With the highly anticipated upcoming release of the remaining iLiad source code, I've created the
iLiad OS project at the MobileRead Dev Hub.
I thought those of us in the developer community could use this as a sort of clearinghouse for code changes and improvements. I had three primary goals in mind:
- Prevent splintering of the iLiad code base (as happened with the iPDF viewer).
- Preserve and integrate community-generated features and patches.
- Provide a single comprehensive resource for iLiad software upgrades.
Perhaps most important, I wanted a place where we could do some planning and organization for future improvements and releases, as well as handle bug reports and feature requests. We could even set out some timelines... kind of like a real OS project!
Now, I don't want to step on anyone's toes, so I want to emphasize that this is intended to be a
clearinghouse, much like other linux OS projects (Ubuntu, etc.). For example, we might make an unofficial v2.20 OS release that includes an integrated FBReader as well as the community iPDF improvements. In this example, Adam B.'s FBReader would be considered an upstream source in much the same was as OpenOffice.org is an upstream source for Ubuntu. On the other hand, since iPDF currently doesn't have its own project, it would be maintained as part of iLiad OS for now.
As with other open-source projects, I envision having a few volunteer project administrators, who will be in charge of reviewing community patches and integrating them into the main code base. I plan to start off as an administrator and as the first project coordinator, at least to get the ball rolling.
If you have any patches for already-released source code, especially for the iPDF viewer, please feel free to
open a suggestion ticket with your patch attached. If you want to suggest new features for iPDF or any other aspect of the iLiad OS, go ahead and make tickets for those too. Bear in mind that we're just starting up, so it'll take a while before we start implementing new features.
This is my first time trying something like this, so if you have any suggestions, comments, or critiques I'd LOVE to hear them. If anyone is interested in taking an administrative role (Adam B., I'm looking at YOU!), please let me know.
Thanks!