Collanos Workplace 1.0.0.8 - Release Notes

[Steven Tedjamulia]

Release Notes for Version 1.0.0.8

Today we released an update to Collanos Workplace 1.0 Beta 2. If you are not prompted automatically during start-up to download the new updates, please make sure to check for them in the Help menu under Software Updates -> Find & Install or you can also download the latest version of Collanos from www.collanos.com. Due to the nature of the improvements, all your team members MUST update as well, before you can continue your work with them.

A. Things we fixed in this release

There are several fixes and new enhancements released in version 1.0.0.8. We are getting a lot closer to the solid release of the product. We were able to make the following improvements:

1. User Search Improvements – We implemented a more efficient user data manager and separated the peer-to-peer JXTA rendezvous and relay services from each other, to significantly improve our user search function.  Users are now able to more rapidly and accurately see everyone who is online.

2. Automatic Invitation Re-Submission – Prior to this release, if an invitation did not arrive, then the user would have to resend the invitation manually. We automated the process so that if an invitation is not received, then Workplace will re-send an invitation every 10 minutes until the receiver accepts or rejects the invitation.

3. Pending Invitation Status – When a user is invited, the sender of the invitation will now see the invited user in the member pane, the invited user’s pending status will be shown as light grey.  Once the invited user accepts the invitation the users status will turn grey and then yellow, showing that content is being transmitted.

4. More Reliable Traffic Indicator – Issues with the traffic indicator have been mostly eliminated. Users can now see how many kilobytes are being transmitted in and out of Collanos. Users can then go to the All My Workspaces tab and click on a workspace and see how much data is being transmitted for a particular workspace.

5. Presence Improvements – Since we implemented a more efficient user data manager and separated the peer-to-peer JXTA rendezvous and relay services from each other, we were able to greatly improve the consistency of our presence engine. Users are now able to more rapidly and accurately see the presence status for others and their own.

6. Global Private Peer-to-Peer Network – In our previous release we identified other non-Collanos peers using our Collanos infrastructure as relay. We now have closed access to all non-Collanos peers.  Please make sure to upgrade your Workplace to the latest version so you can be a part of the Collanos private global network.

7. Windows and Linux System Tray Functionality – When closing Collanos Workplace users will notice that it will continue running in the system tray. This will enable users to continue synchronizing their workspaces with other peers without keeping the workplace open on their desktop. If users decide to close Workplace they can right click on the system tray and close Collanos. Integration with the Mac system tray will come next.

8. Start-up Connecting Problems Solved -  Since we implemented a more efficient user data manager, separated the peer-to-peer JXTA rendezvous and relay services from each other, upgraded our JXTA version, and closed our network to all non-Collanos peers, we were able to resolve the connectivity problems some users encountered during start-up.   


B. Things we are still working on

As we are getting ready for the solid release of Collanos, there are some open issues we are working on that will solve many of the challenges you are experiencing.

1. Replication Instabilities – In a few instances where large groups have been collaborating there have been issues with some files not being replicated. The files are visible to the sender, but do not replicate with all other peers. We are working on this issue and will have it fixed.

2. Folders Visually Disappearing – At times users may click on a folder they just received in their workspace and it will disappear. The folder is still there, but the user will need to restart their Collanos Workplace so that the folder will re-appear and stay-for-good in the workspace. This issue will be solved.

3. Folder Structure Replication Inconsistencies – In a few cases when folders are replicating there will be some inconsistencies with a workspace’s folder structure. A workspace folder will have a folder in a different location then another replicated workspace. We are working on this issue and will have it resolved.

4. Workplace Freezing – In a few cases the workplace may freeze and will require a restart.  In very few instances the workspace may freeze several times in a row and will require several restarts.  We are working on these two issues and will solve them.

Thanks again for the time you spend providing us with feedback. Please feel free to reach out to us by email or through our support forum.

Sincerely,

Steven Tedjamulia
Head of Product Management
Steven DOT tedjamulia AT collanos DOT com