[Dspace-general] DSpace 1.2 Release Schedule

[Richard Rodgers]

A Word on DSpace 1.2

I wanted to bring the community up to date on the 1.2 release schedule.
Although work on feature definition and implementation is proceeding,
the target date has receded from our optimistic early projections of the
end of this year. We want this release to be worth the wait, and also
understand the increased importance of thorough testing, since a larger
group of adopters is depending upon a smooth upgrade experience.

With these issues in mind, we are looking at an early March 2004
'preview' release, to be demonstrated at the DSpace user group meeting,
which will then be subjected to intensive evaluation and testing.

DSpace adopter community participation in this process will be vital,
and can assume several forms. First, we will set up a server at MIT with
1.2 code and solicit testers to exercise it. This was done for the 1.1.1
release, but we hope both to expand the number of participants and
improve its effectiveness by documenting the changes more fully. Second,
we would like volunteers to test the installation process, to catch
unforeseen dependencies.
I strongly recommend installers use a separate server on which to
perform the test upgrade, but one that shares the characteristics of
their production server(s) (such as customized UI, etc). Third, we will
also try to make documentation (including install docs) available in
preview, to expose any deficiencies before they are officially
published.

If you are willing to act in any of these capacities, let me know after
the new year, and as the release nears completion, we will contact you
with further details.

Have a happy holiday season,

Richard Rodgers
DSpace Federation Systems Manager