Team meeting 7/20/2011

Meeting Agenda and Notes, 7/20/2011

Discuss ideas emerging from OpenWebCamp: 
  • HTML5 form elements to replace JQuery and custom form elements
  • Full screen and widgets/apps
  • Server side Javascript

Customizable Group Website Proposal (Mike): http://deme.stanford.edu/viewing/textdocument/300
  • 2: use non-item django records to store hierarchical menus (which can either store item ids or URLs)
  • background color, text color, logo image, the navigation menu items,  whether or not the item data menu is minimized on load, and maybe a  selector for CSS theme, customized selection  of widgets
  • Wordpress is good model except things are spread across too many categories: tools, settings, appearance, dashboard, etc.

Polls and Decisions Proposal (Todd and Noam): http://deme.stanford.edu/viewing/htmldocument/297
* PollResponse is not an item, just a django model
* Poll.display_write_ins: Boolean
* Proposition.is_write_in: Boolean
* Decision: don't need execute field yet - better to add later when we know how to attach code to decisions
* Decision: point to a Poll instead of extending the Poll item type.

Project and Task Creator and Editor Proposal and Notes (Todd and Jimmy)

    Task Form:

    Quick Edits:
  • switch due date and beginning date
  • Add text box for priority
  • Do not allow anonymous posting.

    More in depth:
  • for "repeating" use ajax to have a drop down appear to ask the frequency. Also need to add in the repeating functionality.

  • For  a groupAgent task handler ideally we would have a check box that would  prompt "Is this task being handled by multiple agents?" If it is checked  then a box would pop up allowing you to create a groupAgent by  selecting the agents you want.

  • Maybe a general item selector for text boxes so that we can enter multiple things.

  • Task  Handler UI: maybe have "type or select" default text and a downward  arrow on the right side that allows a user to either press select or the  arrow to see all possible items.
  • Should a task just be a project, so there is only one item type (Project)?
  • Idea: Project inherits from both Collection and HTMLDocument. Adds fields specified for both Projects and Tasks, but we would start with just one item type
  • Noam will build the model and a viewer for Project as a collection of Projects that inherits from HTMLDocument and Collection, called Recursive Project
  • Jimmy will do a mockup user test to see if users can deal with recursive projects without tasks as well as with tasks

Document commenting (Todd, Jimmy, and Noam)
  • Use HTML5 Canvas element to draw lines and arrows?
  • Popout button for documents and comments to view them in isolation, with full screen option

Report on Symsys (Chris, Mike, Todd)
  • Spreadsheet/db filling (Chris, Mike)
  • Dev discussion and issues space for Symsys (Chris)
  • Report on yesterday's memory fail incident (Todd, Mike)

Old business

Event viewer (Noam, Jimmy, review)
  • Change spacing between dates and times.

Email integration
  • Firewall    issue on    Deme  website not an issue for AIR specifically - can't  send  to     outside  addresses - Todd sent HelpSU:
  • The HelpSU system has received and filed a HelpSU request with
  • the incident ID of INC000001666314 including the following:
  •   Requester Name:   Todd Davies
  •   Department:       Symbolic Systems
  •   Phone Number:     (650) 723-4091
  •   Request Category: Email and Calendar
  •   Request Type:     Security issue or concern
  •   Description:      We    have web applications (in particular the Symbolic Systems Program website) that need to send outgoing mail. We were directed to this page:
  • However,    we don't yet meet the outgoing email standards and requirements. We    still need to send mail to non-stanford addresses (students and alumni who use
  • non-Stanford.edu addresses, for  example).   Is there a way we can set up our MTA (postfix and exim) to  direct   outgoing mail through an authorized SMTP server
  • elsewhere on  campus? I   noticed the page said something about "All other traffic  will continue   to be routed through the Leland servers"

  • Firewall needs to be resolved for Symsys website (Chris and Todd will work on this - resubmit HelpSU)

List viewer proposal
  • Mike will start to work on generic Ajax viewer, get it to work for comments in grid view and sorting, separate thread view to meet deliverable

Shared drawing board
  • Todd and Mike used - Todd tried to create account but failed; Jimmy has created an 
    account - Todd will try again
    If needed Jimmy's is username: jtobin1 pass: deme123

Symsys website - spam, slowness, code push (Chris, Mike, Joe)
  • Caching (Mike added to Deme  issues)
  • performance   problems    may be due to virtualization - Ubuntu standard (KVM) in use   now,  but   everyone else uses Xen or vmware - laptop tests with no   virtualization revealed this does slow things down apparently
  • Not clear if cloud hosting would help - could try Linode after code changes; Mike and Chris will work on this this week
  • Chris will talk with Mike about integrating alumni database with spreadsheet data
  • get started parsing alumni data with python program (save excel to csv), then integrate data into symsys site with Mike's help
  • Chris  has written  program to parse data, still needs to meet with Mike about  how to write  a Python script that will update the db properly, details  of Deme  architecture re items to update etc.
  • Tasks in the issues list for Symsys - Chris will create a space for Symsys 
  • development on Symsys and begin organizing and working on Symsys tasks
  - symsys tasks are on symsys site in the "Symsys issues" doc

Issues document (and Mike's local todo document) - create project tool?
  • Plan is to move to the project tool once ready

Empirical studies
  • Todd will check with Nass, Eckles etc. about studies on salience of speaker effects
  • Jimmy found book on acquiescence - will recall
  • Jimmy will produce list of abstracts of studies relevant to proposed project

Screen sharing
  • Got Yuuguu subscription for multiperson sharing and slow bandwidth in alaska 
  • Can also share with Skype 1-1 for free

Piece server
  • Working again after Todd told ITSS it is not compromised
  • Plugging   holes in  Piece   software: anonymous posting of items in PHP Deme,   anonymously  post   comments on OD 2005 blog (Wordpress), wiki posting  to  MoinMoin
  • Getting documents to load in 3.5 Codebase for PHP Deme (v0.6)

DjangoCon proposal and schedule
  • proposal not accepted
  • Plan to go and present in lightning talks and do demo
  • Noam will report back by 7/14; Jimmy also

New Business

Project tool
  • Will be pulled onto Deme with migration - Mike and Noam will do
  • Jimmy will work on UI for project tool
  • Contract  deliverable by  9/30: "Project         management tool integrated with   discussions .  The platform should         free users to focus on the  content  of the  issue by managing routine         tasks in an automated  fashion.   Users  should be able to create         and edit to do items  without  leaving the  deliberation areas. "

Decision and Poll tools
  • Noam will review v0.5 implementation and write a proposal
  • Contract  deliverable by  9/30: "Flexible         polls and decisions. Multiple,   easy to use  options for binding and         non-binding decision making  should  be  provided.  Rules or         guidelines should accompany the  tools, how  to  vote, deadlines for         voting, help resources; along  with user  ratings of  tool performance."

Timeline for getting deliverables done. Deliverables by 9/30/2011:
  • Project             management tool integrated with discussions . The platform    should          free users to focus on the content of the issue by    managing routine          tasks in an automated fashion.  Users should    be able to create         and edit  to do items without leaving the    deliberation areas. - do as module
  • Flexible           polls  and decisions. Multiple, easy to use options for binding  and           non-binding decision making should be provided.  Rules  or          guidelines  should accompany the tools, how to vote,  deadlines  for         voting, help  resources; along with user ratings  of tool  performance. - do as module
  • Co-visibility            of in-text comments and documents. Text and comments should be            visible together in the interface, with clear pointing relations   and          cross-linking. 
  • Implement  dotted line  pointer between located comments (in document) to comments  (in side  bar), only on hover/click. (Noam, 1 week)
  • Multiple            meeting areas per group space. The platform should provide   private          space for groups and sub-groups.  This would mirror   normal         group  structures, such as committees, sub-committees,   task forces,         specific  interest or cohort groups, etc.
  • Ability           to  share meeting areas across groups.  When different groups wish   to          combine or share their spaces and resources, the platform   should          facilitate this for any length of time needed, within   the norms          established for the project and by the groups.
  • Customizable            group website, editable and configurable through the web   interface.           Existing Deme functionality should be enhanced so   that users without          programming skills can manage the look and   feel, as well as the          content, of a group's website.
  • Optional            sorting methods for discussion items.  Discussion items should   be          labeled and searchable.  Users should be able to search   for,         view and  sort threads by subject, item, date, author,   group         affiliation; and see  links to associated To Do items.
  • Expandable            viewers.  Viewing items should be easy and adaptable for all   users.           Full screen options should be easily invoked.  Text   size and         font  options should be available to make for easy   reading.          Dictionary,  thesaurus, and translation options would   be accessible         via the viewer.

Meeting tomorrow at 11 to come up with plan for deliverables

Code review of project management tool (Mike, Noam, Jimmy) - after tomorrow's meeting

Multiple Screen Video Chat


For Internet Explorer users: Click on the Tools menu, located at the top of your browser window. When the drop-down menu appears, select the option labeled Full Screen.

For Chrome users:Click on the Chrome "wrench" icon, located in the upper right hand corner of your browser window. When the drop-down menu appears, select the choice labeled Full Screen.

For Firefox user:Click on the View menu, located at the top of your browser window. When the drop-down menu appears, select the option labeled Full Screen.

For Safari users: Safari currently does not support the ability to go fullscreen.