17 April 2015, 15:16

Hello Mahara users,

Another 6 months have passed and that means it's time for a new Mahara release, version 15.04!

https://launchpad.net/mahara/15.04/15.04.0

This release contains many new features, usability enhancements, and bug fixes, provided by Mahara contributors from around the globe. Our thanks also go out to those who have tested the Mahara 15.04 release candidates over the past few weeks. 

Highlights in Mahara 15.04 include:

• "Copy" button directly on copyable pages
• Image picker for inserting your images into rich text areas (page descriptions, text blocks, journal entries, etc)
• Drag-and-drop page builder works on touchscreens
• Artefact feedback displayed directly on a page
• Compose messages to one or more recipients, directly from your Inbox
• "Tagged journal entries" block can now handle multiple tags
• Sort order preserved between visits, on "My pages" screen
• Change the sitewide logo through the site administration screen
• Automated functional testing (behind the scenes)
• New webservices module

Other notable new features include:

• CSV file uploads now automatically detect and support other delimiters besides commas
• Notifications about objectionable artefacts now include a direct link to the artefact
• Unread messages displayed first in the inbox.
• "Group pages" block can sort pages by last update
• Can receive notifications about responses to the comments you leave on other users' pages
• New "Annotations" block to facilitate a more structured approach of working with a portfolio (initial development work for a larger piece).
• Gallery block now preserves original image proportions

...and many more. See the full list of new features and bug fixes here:

https://launchpad.net/mahara/+milestone/15.04.0

How to install or upgrade

You can find instructions on how to install a new Mahara site or upgrade an existing one on our wiki:

https://wiki.mahara.org/index.php/System_Administrator's_Guide/Installing_Mahara

https://wiki.mahara.org/index.php/System_Administrator's_Guide/Upgrading_Mahara

Mahara is translated into dozens of languages. For more information on translations, look here:

https://wiki.mahara.org/index.php/Language_Packs

Supported releases

Both Mahara 1.9 and 1.10 are still supported for security updates. The support for Mahara 1.9 will end in October 2015, and the support for Mahara 1.10 will end in April 2016.

For more information, please see https://wiki.mahara.org/index.php/SupportedVersions

If you are running a Mahara site on a version older than 1.9, we highly recommend you upgrade to 15.04 to receive security updates. Users of Mahara 1.9 and 1.10 can stay on their versions until that support runs out.

All site administrators running a supported version of Mahara are encouraged to subscribe to our security announcements:

http://mahara.org/interaction/forum/view.php?id=43

Support and bugs

If you find any bugs in this new release, please tell us about them on our bug tracker:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/mahara/+filebug

And if you need help with anything, the support forum is the best place to ask your questions:

http://mahara.org/interaction/forum/view.php?id=2

The user manual is being updated for Mahara 15.04. New features are listed under the "New in Mahara 15.04" index entry. We expect the remaining new features to be documented within the next two weeks.

http://manual.mahara.org/en/15.04

Credits

We would like to thank the following organisations for funding the features and bug fixes that have gone into Mahara 15.04 (in alphabetical order):

• Athabasca University
• Catalyst IT
• Catalyst Open Source Academy
• Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunchschweig (The Braunschweig University of Art)
• iCampus 21
• Lancaster University
• Liip
• New York Institute of Technology
• New Zealand Ministry of Education
• SWITCH
• Teaching and Learning Centre, University of Canberra
• Totara LMS
• Université de Montreal
• University of the Arts, London
• Zentrum für Mediales Lernen (Center for Technology-Enhanced Learning) at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

We would also like to highlight all the people who have contributed code to this release.

And the organisations they work for or are associated with:

The most complete translations at the time of writing (at least 90%):

• Basque (Contributors: Abel Camacho, Asier Iturralde Sarasola, Ibai Oihanguren Sala, Iñaki Arenaza, Juan Ezeiza)
• Catalan (Contributors: Albert Gasset, David Planella, Joan Queralt Gil, JoanColl, Puri Andrés)
• French (Contributors: David, Dominique-Alain Jan, François Lizotte, Hélène V., Jean Marc, londumas, Pascale Hyboud-Peron, Paula Caterino, Philippe Petitquex, sic, Stéphane)
• German (Contributors: Andy Hediger, Christian Kleinhanss, Daniel Winzen, Dennis Baudys, Ernst Artner, Heinz Krettek, Jan Behrens, Jürgen Friedrich, Kristina Hoeppner, Marcel Debray, Mathias, Michael Wuttke, Moritz Ringler, Nico Verse, Patrick Neumann, Ralf Hilgenstock, Stefanie Berger, Steffen Pegenau, Tobias Bannert)
• Japanese (Contributor: Mitsuhiro Yoshida)
• Portuguese (Contributors: David Pereira, Emanuel Garcês, Jose' Lencastre, Leandro Mendes Ferreira)
• Slovenian (Contributor: Gregor Anelj)

For a full list of translations and contributors, please see

https://translations.launchpad.net/mahara-lang/

And finally, thanks also go to the security researchers who help make Mahara secure.

Cheers,

The 15.04 Release Managers

28 April 2015, 15:55

Hello,

If you are looking for the the language packs for Mahara 15.04 uou can access them at http://langpacks.mahara.org/ next to the previous ones.

Cheers

Kristina