Anton L

Yesterday Alex T⚜️briefly announced the final release of the UNA 9. Indeed, after more than 3 years since of active development and testing; over 3 MILLION code additions in over 4000 commits; 1300 closed issues and 17 😮 pre-release versions, we finally have the stable UNA 9. 

Compared to UNA 8, this version brings hundreds of enhancements, including new modules, system improvements, new integrations, new templates, new objects, new features, etc. etc. Since we decided to make all RCs upgradable the UNA 9 has been tested quite actively by the UNA.IO community and used in production mode for all our clients working with UNA & Boonex team under X-level service plans. It is now considered a stable release, recommended for all sites powered by UNA. 

UNA Community

The v8 was released on 24th of November 2015. At the time, we haven't even launched UNA.IO site and were offering selected Boonex clients to try UNA. Later we launched UNA.IO provide community support and also use UNA ourselves, first hand, making sure that we eat our own cooking. Here's how the community grown during that period:

More importantly, we now have a core group of really dedicated community members, who committed to the platform and help us daily - asking and answering questions; trying new releases and sharing feedback; creating and uploading new apps to UNA Market; giving us hard time and praising us - all of that keeps the team rolling. 

Now, look at the numbers of discussions posted over the same time:

As you may see, we're actually entering the stage of active growth, which should further accelerate after this release. It's a very exciting, but also very challenging time. Increased popularity comes with added support overhead and information inputs. We will have to find ways to automate processes, improve documentation, streamline on-boarding and above all - make UNA even better.  

Start Guide & Demo Video

Over the last few months we committed to improvement of the UNA Documentation and development of the UNA Start Guide and the demo video, describing general aspects of UNA framework:

We highly recommend watching the video and reviewing the Start Guide even if you are familiar with the system. So many times we hear the phrase - "I didn't know I could do that" 😏.

What's Next

Why, UNA 10 of course! Yes, now that we have the 9 released, we are out of the feature-development lockout and can get back to making new awesome toys. Note, that the plan for v10 is to make it a (much) smaller update, adding some features and focusing primarily on streamlining UX (User-eXperience) of all pages. While UNA 9 gives a massive array of features, we should now make everything look and work sleek and clear. We estimate from 3 to 6 months for the 10. 

Along with the new features and modules planned for v10, we plan to finally introduce first working version of JOT as well as native mobile apps (iOS and Android) based on ReactNative for UNA. 

Naturally, service updates like 9.1, 9.2 may be released as required in the meantime, addressing any urgent fixes or security issues. 

Another consideration for us is the commitment to the old Dolphin 7.x updates for Boonex. An update is long overdue and the Boonex community has been suffering without an update for quite a while now. Even though Dolphin will eventually be fully transitioned to UNA-based solution, we still plan to maintain and update the 7.x until we can provide a seamless migration path. So, this will take some time, but we have ideas on how to make both platforms benefit from each other's development. 

Let's give them names!

Look, UNA 8 was pretty much just a "first look" version, while UNA 9 is what you could refer to as the "base". Now, UNA 10 will be about making everything "neat". Then, UNA 11 will be "fast". Then, perhaps "safe", "cool", you name it...

Actually, I mean it - you name it. What do you think would be a good set of names for UNA updates to distinguish between releases? Names of animals from same genus, some fictional characters from books or movies, or perhaps mythical heroes? What do you think would fit?

Hello everybody.

We start this thread to notify you about all new Apps and Apps' updates.
Feel free to check it from time to time and may be you'll find something interesting and useful for you. :)

---
Best Regards
AQB Soft Team

A great deal for site owners who want to add new interesting features to their sites. Now you may get contests modules listed below with 25% discount.

1. Photo Contests - $29
2. Video Contests - $29

Total is $58 but you'll get it for $43 only.

#extensions, #contets, #competitions, #photos, #videos, #opinions, #AQBSoft

The second Beta of the upcoming v9 release is available for download. We are now getting very close to a feature-final package release and a wide public rollout. 

This update is easily the most important step up we have ever taken. It brings new features, new name, connects everything to the UNA.io and finally introduces the new licensing policy. It's BIG big!

License

UNA is now distributed under MIT license. No limits, no catch. Download and use it as you will. Our pricing plans and business model, in general, is all about support. 

UNA Apps Market

The UNA acronym stands for United Networking Applications. All plugins, modules, integration, templates and languages are treated as "Una Apps". All the downloadable UNA Apps are now distributed via UNA Apps Market, which can be accessed from within your UNA-powered site Studio configuration system. Apps installation and updating process is automated.

Developers can now start building UNA Apps and submit them to the Market for review. We plan to launch full Market functionality in 2-3 weeks. All Apps will be pre-moderated and payments will go through UNA.io, with 80/20 revenue sharing. More details will be announced along with the Market update.

UNA v9 Beta 2

Core Enhancements

• Auto-complete for location field to make sure correct address is used
• Stripe payment provider integration for one-time and recurring payments. Now supporting Stripe, Chargebee and PayPal. 
• The new base template called "Protean", featuring Styles - UI customisation settings.
• Code injection interface for all those "paste this code..." for header and body sections of pages.
• Studio storage interface
• Individual "Page Covers" support for every page

New Apps

• Events
• Discussions (Forum)
• Google Connect
• LinkedIn Connect
• Twitter Connect
• DataFox (integration)
• Intercom (integration)
• Mailchimp (integration)

All apps are currently available for free download and use, all under MIT license. Some apps will be marked as "Premium" later on, and will be listed for a small monthly fee. You only need to pay the fee to be able to access automatic apps updates and direct support for them. 

Download

You only need to download the package if you plan to perform a fresh installation. If you are on a service plan with us, don't worry about it - we will arrange the update for you. 

DOWNLOAD UNA V9 BETA 2

Update from v9b1 to v9b2

If you have 9.0.0-B1 version and it was upgraded from Trident 8 then execute the following SQL query to correct the version number in the database:

UPDATE `sys_modules` SET `version` = '9.0.0-B1' WHERE `version` = '9.0.0.B1' AND `name` = 'system';

Also make sure that your site is updating to Beta branch, ensure that you have the following line in inc/classes/BxDolUpgrader.php file:

protected $_sUrlVersionCheck = 'http://rss.boonex.com/trident-beta/';

NOTE 1: New key&secret is needed before running upgrade, get new one here

NOTE 2: Site will be not working after core files update, so wait a minute while modules are updated

NOTE 3: If new modules aren't installing - logout from the studio and login again

NOTE 4: For some new functionality Google Maps API key is needed (Studio > Settings > General > Google Maps API key). Instructions for setting up Google Maps key (Getting started section).

If you're running Trident v8 still it may be worth waiting for final release of UNA v9 to perform an update.

Rough Times

A lot is happening at once. In the software world, it means that things can go wrong. We did out best to prepare for this day (took us 5 years so far), but we know that a major feature update, Marketplace release, licensing restructuring and support site launch happening all at once is not a trivial matter. We will be iterating, informing, updating, helping and answering questions A LOT over the next few weeks. Stay tuned and you won't regret. It is the very beginning of a great journey and we truly appreciate your company.

Thank you!

Our mission is Unity

We enable cooperation, connectedness, communication and harmony.

Our values are T.H.I.N.K

True

Our products are real, words are sincere, and intentions are genuine. We are open, candid and brave.

Helpful

Our actions are useful, practical and supportive. Our products help to solve problems and remove pains.

Inspiring

We promote ambition, passion and commitment. We lead to success and inspire constant progress.

Necessary

We cultivate pure, simple solutions, focusing on what is essential in every decision, word and product.

Kind

We are considerate, generous, friendly and caring. We support goodwill and compassion.

What it means and how it works

This manifesto is a guiding principle for everything we do. When we face a decision or receive a question, we always mentally connect with this manifesto and apply it. For example...

• When we make a change in the platform, we do it only if it contributes to the mission, is necessary and helps our customers and end-users. Superficial features and modifications motivated by profit maximisation are evil. 
• We may be charging a monthly support fee, but our goal is to bring every project to production as quickly as possible and minimise the need for support. We are not lawyers, and we mustn't keep customers in court for as long as they can pay. 
• If we announce something, we just inform and educate about it. Lengthy marketing pitches and false promises are neither true nor necessary. 
• We reflect on our failures openly and ask for help when we need it. We are not perfect, and we do make mistakes. As long as we keep admitting and addressing issues, we shall progress.
• If we have to recommend our product over a competitor, we consider the differences and choose the objective winner. Even if it's not us. Then come back and iterate until we can offer a genuinely better solution. 
• Some features are nice to have, but they make little real difference. They also slow things down and bloat the UI. We only implement what is crucial for the use-case and leave the rest for custom builds and 3rd-party apps.
• We create long-term relationships with all customers and community members. Some may be harsh, others may be extremely supportive. We must learn from critique and acknowledge contributions. 
• If a customer project is not progressing, we don't just sit and wait. We encourage change and improvement, working with everyone involved towards real growth. 
• Projects that are evil and unkind belong to elsewhere, no matter what's the budget.
• We eat what we cook. Our site is powered by our UNA and we use UNA apps whenever possible. We build our personal sites based on UNA; we stay in line for support and pay the bill like any other customer would.