Dolphin 7.1 (Osho) In Development!

After nine service updates we're happy to announce the first feature update of Dolphin 7. Already a few weeks in development and already looking very very promising, the new Dolphin is coming soon. We're adopting one more real dolphin (named "Osho", via Dolphin Discovery Centre), so the codename for Dolphn 7.1 is "Osho".

Version Numbers Explained

It's easy to get confused with different Dolphin version numbers, so let's try to sort them out...

Dolphin 7 - this is a general name for current version lineup. When we say Dolphin 7 we refer to any/all Dolphin versions numbered in 7.x.x range. 

Dolphin 7.0.9 - this is the current stable version. Dolphin 7.0.9 is the only existing version that we recommend for production sites. It's codename is Hookie (7.0.x).

Dolphin 7.1 - this is what we're working on right now - a feature-update of Dolphin 7. The codename is Osho (7.1.x).

Dolphin 8 - the future generation of Dolphin that is still quite far from release day. Codename for the first iteration (8.0) is Sundance. Dolphin 8 represents a major overhaul of the entire platform structure.

Focus of Osho

As we previously announced, we will be supporting and developing Dolphin 7 lineup along with Dolphin 8. We don't plan to make any massive changes, but a few key improvements will make Dolphin-powered sites much more competitive and modern.  In this update we decided to focus on the following:

1. Design and Layout - The new version introduces a lighter, simpler default template. We're going through all design and layout elements, streamlining and reordering them to give Dolphin a fresh look. Common reaction to default Dolphin installation is that it has an overwhelming amount of elements and various bits of information, which may distract users. In Dolphin 7.1 we're going to turn things around and make user-experience intuitive and effortless. Many ideas and solutions are being taken from Dolphin 8, so in some sense we're "bridging" 7 and 8. The new template will also positively affect site speed and hosting server load.

2. Social Widgets - It is getting increasingly obvious that any community or content site depends more and more on large social networks, as opposed to just Google or paid traffic. Social sharing widgets is the main tool to maximise your website promotion capabilities. We're not fighting Facebook, Google+ or Twitter - instead we're embracing them as a source of traffic. 

3. SEO - Search engine optimisation is a tricky game to play. Recent Google algorithm updates effectively crashed "over-optimized" sites, while boosting sites with good quality content. In Dolphin 7.1 we're working on bringing SEO side of things on par with current requirements and trends.

4. Mobile - Only a few years ago everyone talked about mobile browsing being "the future" of the web. It's no longer a "future" - it a "now". Even the latest Facebook IPO proved that the big shift is underway and it is only a matter of a few years before mobile browsing overtakes desktop browsing completely. So, we have a few important updates for our iOS and Android Apps coming with Dolphin7.1

Time, Scale & Compatibility

Osho is not about major new features, so most of the 3rd party modifications should work with it just fine. Also, it shouldn't take too long for us to prepare the first betas and then release it. There's no exact date, but after about 3 weeks of development we're already seeing some significant progress. So, we hope to be done with it before it starts to get warm here in Sydney. 

Although we're keeping feature and code structure changes to a minimum, the new version will look and feel like a very new piece of software. We can tell this already! Anyway, we will be sharing more specific updates about development progress over the course of coming few weeks, so stay tuned!

Preview

The most inquisitive of you could have already noticed Osho in our SVN - as always the development is open and transparent. It's too early to actually download and test Osho though - we're committing lots of changes every day. For now, here's a screenshot of our local test installation just to give an idea of where we are:

Pricing

We may have to adjust Dolphin 7 pricing a bit. I will post in more details about this later, but in general, if you're holding off a purchase, now is the time to make up our mind. Due to various reasons it is likely that Dolphin license prices would go up after 7.1 release.

Next Up

Expect frequent updates about Osho development, but don't forget about Sundance. We're lucky to be able to work on both of them right now and they seem to help each other improve.