Getting Ready for the Servoy 4.0 Release

Everyone is looking forward to the 4.0 release of Servoy which will add lots of new features, and developers will now work out of Eclipse, with Servoy as an Eclipse Plug-in.  So, everyone is asking...What do I need to do to get ready for 4.0?

  1.  Don't Panic :)  You solutions from previous versions will automatically convert to the Servoy 4.0.  There will be lots of new features that will make the upgrade worth your time, so I suggest you start by downloading the 4.0 version to begin familarizing yourself. A tech preview of 4.0 was made available to a select group on February 13th, and we have a Google Group setup to allow early testing and communication with the engineers. If you are part of that group, take advantage of it. If you aren't part of that group, you can now email me or Jan Aleman, and ask to join the group so you can start testing with 4.0
  2. Get to know Eclipse.  Since Servoy will be an Eclipse plug-in, your development environment is undergoing some serious changes...but remember #1 (don't panic).  You'll still have the same familar Servoy tools, but they will now be inside of Eclipse.  Eclipse is the most popular IDE in the world! and of course the Servoy community will be there to help you.  You can get started by walking through the Eclipse tutorials at http://eclipsetutorial.sourceforge.net.  They will give you a great overview of Eclipse and kickstart your 4.0 development.
  3. Optional Step: Get an SVN (subversion) server setup.  What is SVN? It's the big brother of CVS (version control system).  In Servoy 4.0, you will have the option of continuing to use a database repository (as you do now in 3.5 and prior), or using a file based version control system, like CVS or SVN. Using a CVS or SVN server will give you more powerful options to work with multiple devleopers, keep track of code changes to your Servoy solutions, check in/out, etc.  You can choose to setup your own SVN server, or go with a third-party hosting company.  I suggest starting out with Unfuddle: http://www.unfuddle.com.  Unfuddle provides a free SVN account with 1 username and password (multiple developers can use the same login) and it gives you 200 MB of storage...which is enough to hold lots of Servoy Solutions.    In addition it provides some extra perks, like online Wiki, bug tracking, project mgt, etc.  And you can upgrade pretty cheaply if you need more.  Finally, you need to install the SVN plugin into Eclipse so you can communicate with your SVN server.  The plugin is located at http://subclipse.tigris.org .  To install, you can download directly, or while in Eclipse, choose menu Help -> Software Updates -> Find & Install.  Then choose "Search for new features to install", and add a New Remote Site with the URL: http://subclipse.tigris.org/update_1.2.x .  Then contine with the update, and it will install the plugin.   I'll be posting additional information on the Knowledge Base on how to use SVN within Eclipse.
  4. Brush up on reviewing Servoy documentation and tutorials.  The Servoy team is going to go through all of the current online flash tutorials and update them for 4.0.  So, even if you've seen the tutorials before (in the older versions), go through them again.  It will be worth your time.  Also, download the PDF documentation again and go through the release notes at the beginning to update youself on the 4.0 changes.  Also skim through the rest of the PDF, and keep it close by as you start your development.
  5. Review compatibility between Servoy 4.0 and any third-party components (plug-ins/beans) you may be using.  Make sure you talk to the plug-in developers and get the latest versions that are compatible with 4.0.
  6. Get a new 4.0 development environment setup.  You may still be supporting your 3.5 and prior versions of your Servoy products, so get a new 4.0 Application Server setup so you can start testing out your deployment.
  7. If you are currently using the Servoy Multi-Developer product, you will no longer need that with 4.0.  Instead it will be integrated in using a version control system as outlined in #3.
  8. If you are upgrading solutions from 3.5 or prior...Testing, Testing, Testing.  Everything "should just work" when you convert, but it is always a good idea to test your upgraded applications just to be safe.

So, whats left after that?  Have a beer!  You deserve it :)  

The Servoy 4.0 release looks like it is going to be our best release yet.  You'll get lots of new features that your clients will enjoy, and lots of new features that YOU will enjoy because of Eclipse environment.

     

    Comments

    Assembla.com as another option for FREE SVN

    Scott mentioned unfuddle...I really like assembla. Have a look: www.assembla.comAlso there is an excellent, FREE book on SVN here: http://svnbook.red-bean.com/

    To add to the 'don't panic'...

    Nice!To add to the 'don't panic', step 3 is NOT mandatory and maybe even overkill when you develop alone'...

    Very Cool

    I'm EXCITED!

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