Lyncode's main target at the moment is to improve the user experience, taking into account our close relationship with many DSpace administrators.

What is SpringUI?

SpringUI names a new UI for DSpace. It follows the MVC pattern and uses Spring Framework under-need.

Will SpringUI be a copy of WebMVC?

No. Yes, it will use Spring Framework also, but SpringUI will be built from scratch, mainly because SpringUI will come with another (not yet available) features, so the predicted effort to develop SpringUI starting from webmvc is bigger.

WebMVC: https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/DSPACE/WebMVC+(Freemarker)+UI

Why another UI?

• Cocoon2 is heavy, low performance

"Because of all the work Cocoon does in parsing XML, processing XML with style sheets and XMLSchema, and then generating output, it is a core performance bottleneck."

• XSL isn’t a true template mechanism
• JSP doesn't allow a MVC approach
• MVC seems to be an excelent approach for webapps
• The new interface will be easy to modify, one just need to know HTML, CSS and javascript (the templating mechanism will be intuitive)
• The template mechanism will allow developers to include UI inside jars, that makes an addin easy to build and complete just by having everything inside the developed jar

Inovations

• HTML5
• Mobile ready
• Addin ready (explain)
• Improved user experience (Hugo proposal)
• Features built on top of the rest-api? (discussing - AA accessibility)

What template mechanism will it use?

A newly under development template twig based mechanism (http://twig.sensiolabs.org/). It will support themes, pre-compiled templates (much faster UI experience).

Why not use Freemarker?

Mainly because it doesn't have the extend functionality, an important inheritance feature to theming developments.

It will use Solr?

Yes. Our experience says that improving user experience also means speed up UI responses, auto-complete, auto-suggestion features and so on. As so, it will use Solr, more properly, the (search) discovery module, but not only, it will also use Solr for the extended statistical module.

How it will be distributed?

As all DSpace Lyncode products, for free (with Apache 2 license). Initially as an addon for DSpace, it also will be offered to the DSpace community as a code contribution.

When it will be released?

After DSpace 3.0

Developers

Lyncode @ DSpace - dspace@lyncode.com
Hugo Ribeiro - hribeiro@lyncode.com (UI expert)
Ricardo Silva - ricardo@lyncode.com (Mobile expert)
Miguel Pinto - mpinto@lyncode.com (Database expert)
Miguel Peixoto - miguel.peixoto@gmail.com (Designer)

Workflow

1. Compile an about page with all necessary info
2. Share an initial proposal (Hugo Ribeiro + Miguel Peixoto) - End of July 2012
2.1. New DSpace features
2.2. New UI enhancements
3. DSpace community contact
3.1. Suggestions/warns from dspace-tech/devel
3.2. Suggestions from dspace-general / Lyncode partners
4. Cyclic development and discussion with the DSpace community/Lyncode partners
4.1. Releasing new necessary DSpace modules (Extended Statistical module, Admin tools, Interoperability/Import/Export tools)

NOTE: this is a draft