Radio 8.1 is in the can.
Radio 8.1 is in the can. We've completed the final code changes for the September Radio update by the deadline, but we hit a snag--a good one: Atom support in the aggregator.
We want to include that, even though it wasn't on the original list. This means that the update won't be released until the third week in September. We need a beta test period before the release, something we'll ask the folks on the Radio developers list to do. Also, Atom support came to the party a bit late in the development cycle and I think its worth waiting to add. Reading Atom feeds is currently in beta now, so it shouldn't be a problem to include it in the final release.
I'm sure you noticed the title of this post and that means that Radio has a new version number. Radio is moving to version 8.1 with this release, indicative of the volume of changes made since the last official release. It's also a clear signal that Radio development at UserLand is moving forward. Here's the list of what made it to beta testing:
Radio UserLand v8.1
Integrates all of the existing root updates, changes made for this release, plus the MacOS X application is replaced with the version in extended beta testing (8.0.9b2).
New themes
- New default theme
- 4 ports of Manila themes recently released
- 5 new themes all based on the same structure--strip out the CSS and make your own.
News Aggregator
Preference for sort order: No tables, just paragraph making it easier for theme developers to design for the desktop website. The previous version used nested tables which sometimes created unfortunate compromises.
Atom support
Subscribe to Atom feeds in the Radio Aggregator.
Bug fixes
Editor form not named on the story page, shortcuts page: The prevents Mozilla's WYSIWYG editor from working correctly. Thanks to Rod Kratochwill for finding this bug, Patrick Ritchie for submitting the fixed code.
In all, 14 individual scripts or outlines have been changed to support the release. Part of those 14 are four scripts on the desktop website that display status information, cloud links, support info and messages from the community server. Their HTML was changed to be simple text enclosed in paragraph tags. Here's what didn't make it:
Redesigned Desktop Website: "Similar to the changes with the News Aggregator, we've removed the HTML tables here but kept the spirit of the layout design."
Well, this was a great idea that didn't work in final testing. The layout was fine, but the fundamental changes would be larger than expected. Besides changing the core macros (radio.macros.weblogEditBox and radio.macros.weblogRecentPosts), there were several macros which generate things like checkboxes and text fields that would have to change. Even worse? Change those common HTML-generating macros would through a lot of the rest of the desktop website into chaos. Besides, it just didn't make sense for the user. It added no features that were requested and offered no UI improvments. This idea was retired for now.
CSS Zen Garden themes: "New themes based on popular CSS templates from Blue Robot, CSS Zen Garden and more."
Blue Robot allows someone to crib their CSS, but not the Zen Garden. In addition, many of the layouts were not easily adapted to weblog styles and Radio's method for generating HTML. I think the idea is valid, but it will take something more than my meager talents and a book on CSS to make it work. Blue Robot as a theme is done, but I'm not 100% happy with it. The new themes will be at themes.userland.com and included with the new release. They also won't force a replacement of your existing themes.
Over the next two weeks, I'll discuss some of the features in depth. We'll talk about the some of the reasons behind the changes and talk about things to come in future releases. Special thanks to Scott Shuda for his constant support and to Patrick Ritchie for some "behind the scenes" work on themes and other goodies.
- Posted by Steve Kirks - 3:59:34 PM - comments [] - 
