Reason Roadmap
This roadmap is a work in progress. The items towards the top are more definite; as you progress to the bottom things get murkier. :)
Reason 4.0 RC
December 2008
- php 5 and mysql 5 support - DONE
- more sortable and bidirectional relationships - DONE
- page-blurb relationship reversed - DONE
- Publications framework for blogs/newsletters/web magazines - DONE
- publication-based podcasting
- page-level access permissions - DONE
- iCal exports from event calendars - NEARLY DONE
- support for installation outside web tree
- more mini-associators in content managers
- increased use of element groups in content managers
- improved image gallery options
- storage of a/v media on local server
- Loki 2.0 RC integrated, plus integrated support for TinyMCE and FCKeditor
- password-changing tool
- editable thor forms
- basic administrator, user, & developer documentation - NEARLY DONE
- semi-automated install - MUCH IMPROVED
- bare bones site import / export tool
Reason 4.1
July 2009?
- s3 slideshows
- improved multi-image importing
- xml import/export format and tools
- fully scripted install
- rich page type selection & info -- images, explanations, etc. -- page types as entities
- themes understand concept of front page (e.g. different stylesheets, perhaps different treatment in template)
- complete overhaul of page type system -- unlimited modules per page area, unlimited page areas per theme, sites can have default page type different from reason default
- selection/customization of admin css
- increased theme choices
- content managers' dependencies on back-end environment removed
- increased front-end editing capabilities
- thorough administrator, user, & developer documentation
- contextual help
- less modal (perhaps non-modal) back-end interface
- entity helpers
Reason 4.2
December, 2009?
- pending changes
- more robust xml building/parsing
- Atom feeds
- scripted upgrade
- item locking (e.g can't be edited/published by person other than creator or admin)
- Image & Asset files kept when overloaded and available through history
- limited themability of admin html (header/footer)
- entity selector improvements -- additional kinds of joins, subselects, sorting on fields in related entities, counts of related entities, accelerated multisite queries
- simple upload/download-based export and installation of themes
- Metadata crosswalk framework implemented, to provide simple interface for searching across multiple content types, provide easy, scripting-free customizability of backend form labels, and simplify importing and exporting to/from data in metadata standard forms (e.g. Dublin Core, MARC, VRA Core, etc.)
- Further improvements to the back-end interface:
- multi-item editing
- editing of associated items in content managers
- Ajaxier association interface -- drag/drop?
Reason 4.3
?????
- workflows? This would have to be super simple/transparent to keep ease of use from suffering
- image permissions?
- user import tool?
- general import tool?
- simplified (one click?) installation of feature sets
- modules use some sort of unified template system for better MVC style?
Wishlist
These items are not on Carleton's roadmap for Reason — we've focused on meeting our own needs with the system, and these are not things that we particularly need — but they would be useful additions that would improve the system's desirability and usefulness for a general audience. If you are interested in tackling one of these projects, we can give you access to SVN and get the project slotted in on the roadmap!
- Internationalization of interface
- Directory Service plugins for additional directory types
- Additional HTML editor plugins -- other WYSIWYG editors, markup transformation editors (e.g. Markdown), etc.
- More general-purpose themes! It would be great to be able to offer a large variety of themes for Reason, so that people could just install and go without having to muck around in the CSS if they don't want to.