So what is new in Anahita 2.0
Just over a day ago we started distributing the Anahita 2.0 Birth release package as well as 2 additional free social apps: Anahita Groups and Topics. We also have the Anahita 2.0 API documentation available for the hackers and developers out there who would like to learn what goes on inside the Anahita framework. It was 4:30 AM that we announced the availability of the 2.0 Birth release and I promised to do another blog post describing all the new aspects of the Anahita 2.0, so here we go:
Completely Rewritten Framework
We have taken all the knowledge and experience that we had gained from the Anahita 1.5 release and rewritten a lot of the framework code to be more reusable and efficient. Anahita now provides one of the most comprehensive APIs specialized for developing custom social apps and services. You can take a look at the Anahita API documentation for yourself.
It is faster
Anahita 2.0 is about 30% faster now due to the improvements that we have done all the way from the low level system calls and database queries up to the user interfaces where pages are loaded and rendered. For those of you who are more technical:
- we are using the latest release of Nooku Framework which renders the layouts faster with APC on.
- Using technologies such as Twitter Bootstrap and LessCSS, Anahita now has a single compact CSS file which downloads very quickly and pages render quite fast.
- Stream paginations on the dashboard and profiles have been optimized to load and pre-load faster which results into a instantaneous and seamless user experience.
Lighter and leaner social apps
All the Anahita social apps have been rewritten using the new framework code and now contain on average 48% less code and that is while they perform faster and smoother than before.
That means the custom social apps that you wil be developing require less code than before.
How much smaller are the Anahita 2.0 apps in comparison with the 1.5 ones?
- Anahita Pages: 39%
- Anahita Todos: 39%
- Anahita Photos: 37%
- Anahita Groups: 84%
- Anahita Topics: 66%
- Anahita Connect: 22%
Improved Story Feeds
The logic in the story feed has been greatly improved in comparison with the 1.5 release also a lot of the data grouping and preparation that used to happen at the application level are now happening at the database query level.
Improved Composers
Until now, the composers on the dashboards and profiles could only be used for posting stories. In the Anahita 2.0, the composers can be used for posting all types of media such as photos, topics, pages, etc. The Anahita framework also provides a very easy to use API for you to create your own custom composer for the social apps that you are developing.
Improved Actor Profiles
The actor profile layout has been redesigned to be less cluttered and it provides more room for additional applications and modules.
The Edit Profile user interface has also been completely redesigned so all the profile administration task can be done in one place. Anahita framework provides the necessary APIs for your custom app to include additional tabs into the edit profile area.
Notifications System
Anahita now has a notification system to alert the viewer about all the new comments, likes, and other events that they should be notified about.
Twitter Bootstrap & LessCSS
We have used and extended the Twitter Bootstrap 2.0 library with the Anahita set of styling libraries in order to construct and style the user interfaces. Anahita 2.0 also comes with a built-in LessCSS compiler so let’s say if you wanted to customize the Anahita Shiraz template, just switch on the debug mode, modify the Less files or include new ones, then refresh the browser and Anahita will compile a single compact css file that contains all the Boostrap library as well as Anahita libraries.
Important Note: We are still using the grid system provided by the Gantry Framework rather than using the fluid grid system provided by the Bootstrap. We will soon be discarding the Gantry framework and use the native Anahita template engine which will be using the Bootstrap responsive grid. As soon as we are done, the update will be available for free.
What’s next?
The 2.0 Birth release has opened a new chapter for the Anahita project and we have a whole new journey ahead of us. Our main focus for the upcoming 2.* releases will be: Search, content curation, and mobile accessibility.
kostas and 2 others are discussing. 
James 1:19 pm on July 19, 2012 Permalink
Super super work guys, looking forward to seeing what is beyond version 2.0
Rastin Mehr 5:56 pm on July 19, 2012 Permalink
Thank you @James the work has already begun. I am drafting a list of what the vision going to be for the 2.* releases.
kostas 4:06 pm on July 21, 2012 Permalink
well done guys
Claude Gelinas 10:11 am on July 22, 2012 Permalink
Looks like a nice start, 2.0-wise!
Andre 12:43 pm on July 26, 2012 Permalink
Well done guys. Love it