[iRail] Community updates 11/2010

Wed Nov 24 11:07:33 UTC 2010

Added the JavaScript wrapper in progress.
Started on Sunday, planned to be mostly done by the end of this week.

Mathias

On 24 November 2010 11:03, Tim Besard <tim.besard at gmail.com> wrote:

> Done, the result is to be found at
> http://project.irail.be/cgi-bin/trac.fcgi/wiki/WrapperCode
> Please update the page if you work on a wrapper yourself.
>
> Tim
>
>
> 2010/11/24 mathias baert <mathiasbaert at gmail.com>:
> > @pieter good writeup indeed
> > @tim excellent idea; you would be adding that here I assume?:
> > http://project.irail.be/cgi-bin/trac.fcgi/wiki/WrapperCode
> >
> > On 24 November 2010 10:28, Tim Besard <tim.besard at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> In response to my own message: a sample feature matrix.
> >>
> >> Tim
> >>
> >>
> >> 2010/11/24 Tim Besard <tim.besard at gmail.com>:
> >> > Not many beer lovers, it seems ;) Good write-up though!
> >> >
> >> > Concerning the wrappers (and clients which ship an API library, like
> >> > libirail in Qt): it might be interesting to create a feature matrix,
> >> > so it's easy for devs and users to spot what is missing and how usable
> >> > the wrapper/library already is.
> >> >
> >> > Tim
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > 2010/11/24 Pieter Colpaert <pieter.colpaert at gmail.com>:
> >> >> Hi iRail-people!
> >> >>
> >> >> It's time for some community updates. Sit back and take a few minutes
> >> >> to
> >> >> read this. Community updates are only needed when a big team of
> people
> >> >> is working together on something huge. Yes... That's what we have
> >> >> become. But, I don't want to bore you with numbers, here come
> updates:
> >> >>
> >> >> ------------------------------------
> >> >>
> >> >> INDEX:
> >> >>
> >> >> A | FOR HUMANS
> >> >>
> >> >> 1. NPO (vzw/asbl)
> >> >> 2. Schedule
> >> >> 3. NMBS won't bother us anymore
> >> >> 4. Help testing our applications
> >> >>
> >> >> B | FOR DEVELOPERS
> >> >>
> >> >> 00. iRail API
> >> >> 01. Github
> >> >> 10. BeTrains
> >> >> 11. Wrappers
> >> >>
> >> >> (If you'd rather read the Community updates online:
> >> >> http://project.irail.be/cgi-bin/trac.fcgi/wiki/CU1110 )
> >> >>
> >> >> -------------------------------------
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> A | FOR HUMANS
> >> >>
> >> >> 1. NPO (vzw/asbl)
> >> >>
> >> >> We are still starting a non-profit organization. Before we can start
> we
> >> >> need a to decide a lot of things. Here is what we have come up with,
> in
> >> >> a little interview
> >> >>
> >> >> ° What is the NPO for?
> >> >>
> >> >> The goal of the NPO is to support iRail so it can provide open
> >> >> transport
> >> >> data free from money or copyright issues. People who write clients
> upon
> >> >> the iRail API will be able to join the NPO for free. By doing that
> they
> >> >> become iRail themselves and thus have not to worry about any conflict
> >> >> with other corporations.
> >> >>
> >> >> ° Who will be leading the NPO?
> >> >>
> >> >> Yeri T, Christophe V and Pieter C
> >> >>
> >> >> ° The name?
> >> >>
> >> >> iRail.
> >> >>
> >> >> ° Is there any task still open?
> >> >>
> >> >> YES! Glad you ask! We need someone to take care of the finances. Any
> >> >> volunteer who'd like to do that?
> >> >>
> >> >> ° Will members have to pay?
> >> >>
> >> >> We will have 2 kind of members: Members who want to support or cause
> >> >> and
> >> >> pay a yearly fee (we agreed on 10€/month → 120€/year) and Members who
> >> >> contribute code. The latter don't pay a fee at all.
> >> >>
> >> >> ° Money honey?
> >> >>
> >> >> Spending: Not at this moment. We are a NPO and we do not intend to
> make
> >> >> money with the iRail API. Our goal is solely to make people use the
> >> >> data
> >> >> without anything standing in the way. We create a «free market»
> around
> >> >> this data. If you want to make a business around the iRail API, be
> our
> >> >> guest!
> >> >>
> >> >> Receiving: We do at this moment. We are a NPO and we intend to
> receive
> >> >> from people who care that this project stays alive and kicking. For
> >> >> instance, it's very important if your business runs on our API that
> our
> >> >> API stays alive. So keep us well fed with a voluntary percentage of
> >> >> your
> >> >> gain. We use the money to organize developer meetings, to fund
> >> >> ourselves
> >> >> (yes, this is becoming an expensive hobby...), to buy servers, to buy
> >> >> github services and last but not least, promotion!
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> 2. Schedule
> >> >>
> >> >> I would like to share our schedule before we go into a small
> >> >> winter-sleep. (50% of our team are students and students got
> >> >> examinations)
> >> >>
> >> >> (note: this is a draft. It probably won't happen as drafted)
> >> >>
> >> >> Week of 22/11:
> >> >>
> >> >> * We're rewriting the mobile webclient (iRail.be). It will be using
> >> >> jsonp and will be detached from the API's code. It will be housed in
> a
> >> >> different git repository as well. Mathias Baert is doing an excellent
> >> >> job on the javascript right now. Mathias Beynens is going to do the
> >> >> html
> >> >> + css afterwards. (I have high expectations)
> >> >>
> >> >> * We will be pushing APIv1.0 (now on dev.api) to the api.iRail.be
> >> >> server.
> >> >>
> >> >> Week of 29/11:
> >> >>
> >> >> * Setting op blog.iRail.be and getting the word out - our community
> >> >> updates and recent news will appear in one central place.
> >> >>
> >> >> * As last week we got ourselves a great JSONP-wrapper, we will now
> >> >> focus
> >> >> on an application suggested by Christophe Petit-Jean. We will make a
> >> >> widget which will be shown on a TV screen to be put in offices. If
> >> >> afterwards we help Christophe setting this up he might do a generous
> >> >> donation to the NPO.
> >> >>
> >> >> * iGoogle widget release
> >> >>
> >> >> First half of December:
> >> >>
> >> >> * Testing phase of BeTrains for maemo, BeTrains alpha for bada and
> >> >> BeTrains for WP7.
> >> >>
> >> >> Second half of December
> >> >>
> >> >> * Release of BeTrains for WP7
> >> >> * Release of BeTrains for maemo
> >> >> * Release of BeTrains for bada
> >> >>
> >> >> * Meeting: what will we do in February?
> >> >> probably:
> >> >>  - FOSDEM!
> >> >>  - support for buses! (depends on Van Quickenborne)
> >> >>  - iPhone app
> >> >>  - Qr-code campaign (more later)
> >> >>  - Social features on webclient: Share this app
> >> >>  - Take a share in iRail: the more people you refer to BeTrains/iRail
> >> >> the more % share you get in the iRail buzz-iness.
> >> >>  - Delay-tracker: track delays and make a guess for the future.
> >> >>  - Train-load warning: It's not pleasant to take the train to Ghent
> on
> >> >> a
> >> >> Sunday evening. Nor when people return from Werchter.
> >> >>  - And much more!
> >> >>
> >> >> 3. NMBS won't bother us anymore
> >> >>
> >> >> but... They won't help us either. Peter Dedecker (
> www.peterdedecker.eu)
> >> >> asked a question about iRail in the parliament to Inge Vervotte. It
> was
> >> >> slightly positive: they won't use lawyers to bother us anymore. Our
> >> >> comments about this are expressed over here:
> >> >>
> >> >>
> http://bonsansnom.wordpress.com/2010/11/19/vervotte-beantwoordt-irail/
> >> >> (Dutch)
> >> >>
> >> >> The most important comment: Vervotte mentions that we should agree on
> >> >> some points with the NMBS before using the data. Our point is (still)
> >> >> that the NMBS does not own the data so they can't force us to accept
> >> >> certain conditions. We are however eager to talk to them about
> >> >> conditions at least if we knew what they were. We have never heard
> >> >> about
> >> >> one condition.
> >> >>
> >> >> 4. Help testing our applications!
> >> >>
> >> >> Do you have a smartphone? I bet we have a native client! For android
> >> >> and
> >> >> maemo you can get testing executables.
> >> >>
> >> >> Maemo: https://github.com/iRail/BeTrains.Qt/downloads
> >> >> Android: http://code.google.com/p/betrains/
> >> >>
> >> >> for other platforms you can compile from source and test it if you
> feel
> >> >> adventurous:
> >> >>
> >> >> iphone: http://code.google.com/p/betrainsiphone/
> >> >> Symbian: https://github.com/iRail/BeTrains.Qt/
> >> >> Windows phone 7:
> >> >> https://github.com/dieterdp/BeTrains-for-Windows-Phone-7
> >> >> bada: https://github.com/iRail/BeTrains.Bada
> >> >> iGoogle-widget: https://github.com/iRail/iRailForGoogle
> >> >> General widget: https://github.com/iRail/Web
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> B | FOR DEVELOPERS
> >> >>
> >> >> 00. The iRail API
> >> >>
> >> >> For those who haven't noticed, the dev API has gained some functions:
> >> >>  * liveboards - These are the schedules that you can see when you
> enter
> >> >> a station. Now you can also use them in json/xml/jsonp!
> >> >>  * vehicle - With this function you can get information about 1
> >> >> specific
> >> >> vehicle: where is it going, when will it arrive in which station, ...
> >> >>
> >> >> Changes/Additions in syntax:
> >> >>
> >> >>  * Now you can use id=BE.NMBS.123 for a station, instead of
> >> >> from/to/station=AALST
> >> >>  * Time is now fully iso 8601 compliant as seconds are added
> >> >>  * location="X Y" has changed into locationX="X" locationY="Y"
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> ! These additions are currently only available in the
> dev.api.irail.be
> >> >> -
> >> >> They're almost ready for release. Take into account that you cannot
> use
> >> >> dev.api.irail.be for a stable release of your application since it
> >> >> might
> >> >> break often. For your stable release use the api.irail.be which will
> be
> >> >> updated soon.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> 01. The Github association
> >> >>
> >> >> We have a github association page from now on. Access it through
> >> >> http://github.com/iRail (doesn't that look nice?)
> >> >>
> >> >> This allows us to list all members working on a github repository. We
> >> >> can manage each user's right to commit on a certain branch. If you
> need
> >> >> more rights, just ping Yeri or Pieter.
> >> >>
> >> >> 10. BeTrains for X
> >> >>
> >> >> * We need help on BeTrains for iPhone. At this moment we cannot
> >> >> outbetter the iphone app bought by the NMBS. We have to be more
> stable,
> >> >> faster, user-friendlier, ... Do you know someone who can code
> objective
> >> >> C? Refer him to us!
> >> >>
> >> >> * Same for blackberry, except that we don't have any code yet. Do you
> >> >> want to code for blackberry? Do you know someone? Get in touch!
> >> >>
> >> >> 11. Wrappers
> >> >>
> >> >> Don't rewrite code that we have written already. We have quite some
> >> >> wrappers listed on the github project page.
> >> >>
> >> >> http://github.com/iRail/
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> Thanks for reading this entirely. It takes a lot of courage to read
> >> >> such
> >> >> a great email. Therefor, the first one to mail me (personally) with
> "I
> >> >> need a beer" will get free beer on the next meet-up.
> >> >>
> >> >> Yours sincerely,
> >> >>
> >> >> Pieter
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> _______________________________________________
> >> >> iRail mailing list
> >> >> iRail at list.irail.be
> >> >> http://lists.rootspirit.com/mailman/listinfo/irail
> >> >>
> >> >
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> iRail mailing list
> >> iRail at list.irail.be
> >> http://lists.rootspirit.com/mailman/listinfo/irail
> >>
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > iRail mailing list
> > iRail at list.irail.be
> > http://lists.rootspirit.com/mailman/listinfo/irail
> >
> >
> _______________________________________________
> iRail mailing list
> iRail at list.irail.be
> http://lists.rootspirit.com/mailman/listinfo/irail
>
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