Version 1.8.0

DSpace 1.8.0 is a scheduled, "time-based" release. In order to decrease delays in releasing new features and increase transparency, the DSpace Developers have scheduled 1.8.0 in advance and are basing its features on what we are able to complete within that timeframe.

Scheduling releases benefits us all as it should decrease the delays in releasing new features, and increase the transparency of the development process. The DSpace Developers feel that these benefits will far outweigh the cost of potentially having fewer major features in a given DSpace release. We hope the DSpace Community will also realize the immediate benefits, which should allow them to receive new features more quickly, rather than potentially waiting years for the next major release of the software. The DSpace Developers hope to continue this trend of "time based" releases with all future releases.

New features in DSpace 1.8

For a list of all features/improvement/bugs currently scheduled for 1.8.0, see the 1.8.0 Version in our Issue Tracker.
- NOTE: This listing is not finalized, and is likely to change. Not all features/improvements/bugs currently scheduled for 1.8.0 are guaranteed to be in that release.

More Curation Tools/Plugins (MIT & Others). Obviously, some could potentially even be release asynchronously, and also formally "bundled" with 1.8.0
Configurable Reviewer Workflow (@mire) a project that enhances Reviewer Workflow configurability that is orthogonal to Curation Tooling.
DSpace "Easy" Installer (Tim Donohue)? See DS-802 and InstallerPrototype for more details
- Perhaps, alongside this, an easier way to "install" plugins/addons (like Curation Tool plugins)??
DS-602 SWORD Client for DSpace (Robin Taylor)
DS-1005 SWORDv2 Server Module (Richard Jones and Stuart Lewis)
- would allow DSpace to push/submit content to other SWORD enabled repositories
- For closed & open access repositories – add a button to transfer content from a closed to an open repository.
Usability improvements / new Theme work (Peter Dietz)
Discovery Enhancements
- Discovery back end rewrite to support other back end implementations beside solr for discovery (Created by Kevin Van de Velde see DSCR-22)
- Improved discovery configuration which utilizes spring & a config file that is located in the modules dir (Created by Kevin Van de Velde see DS-971)
- New Discovery user interface ? (Provided by Kevin Van de Velde or @mire ?)
Rewrite of Creative Commons licensing (MIT)
- would improve upon the features of the current CC licensing submission step
- Currently only against XMLUI from MIT
- Legacy problem – do we update old license to new or not? Currently MIT runs 'split version' with old licenses looking like old, and new look like new.

Released as Addons

REST API experimental. Unfortunately didn't receive enough attention for it to be formally released as part of 1.8. However, it should be recognised that this is a fully functioning module, although not yet officially supported by the DSpace Committer group. Please see the wiki page for more details and instructions on how to incorporate the module into your local installation.

Postponed for a Future Release

Core Service and Service Manager Refactorings
- Asynchronous Release Process Release various modules/addons separate from base install (Mark Diggory/@mire & others)
- Refactoring ConfigurationManager and PluginManager to use ServiceManager (@mire with others welcome)
Context Guided Ingest (Richard Rodgers/MIT) – define an interface, where any submission code can write "attributes" and can retrieve those again later on. Can add any new attributes/values that you want for your submission code. Could be serialized to XML (using input-forms.xml) OR have an implementation of that service that stores in DB (recommended). JPA2?
- would allow for type-based submission processes (e.g. Theses/Dissertations could have different submission steps than articles/papers).
- based on the Item type based submission patch picked up by Robin Taylor (initially a GSoC project)

Organizational Details

Release Coordination

Release Coordinator: Robin Taylor (EDINA)
Backup Coordinator: Peter Dietz

Timeline and Proceeding

It has been decided that DSpace 1.8.0 will be released in Oct 2011. The exact date is still being worked out. What follows is a tentative release timeline - it has changed slightly from its original state, but the final release will still come out sometime in Oct 2011.

Very Tentative Release Timeline (This should not be considered final)
- August 19, 2011 : Feature Freeze Date
- September 2, 2011 : Final Documentation "Due Date"?
- September 9, 2011 : Release Candidate 1 release
- September 12-23, 2011 : Testathon
- October 7, 2011 : Release Candidate 2 release
- October 10-19, 2011 : Final Testing / Bug Fixing
- October 21, 2011 : 1.8.0 Final Release

A few definitions:
- "Feature Freeze" - After this date, the feature listing cannot change. All new features must be completed by this date. After this date, the system is being stabilized in preparation for the first "Release Candidate"
- "Release Candidate" releases - These are initial releases after all features have been finalized. Features may not change, but bug fixes can be made. They are meant for very broad testing (e.g. Testathon), in order to find & fix any last bugs before the Final Release.

Release Process needs to proceed according to the following Maven release process: Release Procedure