IT Development/Progress meetings/Minutes 22 October 2013
Apologies and Introductions
Attending
- Tom Morton (TM)
- Katie Chan (KTC)
- Richard Nevell (RN)
- Mike Peel (MP)
- Harry Burt (HB)
- Emmanuel Engelhart (EE)
- Jonathan Cardy (JC)
- Katherine Bavage (KB)
Apologies
- Michael Maggs (MM)
- Charles Matthews (CM)
- DT
Update on Actions from previous meeting not otherwise on agenda
| Item No | Action | Assigned to | Update | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2013 | ||||||
| Item 5.3 - Wikimedia UK planet | KB to post the suggestion and a Yes/No Doodle Poll to the Community mailing list and report feedback to the next Technology Committee meeting. | KB |  Not done This has been deferred pending other tasks. To be picked up.
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| June 2013 | ||||||
| Item 1. Updates on Actions from Previous meetings | This item to be renamed for future agendas | KB |  Done
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| Item 1: Wikimedia UK Planet | Refer to Wikimedia-l mailing list before end of June | EE | Not done This has been deferred pending other tasks. To be picked up.
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| Item 1: Review of SSL Certificate Proposals | TM to liaise with KB about purchase of 12 month service package by end of June | KB/TM | Done SSL Certificate installed
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Wikimedia UK planet - KB to backfill this section - lack of time.
ACTION: KB to push on with this and make sure it happens
Skipping over and dealing with 'in item'
Maintenance
| Item No | Action | Assigned to | Update | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2013 | ||||||
| Item 4. Maintenance | Draw up on-wiki a proposed division of responsibilities and schedule for checking updates and security maintenance before next Tech Comm meeting. | TM/EE | Not done
| |||
TM noted he had been routine updates and maintenance
EE trying to keep the software updated - but the DNS, Email (low level day-to-day) TM is in charge of
Would be good to have this written down (MP) so we knew who responsible/mmaintaining what
ACTION rolled over.
Mediawiki
| Item No | Action | Assigned to | Update | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2013 | ||||||
| 5.4 Mediawiki extension development (e.g. calendar) | KB to contact Asaf to explain (MP to forward email thread) and ask what required to assist | KB | Not done This has been deferred pending other tasks. To be picked up.
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| June 2013 | ||||||
| Item 1: Mediawiki extension development (e.g. calendar) | Pick up via email before end of June | KB | Not done This has been deferred pending other tasks. To be picked up.
| |||
EE noted no major changes. Has been keeping Tech@ informed of changes pre/post
KB asked about informing a wider audience. EE - important to relay to a wider audience - office to do it
ACTION: KB to set up a system
Other (System, Wordpress, ...)
Service requests (EE)
EE clarified - what is a service request? i..e change my address as a member, update my email, resent my password. On a different level of work to, say, installing a mediawiki extension. It would better if we could find a way of manging these types of request beyond the contractors, perhaps channelled via OTRS - we currently do it via bugzilla but we could change that. MP noted that this is how the WMF does it. TM noted that email addresses creation via a ticket easiest for him. Types of service requests; using forms to manage user details. Then emails - creating, adding, redirecting, changing, archiving. If TM OK continuing to do this. But would it be easier to use a tool and someone else (i.e. a volunteer or staff memeber?) who could do this much as admins/bureacrats on the UK wiki. JC noted that we are a small scale operation - so we are not operating on same level as WMF. Private (security flaws) or public (request on the wiki) I would prefer not to use for interfacing with the community TM - Bugzilla when change is needed, or issue is known. How we support the community a separate issue. JC - recommend - pinch the bots request page on Wikimedia. ACTION : KB to set up request page and corresponding email address to support confidential requests.
QRpedia (KB/RB)
| Item No | Action | Assigned to | Update | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2013 | ||||||
| Item 5.1. - QRpedia | KB to:
|
KB |  Doing... We are awaiting clarification from Saad Choudry or Roger Bamkin March progress meeting.
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| Item 5.1.1 - QRpedia | KB to create list on WMUK Wiki AND DT would mirror WMUK Wiki page onto Meta AND KC would modify page for translation. | KB/DT/KTC | Not done see above and roll over actions
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| Item 5.1.2 - QRpedia | KB to undertake following after DNS changeover:
|
KB | Not done see above and roll over actions
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| Item 5.1.2 - QRpedia | ACTION: RB to liaise with Saad Choudry/WMUK Board as appropriate and confirm any terms that need to be taken into consideration before KB to proceed with promoting wider engagement/generation of ideas. | RB | Doing... Update needed
| |||
| April 2013 | ||||||
| Item 4. QRpedia | To expedite technical development, it was decided to:
|
KB/EE/MP | Not done Deferred pending confirmation of donation and transfer
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| June 2013 | ||||||
| QRpedia | XXX | XX | XX | |||
ACTION: KB to ask CEO for update Updating of MP details against domain still outstanding - KB to get on ith it!!! UK reg can creat extra log in accounts TOMORROW for MP to go in an ungoop this.
DNS migration
- Twitter migration
- Blog (http://qrpedia.org/blog/)
- Meta tools (bugtracker/code repository/meta page) @WMF
CiviCRM (EE/KB)
Managed in August and now in a position to provide an improved set-up - better looking forms, better integration, install improving extensions, sort of long standing bugs. Update CiviCRM version to most up to date (4.4) as soon as released. EE, KTC and RN attended Civi Con at the beginning of October. Useful to get insight into range of features as well as a better sense of the community and people involved as users and developers. Civi Banking extension could prove valuable. RN getting to grips with what Civi can do and understanding potential of new extensions. KTC can;t WAIT until next version :D CiviVolunteer. Tracking volunteers. KB talked about the aspiration to have five key members of staff at the end of the year. MP - will staff pass on training - KB yes definately. Next phase to make sure people have the essentials. MP NB donate page has forward to a friend passes on data - KB agreed to turn off overnight and chat to KTC about suggested two-stage notification click process.
American cloud usage (#PRISM) (EE)
KB noted has been delayed. EE noted that this was outstanding, and it was important to go thrhough our vulnerabilities in terms of the platofrms we use - American based or free - and this would make it potentially less likely that user data would be collected, alongside encryption. KB noted that we need to know more about the options so we can be assured we have the same usability and not a massive increase in costs. KB asked about other EU chapters. EE knew other chapters concerned but not clear what steps WMDE taking. WMFR - similar but they are started without relying on googleaccounts. WMCH - better, made a lot of effort to preserve independed hosting. KB noted that staff value email and doc sharing properties of gmail accounrs.
HB - two set of actions; what is good for data security; being intelligent with data use. Then, there is moving across to different platforms, which can be difficult or awkward. KB agree - need report. Then propose changes to report.
WMUK migration (EE/TM)
EE reported we migrated but we haven't got all the user accounts reactivated. Some people appeared not to have received their re-set passwords. On the features side more or less all there - are some new extensions too.
Location of the wiki (MP)
had been discussed historically and never decided. Not at www.wikimedia.org.uk address. Lack of consensus about this in past. EE we can change now and make a change in future, but we can get rid of wiki MP - we have backwards compatability
ACTION - remove /wiki from url
KB - will this help with the redirects issue? RN - no someone in WMF needs to run a script on their side. MP - plan was to change old wiki's url and redirect the new one! ACTION - EE would chase up. Can also change the code but this should fix it.
ACTION - KTC/HB to try and bump that section on that wiki page, and request on meta talk page
KB suggested that people update on these issues via mailing list threads
http as opposed to https access (MP)
EE - have you opened a bug? MP has commented on talk page of wmwikimigration ACTION - EE look at tomorrow reason we are redirecting to https rather than make http versions tomorrow? EE WMF forced the move post snowden revs (was always planned) MP - logged out users only. EE could deal with an impacted services/users log HB hard to square this with increased security Can we work out who uses it? Perhaps asking people the way forward. ACTION - RN to use the mailing list and watercooler to ask if people too upset if these things broken with https. MP noted it would be better if this had been discussed before migration/it was implemented. Noted KTC had just made a request to bring into line with WMF standard set up post migration
KB updated on memory capacity change during migration, but post migration it may be that we keep this to accomodate changes in the future. KB noted that costs in respect of serv
Future work
SUL?
JC noted that it is inconveinient that people log into UK wiki, Office wiki, internal, and WP/WM projects wikis. It's not ideal - people could register accounts as other users and pretend to be then and cause issues. We could/should go back to WMF and ask that they look at this? HB - SUL was discussed pre-migration. WMF themselves are retrenching from this accross all their sites. WMF is developing other forms of authetication - Oauth V.2 an OpenID. We could put our names forward as a use case TM noted that it was expected OpenID would be more ready now and it's not? HB noted an update on Wikitech-l which updated on this today. JC - request someone with some contact clarify the impersonation concern. Also a concern about general usability between projects for community users. MP - we decided to migrate so WMF may question our decision making in doing so if we come back on this point. HB to ask? MP in SF so he could perhaps chat with someone if there? TM or EE could reach out via the wikitech-l thread to raise our use case TM - there had been a discussion about roll out and third parties but it would
OTRS (EE)
KB to update by email
Voluntary agents
Virtual Learning Environment (TM)
TM noted that had attempted to focus on this work on 15/10/13 but had had to prioritise mailining list and other issues.
Moodle is slow software and resource intensive - on the latter point its not always clear why. If implelemnt to pull in content from wiki pages it becomes slow to the point of unusability.
CM is clear that he feels it needs to come to the point where plugin is functional is in place before user training can take place.
MP can we get a more powerful server? TM - y & n - its on a fairly powerful server and its still very slow. MP - any moodle experts? TM - has contacted some people by email but not yet had substantive replies. IS this too resource intestive, and/or too expensive
ACTION - KB to arrange an urgent phonecall, SB/TM/KB to discuss costs and use
Hosting Hackathon (KB)
KB to update by email
Virtual presence - (KB)
KB to update by email
Europeana (KB)
KB noted charity had remited grant for current financial year. There was no plan to give additonal funding support.
Email use policy (KB)
KB to update by email
Toolserver
People with concerns about disbursing the unspent funds could email around Tech@ and KB can pick up on any consensus about alternate approaches. KB not got time to pursue this directly.
AOB.
FTP -
MP noted that Fae had proposed the hosting of FTP work supported via a microgrant KB - is there a concern about hosting innappropriate material HB - is there a security concern MP - could just set up another instance re the latter ACTION - Ask fae to move page to another URL and then Tech Comm members ask questions inc how much space to work out space HB - could use a specialist provider - could get Fae to suggest Bandwidth the cost - so get Fae to guestimate how much it would have costed to support Wiki Takes Chester EE - cloud file storage solution! Office needs one too, as do community members. We should think about making available anyway MP - current supplier has a cloud storage space solutions - <www.rackspace.co.uk/cloud/block-storage/pricing> KB - things to think about - access control, use policy
Wiki userright - KTC to discuss by email
Date of next meeting.
In person?