Mambo 4.6.2 Out Now!

Mambo 4.6.2 has been released! This is a minor release that contains bug fixes and a number of enhancements, particularly to the language manager. Mambo now offers full localisation and improved support for legacy 3PD extensions along with improved stability, security, and a smaller database footprint.

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Mambo 4.6.2 released

Team Mambo announces the release of version 4.6.2 of the Mambo Open Source CMS.

This minor version release features:

* Stability & security improvements
* Lighter database footprint
* Loads of bug fixes
* Improved compatibility with older 3rd party extensions
* Added support for 4.5.x style SEF URLs
* Updates to many of the internal extensions
* MOStlyCE WYSIWYG editor enhancements (many bug fixes and some cross browser compliance issues addressed via an update to TinyMCE v2.1.0)

This release marks the completion of the complete revision of the Language Manager that began with the initial 4.6 release. The Mambo core is now fully translatable.

This release is the first under new Project Leader Chad Auld. “I am confident users will be very pleased with the 4.6.2 release,” stated Auld “The Language Manager work we started with the initial 4.6 release is now complete. My hats off to all the developers and translators that helped make this happen.”

4.6.2 also marks an era of renewed community participation — two successful rounds of community bug stomp testing went into the release. Notes Auld, “The bug stomps helped us confirm things were working on as many different environments as possible. I am proud to say the community rose to the challenge and the release is all the better for it!”

Looking forward to the Roadmap, the community and the Mambo Team are focused on finalizing work on the 4.7 branch. The focus is on making Mambo even more standards compliant and accessible than ever.

The Official Releases of 4.6.2, including the upgrade files, can be found on the Mambo Project at Sourceforge .

Changes of Note

* $mosConfig_lang recovers old function and now all multilanguage components that use it support language switch.
* the majority of LM functions are rewritten in PHP to gain platform independence on key features (e.g., auto translation, updates, etc.). The gettext commands execution also has platform compatibility. (Note: the only action that requires gettext is extract.
* auto translate supported
* export supported; users can share their translations exporting it and installing them through Mambo’s Universal Installer
* The default language can be set by the Language Manager or Global Configuration Manager.
* A new mosIsRTL function is present in the core, this function helps to template designers and extension developers detect the current language format (Right to Left or vice-versa). Makes extensions multilanguage with rtl support (a new administrator template with RTL will be included with in the 4.7 release)
* A number of new strings are included in the catalogs. It is possible to translate the admin parameters, the 404 error page, the Mambots, etc; by way of example, MOStlyCE translation can be done through the Language Manager
* The installation screen can be translated
* We restored the backward compatibility with the SEF extensions for 4.5 while at the same time still supporting the new style SEF URLs.
* Loading on the database caused for the Mambots is reduced.
* A library for CHARSET conversion (written in PHP) as an alternative to dependence on extensions.

Installation Notes:

(1) Users that update from 4.6.1 need to change $mosConfig_lang from ‘en’ to ‘english’ and set $mosConfig_locale = ‘en’. Fresh installations of 4.6.2 (from scratch) need not be concerned about this as the installation will set this up properly for you.

(2) Added support for 4.5.x style SEF URLs requires that the com_legacysef (included in the 4.5.5 to 4.6.2 patch by default) must be enabled by the user.

You can read the announcement here: http://forum.mambo-foundation.org/showthread.php?t=4683

For help, support, or to discuss feature requests, please visit the official Mambo forums at: http://forum.mambo-foundation.org/

Launch of OS Projects – a new resource for people working with Free/Libre Open Source software projects

This week saw the launch of OS Projects, a new resource for those involved in developing Free/Libre Open Source software, the communities that support the projects, and the people who use the results of their labours.

OS Projects was created to fill a niche in the world of free, open source software development. The people behind this project have been contributors to FOSS development for many years and have been interested readers of the research that has been published over recent years. Although participating in research, they have found that the results of studies, and the research papers produced from them, tend to be kept within academic circles and are rarely fed back to the FOSS development communities. OS Projects intends to rectify this with the creation of the definitive collection of research into free and open source software.

OS Projects provides a collection of research papers, journal articles and links to published research. However, the web site is not just about published research into FOSS, it’s uses, development and communities, it is also a place where people involved in FOSS can share their knowledge and experiences. Comments are open on all articles and it is hoped that this site will become a valuable place for the sharing of knowledge, best practises and experiences directly from those involved in the open source world.

While OS Projects has been created primarily for the people involved in community-led, volunteer FOSS development projects the site is also intended to be a useful resource for researchers, academics and everyone interested in FOSS development.

Visit the site at http://osprojects.info/