Open Source File, Sync and Share Project Adds Cloud Text Editing and More

BOSTON, Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ownCloud, the popular open source file, sync and share project, today announced improvements to its functionality and stability, enabling users to get even more out of their privately-hosted and owned file-sharing cloud.

Available for download now, ownCloud Version 3 enables users to share files and folders with others from their privately controlled infrastructure. Major new features in this release include: the ownCloud application store, which allows users to take advantage of the extensibility of ownCloud; and, directly edit text file capabilities from a browser. ownCloud is the only technology to offer such functionality made possible by its open and modular nature. 

With more than 350,000 users and growing – ownCloud offers the ease-of-use of Dropbox and box.net with a more secure, transparently managed offering. As an open source project, ownCloud Version 3 offers innovative features, a flexible architecture, and no vendor lock in. ownCloud users can run its file sync and share services on their own hardware or use popular public hosting and storage offerings, allowing them to choose the trade-off between convenience and privacy they prefer.

"In many ways Version 3 is a leap forward for the ownCloud project -- not just in the technology, but also as a measure of the contributions from our expanding community," said Frank Karlitschek, founder of ownCloud. "Aside from the new functionality, the calendar and contacts have been given major improvements both in capabilities and interfaces."

With the announcement last month of ownCloud Inc., end users will now also have a broader support base and commercial supported offerings centered on the ownCloud project.

Major improvements

Cloud Text Editing

ownCloud Version 3 gives users the unique ability to access and edit documents in multiple ways. Users can access files directly if ownCloud is mounted via WebDAV, access them offline if the file is synced locally with the upcoming syncing client or access and edit files directly from within a browser with the new text editor.

The browser based text editor supports 35 programming languages for syntax highlighting, keyboard shortcuts, drag and drop text, automatic indent and outdent, unstructured/user code folding and Live syntax checker (for JavaScript, Coffee and CSS). The editor is based on the ACE JavaScript Editor. The editor supports basic text files. Editing more advanced formats like doc(x) and ODT is planned for future releases. 

Application Store

ownCloud Version 3 supports installation of new third party applications and add-ons directly from a central repository of ownCloud applications. Developers who want to offer new features can upload new ownCloud applications at apps.owncloud.com. ownCloud users can browse and install the new applications directly from within the ownCloud Admin interface. Both users and developers can develop and use this new application store.

PDF Viewer

ownCloud Version 3 ships with an integrated PDF viewer for convenient viewing and printing of PDFs, even with browsers that don´t have a PDF plugin installed. The viewer is based on the pdf.js library.

Photo Gallery

ownCloud Version 3 adds a photo gallery application to help view and organize photos of different file types. Photo albums are automatically created for uploaded photos.

PIM Improvements

The calendar application has a completely new and more user-friendly web interface. New features include repeating events and automatic time zone detection.  The interface of the contacts application is also improved with thumbnails of contact photos, and the option to export address books or single contacts as .vcf files. It is now possible to create, edit or delete multiple address books in ownCloud.

Other Improvements

ownCloud Version 3 contains a new "external" application which can be used to integrate external groupware solutions or webmail interfaces into the ownCloud GUI.

The community also enhanced integration between ownCloud and LDAP or Active Directory servers. Administration and setup of ownCloud is now easier because of the new logging feature which makes it easier to monitor and debug an ownCloud installation. 

ownCloud Community

Since the release of ownCloud Version 2 in October, the ownCloud community has enabled ownCloud for Juju Charms (Ubuntu) and built pre-configured software and virtual appliances ready for direct deployment in SUSE Studio. Additionally, the community has created a new website (owncloud.org) as well as a new forum site (forum.owncloud.org), improved installation documentation, and produced a new bug tracker (bugs.owncloud.org).

About ownCloud

ownCloud is a popular open source community project started at a KDE Community event in 2010, aiming to bring greater flexibility, access and security to data in the cloud.

ownCloud enables universal access to files through the widely implemented WebDAV standard, providing a platform to easily view and sync contacts, calendars and bookmarks across devices while supporting sharing, viewing and editing via the web interface.

Installation has minimal server requirements, doesn't need special permissions and is quick. ownCloud is extendable via a simple, powerful API for applications. For more information, please visit: http://www.owncloud.org

About ownCloud, Inc.

ownCloud, Inc. offers software and services around the ownCloud product. The company headquarters are in Boston, with a development lab in Germany. Product and services offerings will be announced in the first quarter of 2012.

For more information, please visit: http://www.owncloud.com  

SOURCE ownCloud