wikiloops version 10 release note

Hey there, friends of wikiloops and fellow wikilonians,

Tonight, exactly six years and four months after letting the very first wikiloops version go "live" I will once again be able to perform those magical final clicks and let wikiloops re-appear in a newly created version, and one of the very final steps before doing that is to write this release note.
I'll try to cover the most important changes here for anyone who might be interested to get to know the new features and key changes right from the start, and to give the due credit to all the folks who got involved in getting the "new" wikiloops in shape.

So, what is new?

Added & changed functionality:
· Upload: you may now upload your mixes as .wav-format and wikiloops does the .mp3 conversion for you
· Upload: Filesize limits have been increased to 150MB per file, so no "file too big" messages on .wav attachments any longer
· Radio: New "more variety" algorithm applied to the "OneWorld"-Radio
· Radio: Worldmap now scales nicely on different screen sizes
· Band: Now includes a so called "file pool" which works similar to a dropbox, a convenient tool to share audio files in a private group
· Band: Now allows sending of group messages from the band page
· Band: Changed access concept: Only the bands founder needs to be a supporting member, invited members do not need to be supporters any longer
· Band: Changed access concept: Any files uploaded to a band page are stored in the bands webspace, which needs to be assigned by the bands founder
· Band/private Storage: Supporting members now have a private storage contingent which can be assigned to bands
· Supporting membership: Has been split up into two membership types "basic" and "premium", while the "free" membership type now has limits on downloads and uploads (mind, these do not apply for existing users, but will apply for newly joining users of wikiloops)
· Bookmarks: You may now store tracks to your temporary bookmarks panel, which only stays active for the duration of your visit. This also works without logging in.
· Download Tickets: Guest visitors may now purchase a download access ticket instead of setting up a user account if all they are interested in is downloading some tracks
· Gift memberships: You may now choose some member who shall receive a membership upgrade when supporting wikiloops
· Track pages: The "musicians"-list now features a "MUTE" button to let you compare the current mix with previous mixes without the need to leave the page
· Track pages: Added "same musicians"-Tab offers collaborations featuring the same artists as the current track (if available)
· Track Pages: All "Alternative Tracks"-lists do feature a "play all"-button now
· Playlists & Albums: Added shuffle mode option
· Profile Showcase: Image gallery management has been moved to the "edit profile" page and now allows convenient multiple-files uploads
· Site-Search: Now finds Forum posts and Help articles, too.
· Help section: Has been completely re-written, have a look
· Ads: "Free" members will see adsense ads on wikiloops again
· Facebook preview images of tracks: Have been changed and now show the uploaders profile banner or avatar
· Data privacy policy: Has been updated to meet the ever-changing legal situation
· wikiloops presentation: Galleries of previous wikiloops interfaces are set up on the "wikiloops" user profile, and a gallery of wikiloops meeting pictures is now located on the "history and events"-page

...changes "under the hood":
· Server infrastructure: Has been entirely changed to meet the ever-growing storage needs of wikiloops. We are now serving the streamable mp3s thru amazons cloud network, where we enjoy the same server standard as used by other small audio streaming services like spotify.
· Layout & CSS: Has been moved from "float" to "flex" css model for cleaner looks & improved scalability on mobile devices

All of the above has been heavily worked on within the past seven months, and is (as you will not have missed to notice) primarily aimed at improving the ever-critical funding situation of wikiloops, which has been subject to discussion here in the wikiloops forum ever since the beginning.
A lot of time was spent polling user opinions and discussing the changed strategy with those who cared to join, and quite a lot of good advice, improvement suggestions and feedback has been won that way, so, first I'd like to thank all of you who engaged in that process.
I would like to give explicit thanks to my fellow moderators who have taken care of a lot of things while I have been working on the update, so, please give a warm round of applause to Shi, MrOliVBee, Signore TeeGee, Mr.jmrukkers and Mr.DannyK who have been backing up the team.
Also, please give a hand for Mr.Will_C, who played a role in the creation of the new help section,
and to Consillieri Liesching who offered help on some legal matters.
Last, let me say thank you to anyone who joined the beta-testing of the new interface and took time to file bug reports and support tickets in the forum, like arbuitremorem and FrankieJ to name just two. You guys have been of great help, thank you very, very much!

We will move on into the translation phase to make sure the non-english domains of wikiloops can follow the primary one as soon as possible, and anyone interested & willing to offer help on the translation task is more than welcome to get in touch with me.
I sincerely do hope those of you who have been part of wikiloops for some time and have witnessed a part of wikiloops history will feel the wikiloops 10.0 change is a step into a good direction.
I have done my very best to preserve & improve the good things about wikiloops, and with a limitation on the "free" account that still allows 365 free downloads per year and roundabout 60 uploads, I feel there is still a lot of fun to be had for free on wikiloops.

Now it's your turn to send feedback and point me at things we may have missed during the beta testing phase.
All the best to you out there, and -
oh... it's one month left untill the wikiloops member meeting today, too :)

all the best from the wikiloops engine room,
yours

Richard
founder of wikiloops


stats of the day:
tracks online: 88.850
registered members: 50.266