loku
Dr. Tanvir Hossain # 9. October 2006, 09:39
sêrvice, if not, include it.
iliiad NTRVN # 9. October 2006, 11:59
And if there can be improved OperaMail service, it'd be great.
Gordy Wilson # 9. October 2006, 17:08
I haven't been totally weaned from IE and Firefox, but I'm getting closer!
Can you translate the down time to US Central for me please?
Thank you, and keep making miracles!
Gordy
devans # 9. October 2006, 23:05
devans # 9. October 2006, 23:05
Saddle Magic # 9. October 2006, 23:36
AMPower # 10. October 2006, 00:39
Hats off the Opera for providing such a reliable "current" browser.
I have seen mention of changing page styles, I would like to pointed in the right direction as to how to change the appearance of blog/photo pages. I dabble in XHTML and CSS and would like to have my own distinct slant on the base-plates. Thanks!!
AMPower