Uniform Server 4.0, The Next Chapter Options

[olajideolaolorun]

I'm sorry for being away too long and not having time to reply to everyone's post and threads on the forum, and not being here to give you updates on the server development. Lately, life has had me on a short leash and I bearly have time to do the things i used to do.

I opened this thread because i want to know what you 'the users/community' want in the next and upcoming version of the server. The next version, Version 4.0 is going to be a big bang! If you think 3.3 was a major development, wait till you see this one. I am trying to get ideas from everyone, so please feel free to let it all out.

What do you think of Apache 2.2 (if it can be mobilized), do you want it in the next version? PHP 5.2.0? What other useful softwares do you want us to check out....

The vision for 4.0 is a little different than others. The world is evolving now and though some people are yes, still stuck with phone modems and connection, we are still going to keep the size of the server small. The new idea, is to have make the server totally patchable. Patchable enough to be mobile so that you can install patches and plugin that will make your working experience better.

There are somethings we do not add to the server that other WAMP packages have, so in our effort to fight back, we are going to be launching a massive plugin blowout after the release of this version. We are currently working on up to about 20 major plugins and some more things are being added. Want ASP.NET, how about Mod_mono, want JSP, how about Tomcat and Resin!

So please post away....

[Ric]

Welcome back Olajide I would like add my sixth penith, my comments may seem obvious however if not stated will never be recorded.

1) It must remain a production server with all security in place straight out of the box.

2) No extraneous bells or whistles by this I mean if you buy a washing machine that has a thousand and one programs and you only use three tops you are catering for a sales person and not the end user.

3) All goodies that are bolted on shall work with no interaction problems and work across all platforms stated.

Well my friend 1) and 2) extremely hard work but not impossible. Three poses an intellectual and logistics challenge, software compatible and testing on all platforms for that number of plugins? Laying down such a gauntlet will be fun. Well I am game will be interesting to see what the real requirement spec is.

All the best
Mike

[olajideolaolorun]

I don't think they are that hard... and thats what i think we are following.

[jdes]

Discovered the uniserver package and have been using uniserver 3.3 since its release...
execellent ...well done. Llike the clean admin/management interface.

Would apreciate very much the following for version 4.

1. Application services currently active or idle...show status info display for...
mysql application port
ftp application port
smtp application port
cgi if enabled
ssi if enabled

2. Listing of installed support apps and component versions...
php, perl & python, etc

3. Include portal application like Joomla & others in the core OR the option to install from the admin menu.

Many thanks for a great product and look forward to the next release.

Best wishes for 2007

[olajideolaolorun]

We'll see...

[Rogue]

the abbillity to switch between SQL 4 and 5
and the abillity to use mail() function thats all i want

[olajideolaolorun]

mail() funtion, will be used using Fake Sendmail... allow you to connect you a SMTP Server like hMailServer.

SQL 4 and 5, maybe a downgrade plugin...??

[JonMCC33]

mail() funtion, will be used using Fake Sendmail... allow you to connect you a SMTP Server like hMailServer.

SQL 4 and 5, maybe a downgrade plugin...??

How do you use this with Uniform Server now?

[olajideolaolorun]

You can't. Its not there yet.

[dimo414]

What do you think of Apache 2.2 (if it can be mobilized), do you want it in the next version? PHP 5.2.0? What other useful softwares do you want us to check out....

I definitly think Apache should be up to date, as should the PHP5 version. That said, since most web hosts sadly still only offer PHP4, it's also imperative to keep an up to date and easily swappable version of PHP4 on the server too.

As far as all the other addons, I think it might be better to keep them off the actual version, and simply provide mods for their use on the website, since most people, myself included, only need a WAMP, not all that extra jazz.

[Ric]

What an ace post dimo414

I definitly think Apache should be up to date, as should the PHP5 version.

Absolutely agree, and then you go on to this:

That said, since most web hosts sadly still only offer PHP4,

Are! So no flash things with turbo spin!

As far as all the other addons, I think it might be better to keep them off the actual version,

Now we are talking size!

since most people, myself included, only need a WAMP, not all that extra jazz.

Who are these “most” people! Well I am one of those people, no spin, why does this not fit on a floppy (size). I have designed my new site using UniServer version # and my provider has not upgraded. Hey now it’s your server you can do what you like and use what ever like.

To the UniServer team:

Sadly in the UK we get ****all, no PHP or MySQL as standard, want a server script “yep free site counter! Well”. Run your own scripts, no problem, now you need a business account, upgrade extra dosh. What! You need to run out of safe mode, no problem that’s gold class business account, more dosh. Are! Did you really want that MySQL thing; we only offer IIS, it’s in the small print! Ho dear you are locked into a twelve-month agreement. Sorry our systems are proven and are reliable MySQL 1.001 and PHP 0.001 have served the industry for as long as the Internet was invented.

OK, a little exaggerated but the point is, give us something that works, clean, neat and tidy. If we need to be cleaver restrict us to local, remember that when we publish; service providers are restrictive.


Then again we do need to use the new techno stuff an interesting balancing act!
Please not for the sales person or the sound bit, but for real users.

[olajideolaolorun]

Well dimo, all what you said is what we plan on doing... All the mods are actually going to be made plugins, so you can also download them, patch it up and ready to roll... and as always, no registry dust, and keeping it simple and mobile.

Another thing is we know some users that want the registry dust, so we are still thinking of having something like that on the side, depends... time.

[olajideolaolorun]

I think everything here is already done. With all the work and new features i have added to the Server, i wonder what to do for 4.0. hmm, maybe AJAX, that ought to be another task... since the admin panel is feature packed!

Well everything here is done and most of the plugin are in development/probably done and just waiting for installers except for mod_mono and Apache 2.2.

Those will probably be saved to give 4.0 some additional new features,

Good Night... let me go start dreaming of what to put in 4.0 to make it extraordinare <- note the "e"!

[kalpz]

Can't wait , looking forward to it. I use US everyday

[web-M]

Someone mentioned it before. But I want to mention it an other time.

I'm builduing website with the beautifull cms XOOPS and sometime struggle with XOOPS modules. The problem I often face is the incompaddebility with PHP versions and mySQL version.
So my requests are a switch with makes it easy to switch between PHP 4 and PHP 5 end another switch that makes it possible to easily switch between mwSQL versions. Some other standalone servers have it (XSAS and wamp) but I prefer working with UniformServer

Problem in the Netherlands is that there are lots of superp hostign companies that don't upgrade to apache 2, PHP 5 and mySQL 5. So the switches can make it easy to check if systems are working with both te versions.

[olajideolaolorun]

Yeah, we are working on a plugin for that, but switching, we will have to see... Could cause problems..... especially since we are a mobile server, but could be possible.

[Squid]

I've been using Uniform Server 3.3 until I discovered 3.5 recently. I like the new Unicontroller. I use the server mainly for testing purposes and wish that at sometimes I could mimic what I have on my hosted server.

Maybe in the Unicontroller you could have checkboxes for the different versions of Apache (last 1. version and latest 2. version) also do the same with php and mySQL. I know that would mean a larger overall package, but it would help in some ways.

Also would be nice if when we closed the little box telling us server is active, the unicontroller would close also??

[metaltailz]

I think to make the Uniform Server package as flexible as possible you should have one package that has only the WAMP items (Apache, MySQL, and PHP all up to date of course) and nothing else. Then have easy to use plugins to add more functionality. So if you want to have PHP 4 instead of 5 you just download the PHP 4 Plugin package and extract it to the root of your server set up.

You guys are already thinking, or trying to make that package download manager, so if you could get that operational for the 4.0 release everything would be awesome.

[olajideolaolorun]

Metaltailz, that is exactly what we are doing for 4.0. Plus everything will be available as a plugin... which you can download and install to the Uniform Server.

PHP 4... PHP 5... MySQL...

[tarka]

Hi

Am I to late to add a comment for US Version 4, if so make this an early request for the next major release.

The following suggestion is put forward from the stance of a small business user who will only have a cursory interest in the technical construction of the product and who are unlikely to have the technical expertise available to manipulate the system themselves. Therefore, any solution that makes the system customisation easier must enhance the usability and appeal of the product.

It appears to me that there will always be features that some users want that US will not have, and conversely, there is a danger that features will get built in that other users would prefer not to have.

A potential solution, that would also satisfy the (technically naive?) small business user, would be to provide a package that is driven by a config file that allows modules to be included / excluded dynamically, or even MS fashion at the next load. I can imagine the reaction to this suggestion as I guess this would not be an easy route to adopt. However, it would allow users to configure their system exactly as they wanted it.

It would seem to me, that the addition of such a flexible mechanism would significantly enhance the appeal of Uniform Server as a product, and would allow subsequent modules to be added more readily.

Consider this as a post from one of the technically niave.

Cheers

Tarka