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 is an easy and important way that you can contribute to the effort:
As always, your development contributions are extremely encouraged. Please sign up for one of the ongoing maintenance code sprints [1] or add a comment to any of these tickets [2] if you are interested in understanding better what exactly is needed.
Software development
Community-driven Features
Web Access Control
Fedora community stakeholders gathered requirements and designed a WebAccessControl authorization delegate [3] for Fedora 4. This module is an implementation of the W3C WebAccessControl [4] standard for managing authorization using linked data/LDP [5]. The first of two code sprints [6] runs from August 24 - September 4, and the second sprint will run from September 28 - October 9.
API Extension Architecture
The API Extension Architecture is a community approach to extending Fedora 4 capabilities in a way that can be used across the various Fedora 4 client application stacks. The use cases that such an approach may potentially address are:
- Bulk ingest
- Ingest pre-processing
- Content model validation
- Fedora3-style disseminators
- Legacy F3 to F4 URL proxying
- etc.
A design page [7] has been added to the wiki, and an initial batch of use cases [8] has been collected. The second meeting [9] was held recently, and further discussions will take place on the fedora-community mailing list [10]. If you are interested in this feature, please join the discussion on the mailing list and attend the next meeting [11].
Community Initiatives
Hydra/Islandora Interoperability
As recently discussed on the mailing list [12], interoperability between Hydra, Islandora, and other Fedora front-ends is now a real possibility, thanks largely to a convergence on common practices and procedures in Fedora 4:
- Islandora is currently in the process of porting content models into PCDM [13]
- Hydra has groundwork in place (the hydra-pcdm and hydra-works gems)
- Hydra has some LDP practices to share
- Islandora has some asynchronous workflow practices to share
- There is common interest in WebAC (and a working implementation in hydra-access-controls)
Two meetings have been scheduled to help move this initiative forward:
- An informal meeting [14] at Hydra Connect [15] in September
- A full-day hackfest a Islandora Camp Connecticut [16] in October
If you are interested in helping to move this initiative forward, please follow the discussions on the mailing list, and sign up to attend one or both of the preceding events if you are available.
Conferences and events
Events in August
Islandora Conference
Last month's Islandora Conference [17] 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 [18], along with a well-attended Fedora 4 workshop [19]. 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 [20] to follow along and contribute.
Upcoming Events
Hydra Connect
Hydra Connect [21] 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 [22] 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 [23]. Additional information, including a draft agenda, can be found on the wiki [24].
DC Area Fedora User Group Meeting
The DC Area Fedora User Group, which meets twice annually, will hold its next meeting [25] 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 [26] 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 [27], including presentations slides, is available on the wiki.
Attendance will be capped at 40 participants so please register now [28]!
References
[1] https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/FF/Production+Sprint+Schedule [2] https://jira.duraspace.org/browse/FCREPO-1416?filter=13121 [3] https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/FF/Design+-+WebAccessControl+Authorization+Delegate [4] http://www.w3.org/wiki/WebAccessControl [5] http://www.w3.org/TR/ldp/ [6] https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/FF/Production+Sprint+Schedule [7] https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/FF/Design+-+API+Extension+Architecture [8] https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/FF/Use+Cases+-+API+Extension+Architecture [9] https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/FF/2015-08-28+-+Fedora+API+Extensions+Meeting [10] https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/fedora-community [11] https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/FF/2015-09-11+-+Fedora+API+Extensions+Meeting [12] https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en#!topic/fedora-tech/3dNdSiOytTw [13] https://github.com/duraspace/pcdm [14] https://docs.google.com/document/d/1azsf2HnfKE2po3389sL42OV2VmzAW62JMltHfaScNwk/edit [15] https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/hydra/Hydra+Connect+2015 [16] http://islandora.ca/camps/ct2015 [17] http://islandora.ca/camps/conference2015 [18] https://speakerdeck.com/dwilcox/fedora-4-update [19] https://speakerdeck.com/dwilcox/introduction-and-hands-on-with-fedora-4 [20] https://github.com/islandora-interest-groups/Islandora-Fedora4-Interest-Group [21] https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/hydra/Hydra+Connect+2015 [22] https://rd-alliance.org/plenary-meetings/rda-sixth-plenary-meeting.html [23] http://goo.gl/forms/QO22bP4Cu7 [24] https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/Events/Paris+Fedora+4+Workshop+and+User+Group+Meeting%3A+25+September+2015 [25] https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/Events/Washington+D.C.+Area+Fedora+User+Group+Meeting%3A+7-8+October+2015 [26] http://goo.gl/forms/T9GUvnadYl [27] https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/FF/Proposed+Workshop+Training+Modules+and+Structure [28] http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=5iy95gcab&oeidk=a07eb3mm0lc1c10b3ac
