Pre-build meeting report

Transition Network Project Sharing Engine Project meeting
Technologists meeting: technical architecture pre-build meeting AKA kick off build phase
1st February 2012
Laura Whitehead
Chris Croome
Jim Kirkpatrick
Ed MItchell

ACTIONS:

- JK update technical proposal page with discussion and decisions
- EM review budget with a view to shifting some time into beta for likely later work
- Laura and Ben include Jim in project CT information discussion
- JK and LW to discuss and agree a plan for how to go about moving the CTs from old type to new type (manual vs auto-import)
- CC write up wiki page for hosting suggestions with 1.5K budget, taking into account existing TN/WA paid agreement in Sheffield, including moving process, and ongoing costs beyond 2012 and PSE funding
- EM and CC/Web Architects discuss money agreement for new host
- JK to have move discussions with LW and CC
- CC let EM know what to do next
- JK CC to discuss this mix of tracking, moderation and security in next fortnight
- JK to update https://wiki.transitionnetwork.org/Sharing_Engine/Measurement_requirements
- EM to notify Ttechs about maintenance payments until end of Jan 2012
- EM to notify Ttechs about budget for this build phase (phase 6), deadlines and other stuff
- ALL to update their wiki pages and set up TRAC tickets
- CC/ALL to assess: TRAC: is PSE ticket suitable for this phase (6) or do we need another?
- EM to KICK BUTTS from now on!

Topics:

Technical architecture: proposal and agreements
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1. Big decision: creating new site structure vs using current structure
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Read this wiki page for all detail:
https://wiki.transitionnetwork.org/Sharing_Engine/Technical_Proposal

- can't start from a clean slate; with three years of work to date
- ideal solution: drupal 7 in separate install on separate server - but would mean most work goes on integration work between sites
- would be overkill as the alpha is about a proof of concept rather than a fully functioning mega system
- doing 'satellite' (new site) work before drupal 7 move (big strategic project, likely early 2013)  and Community Tools 'Transition Drupal' would be jumping the gun; work we'd have to revisit in 2013
- drupal 6 infrastructure absolutely fine for now
- better to take simple approach and use existing infrastructure (content types, views, caching, hosting)
CC: only 36% of requests go to varnish https://kiwi.transitionnetwork.org/munin/webarch.net/quince.webarch.net/...
JK: agree: probably location based requests: e.g. https://www.transitionnetwork.org/nearby?distance%5Bpostal_code%5D=so22+...

EM: maybe move some time to later in the project if we do a simpler version of something that will get more complicated and have more demands later?
AGREED: use current structure (known as monolith) for alpha and beta phases
ACTION: JK update technical proposal page with discussion and decisions
ACTION: EM review budget with a view to shifting some time into beta for likely later work

2. How we handle the data: content types and process
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- projects are deeply interlinked with other nodes
- options: (a) existing content type, (b) new content type, mappable to existing project content type, (c) webform
- JK: was recommending (b), then question of how to handle (b) and integrate with the existing project content type
- LW has been working on upgrading existing project information structure:
https://wiki.transitionnetwork.org/Sharing_Engine/TN_Project_Form_Changes
50% assessment of existing project CTs and wireframes
- Looking at JK's options - the submissions are same CT as one laura is proposing with moderation fields
https://wiki.transitionnetwork.org/Sharing_Engine/Technical_Proposal#Sub...

AGREED: use existing CT; based on Laura and Ben's work with cleaning up project CTs

ACTION: Laura and Ben include Jim in project CT information discussion
ACTION: JK and LW to discuss how to go about moving the CTs from old type to new type (manual vs auto-import)

Hosting
~~~~~~

1. Big picture to handle the maintenance of infrastructure
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- EM: given we're agreed on the current structure 'monolith' approach, our project maintenance funds can go on beefing up the main host rather than setting up new virtual servers etc.
- CC proposal:
- get more better green hosting
- set up vs in iceland, overlap phase, move sites one at time
- set up each one with nginx etc.
- could leave piwik/static in sheffield
- see iceland performance here: https://ecodissident.net/munin/ecodis.net/mayday.ecodis.net/index.html

- AGREED: use project maintenance budget on new hosting work for existing structure (absolutely top budget estimated at 7 X 250GBP=1750GBP)

ACTION: CC write up wiki page for hosting suggestions with 1.5K budget, taking into account existing TN/WA paid agreement in Sheffield, including moving process, and ongoing costs beyond 2012 and PSE funding
ACTION: EM and CC/Web Architects discuss money agreement for new host
ACTION: JK to have move discussions with LW and CC

2. TN to join Web Architects co-op
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- Participate in decision-making

ACTION: CC let EM know what to do next

Measurement requirements
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tracking, measuring and protecting the widgets' activity and related information is a big question
JK: need new node type which formalises the TN site/TI site relationship
--discussion about tracking and security--
--and generation of unique code for webmaster--
CC - perhaps don't worry about the unique code - focus on getting it out there, and can be easily re-used anyway
CC: big question is that we could be putting in lots of effort on security that isn't neccesary
CC: focus on tracking not unique code
CC thinks biggest issue as spam
JK: we'll get spam whatever
EM: this is a key project design question: distributed moderation: AKA getting webmasters to moderate; they will need to moderate all additions via their widget
EM: this moderation question is one for the webmasters: will they moderate or not? If not, we have to find another method

ACTION: JK CC to discuss this mix of tracking, moderation and security in next fortnight
ACTION: JK to update https://wiki.transitionnetwork.org/Sharing_Engine/Measurement_requirements

Moderation action in PSE webmasters group raises important questions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- good questions in the wrong place (PSE group) raise important questions about power and strategy
- Transition Technologists process, identity, principles not clear
- Transition web strategy not clear
- We are being opaque by mistake - been busy and need to get back to clarifying and publicising this again

ACTION: EM review web strategy and produce high level strategy for 2012 with ttechs
ACTION: EM review Ttech descriptions from 2011 and assess for any updates

Mobile
~~~~~

- not really discussed - PSE widget work needs to be responsive mobile-friendly theme

Management and money
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- management or time and money fine for project work so will retain same structure as early phases (split budget in time limited period)
- maintenance and enhancements process not fully settled, and now going through first payment iteration
- EM also notes that TRAC may not be totally ready for this phase

ACTION: EM to notify Ttechs about maintenance payments until end of Jan 2012
ACTION: EM to notify Ttechs about budget for this build phase (phase 6), deadlines and other stuff
ACTION: ALL to update their wiki pages and set up TRAC tickets
ACTION: CC/ALL to assess: TRAC: is PSE ticket suitable for this phase (6) or do we need another?

About the author

Ed is the Web Manager for Transition Network. This means that he works on all the web stuff from the day to day support, to tactical activities to strategic and special projects work for Transition Network about linking up all the Transition Initiative websites without them having to come to the main site all the time for updates and news.

He lives in Bristol, likes digging and climbing, growing vegetables and reading, bicycles and books, swimming, camping and generally being outdoors.