Yiannis Koutros

We’re excited to release Pure 0.2.1 today! Visit the Github Releases page to find out what’s new in this release. A full summary of changes can be found in the project’s HISTORY.md. You can pull in the Pure 0.2.1 into your project by adding this <link> to your page:

<link rel="stylesheet" href="http://yui.yahooapis.com/pure/0.2.1/pure-min.css">

Thanks to everyone for filing bugs, sending pull requests and participating in discussions leading up to this release!

MariaDB is a fork of MySQL that was created after the Oracle acquisition. I suspected Alfresco would run fine on top of it, but was surprised at how easy it was to do.

MariaDB is a drop-in replacement for MySQL. Literally. You don’t have to change anything, really. Uninstall MySQL, install MariaDB, restart Alfresco, done. Same driver. Same connection string. Same tables. Same mysql command-line client.

If you install from MacPorts, watch out for this gotcha, otherwise, it is no big deal.

You don’t need both installed, but if both MySQL and MariaDB are installed via MacPorts, you can switch between the two with “sudo port select –set mysql mariadb”.

Despite the compatibility, Alfresco does not list MariaDB on the list of supported databases, so Enterprise Edition users should not do this on production machines.

With a final, heroic push and get-out-the-vote campaign, the OASIS CMIS Technical Committee (TC), the committee that is responsible for moving the CMIS specification forward, was able to get enough votes on Thursday to ratify the next version of Content Management Interoperability Services (CMIS) as a standard. This is a seriously cool accomplishment for everyone on the TC and the entire Enterprise Content Management (ECM) industry because CMIS establishes an industry standard for working with repositories like Alfresco, Documentum, FileNet, Nuxeo, and SharePoint, and it is important that the spec continues to evolve.

CMIS 1.1 has some exciting new features. Here’s a re-cap of what’s new…

Browser Binding

A binding is the protocol a client uses to talk to a CMIS server. CMIS 1.0 supported two bindings, Web Services (SOAP) and AtomPub (RESTful XML), the latter being the most performant and the most popular. But if you’ve ever looked at the XML that comes back from a CMIS AtomPub call you know how verbose it can be. The Browser Binding is based on JSON, so the payloads that go between client and server are smaller, making it the fastest of the three bindings. The original purpose of the Browser Binding was to make it easy for those building “single page” web apps or doing other work with CMIS via client-side JavaScript, but I think apps of all types will move to the Browser Binding as quickly as possible simply because it is easier to work with.

Type Mutability

This allows CMIS developers to create and update the repository’s content model with code. Imagine you’re building an Accounts Payable solution. You’re using CMIS because you want your solution to run on top of any CMIS-compliant ECM repository. It is highly likely you will need content types to store objects with metadata specific to your solution. Before CMIS 1.1, you have to ship repository-specific content models and installation and configuration instructions with your app. With CMIS 1.1, developers can simply write install and config logic as part of the solution that will interrogate the repository to determine if any changes need to be made to the content model to support the solution, and if changes are required, implement them.

Secondary Types

Some repositories (like Alfresco) have the concept of free-floating or cross-cutting content types that group together related properties that can be added to object instances in the repository. For example, perhaps you want to define a “client-related” set of properties that can be added to any document in the repository that is related to one of your clients. Not all documents are related to a client, but the ones that are need to be able to refer to a client name or number or something. In Alfresco, these are called “aspects”. CMIS 1.0 didn’t support aspects natively so developers using CMIS to query for or set properties defined in an aspect had to use a workaround. In CMIS 1.1, aspects are supported natively.

New “Item” Type

In CMIS 1.0, Document objects are assumed to have a content stream. Some repositories even require it. In Alfresco, this means if you want to work with a type that inherits from something other than cm:content (or cm:folder), you are out-of-luck. CMIS 1.1 adds a new base object type called “Item” that represents objects that don’t have a file associated with it.

Bulk Updates

CMIS 1.1 adds a new feature that makes mass changes more performant. Instead of iterating over a list of objects, changing and saving each one, you can define a set of property changes and make those against an entire collection, which is much more efficient.

Append to Content Stream

A challenge with any ECM project is how to move large files into the repository. The new append to content stream feature in CMIS 1.1 allows you to send files to the repository in chunks which could be a key to addressing that challenge.

Retentions and Holds

This new feature allows you to set retention periods for a piece of content or place a legal hold on content through the CMIS 1.1 API. This is useful in compliance solutions like Records Management (RM). Honestly, I am not a big fan of this feature. It seems too specific to a particular domain (RM) and I think CMIS should be more general. If you are going to start adding RM features into the spec, why not add Web Content Management (WCM) features as well? And Digital Asset Management (DAM) and so on? I’m sure it is useful, I just don’t think it belongs in the spec.

So that’s what’s new in CMIS 1.1. You can read the authoritative spec for details.

When Will My Favorite Repository Support CMIS 1.1?

That’s up to each vendor. If these features are important to your installation or the solution you are building, you should be making it very clear to your vendor contacts that you want to see these features get priority over other things the engineering team might be working on. As for Alfresco, I can’t make any promises on dates. We’ve had experimental support for the browser binding in place for some time. I think we all want to see the other CMIS 1.1 features in both Alfresco on-premise and in the cloud sooner rather than later, but I don’t know when that will be.

Try It!

You can play with CMIS 1.1 by downloading the OpenCMIS InMemory Server from Apache Chemistry and a client library for your favorite language, or just launch the OpenCMIS Workbench and you’ll see the Browser Binding as an option when you connect. If you need to know more about CMIS and the client libraries, server frameworks, and CMIS development tools available at Apache Chemistry, you should buy the book Jay Brown, Florian Mueller, and I have been working on. It should be in print later this summer but you can get the eBook now. It covers both CMIS 1.0 and CMIS 1.1.

Current provisions for a too-early exit of the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund from Greek banks risk creating self-reinforcing market dislocations. By offering too many free warrants to private investors, at predetermined exercise prices, share prices of Greek banks could be driven consistently away from fundamentals. That could undermine the smooth transition to full private-sector ownership of the Greek banking system. Spyros Pagratis comments on these issues and suggests policy responses. The full article here.

Online social profiles typically do not offer enough customizability to help users prepare for death. Of course, you can trust Google to pick up the gauntlet: the Inactive Account Manager is a brand new Google account feature that can help you keep your data out of the wrong hands when you die.

In summary, the Inactive Account Manager allows you to tell Google what to do with your information after your account has been unused for a certain period of time. With that said, Google really hasn’t beat around the bush while explaining the true purpose of this new feature.

“Not many of us like thinking about death — especially our own. But making plans for what happens after you’re gone is really important for the people you leave behind,” said a Google Public Policy Blog post. “So today, we’re launching a new feature that makes it easy to tell Google what you want done with your digital assets when you die or can no longer use your account.”

While not yet available for Google Apps, regular users can determine the fate of their Gmail messages and data from other Google services if their account becomes inactive for three, six, or 12 months. Possible actions include the total deletion of information, or even the ability to have it sent to trusted contacts who are connected to your Google account’s services. As a built-in safety feature, Google will send an email or a text message to the user before the timeout period ends.

Do you think the Inactive Account Manager is a good idea? Will you make use of it?

Source: Google Public Policy Blog

The post A New Google Feature Lets You Decide What Happens To Your Data When You Die [Updates] appeared first on MakeUseOf.

Control XBMC with your Android phone. Sure, you could buy a dedicated phone for your media center, but if you’ve got an Android smart phone or tablet there’s really no need to. Complete control can be at your fingertips right now. It’s only an app away.

The XBMC wiki outlines a number of Android remote apps, some free some paid. I’ve tried out the free ones, and the results of my research are below. If you’ve no idea which app to try first you’ve come to the right place. These apps are actually better than a physical remote in some ways. You can browse your media collection without affecting what others see on your TV. In most cases you can even read plot summaries and check out album art, all before you even press play.

Don’t have an Android device? Well, you can also use Chrome to control XBMC, or check out these iPhone and iPad remotes for XBMC. Not sure what XBMC is to begin with? Check out the MakeUseOf XBMC manual, because it outlines everything this amazing app can do.

The Official Android Remote

As a basis for comparison, let’s take a brief look at the official Android XBMC remote. Start it up and you can quickly browse your media:

Tap any category and you’ll be able to scroll through. The images can take a while to show up, but be patient and they will eventually:

There’s even a standard remote screen, with buttons for just about everything. It’s complete with a skin:

There’s not a lot to complain about here: it does everything a remote app should. But as you’ll learn, better apps exist for the job.

• Browse all of your local media, found quickly.
• Can be slow, depending on your network – no local caching for images.
• Does not offer alternative to on-screen remote.

Yatse Widget

Where to begin? Yatse Widget begins by giving you a great-looking remote, but tap the icon in the top-left and you’ll be able to browse almost every piece of media on your computer. The interface for doing so looks great, too, making use of your banner art:

Unique among remotes, this app gives you a quick way to browse all of your add-ons. Even the icons show up:

Sadly, all tapping something does is open an app on-screen. You cannot explore its offerings within the remote. Still, it’s better than nothing.

Also completely unique, Yatse allows you to add a remote control widget to your Android’s homescreen. Add a large enough widget and you’ll even see what’s currently playing.

If you want constant, quick access to your media center computer you’re going to want this widget – but even without that, Yatsee is worth checking out.

• Clean user interface, though confusing at times.
• Files and thumbnails cached on device, so it’s speedy.
• Automatically scans network to find XBMC, making setup simple.
• Includes a virtual keyboard so you can avoid using the on-screen one.
• Can actually browse add-ons, though only at the top level.

Check out Yatse Widget on Google Play.

Music Pump XBMC Remote

If you’re looking for an interface that feels Android-native, this is the one to check out. You’ll need to sync your library before you can explore, but when you do you’ll find a slick interface for browsing your TV shows, music and movies. Just look at this:

It’s clean, it’s organized and it’s intuitive. Hand this to someone without any savvy at all and they’ll be able to find something they want to watch (depending on your collection, of course). The actual remote is also clean and simple:

There’s a lot to love here, so check it out and explore.

• Great user interface – perhaps the best of the bunch.
• Includes shut down options for the computer running XBMC.
• Locally cached library only, meaning nothing will show up until you sync.
• Controls for a lot of things – even turning off or suspending the computer.

Download the Music Pump XBMC Remote from Google Play.

Spooky

Looking for something simpler? You might be looking for Spooky. It’s easy to write this one off because of its homescreen, which perhaps lives up to its infantile name a little too well (Halloween font!). Don’t, however, because this is a solid Android XBMC remote.

Browsing your media is simple – no art to be found here. Just a simple folder structure:

Similarly, the actual remote control part of the app couldn’t be simpler: buttons are completely undecorated, leaving things simple.

There’s not a lot here, but some like it that way. I just wish it was a little faster.

• Kind of slow compared to other apps.
• Homepage might turn some people off.
• Great for people looking for something simple.

Download Spooky from Google Play.

AndMote XBMC

Looking for something even simpler? AndMote is here for you. With your library on the left and buttons on the right, AndMote just might win you over with its single-screen approach.

It’s simple, but it also works quite well.

• Simple interface for quick browsing.
• Browse media without leaving the remote interface.
• Offers keyboard in place of on-screen one.

Check out AndMote on Google Play.

And The Winner Is…

I’ve got to say, for me this isn’t hard. Yatse is the best XBMC remote in this list, hands down. With it you can browser practically everything your media center has to offer, and to top everything off there’s a widget on your homescreen for quick access. The interface is great – though not perfect – and setting up is dead simple. If there’s a better Android XBMC remote out there I’ve never heard of it.

What’s your favorite? Let me know in the comments below, along with any other XBMC secrets you’d like to share. We’ve outlined more than a few XBMC tips and tricks, but I’m sure there’s more out there.

The post Android XBMC Remote Apps Compared – Which One Should You Use? appeared first on MakeUseOf.