@here I sat in on a meeting of the resurrected WS App Taskforce yesterday.
1) The plan moving forward is to require a key to access the API. While this will require rework (and totally knocks out my app, RIP), it's consistent with other API services and long overdue IMO.
2) There is now talk of addressing issues with the API. It's primarily due to 1), which in turn is due to the situation that led to disabling the API, but I'll take it.
3) We met the group that runs the web site, Skvare (https://skvare.com). Until yesterday I had no idea who these people were.
4) Tahverlee and the board are hoping to reconnect with the developers to move the apps forward. I'm afraid that if someone from this group doesn't engage with them, the current WSAndroid app will remain locked out of the API. It would be a shame (and a huge step backward for the community) to lose all of the excellent work you guys have put into this.
Well hopefully the board comes out with a clear vision for the future of the apps. I don't think the community here would expect or appreciate anything less then that. They have mentioned going private with the app before, and if reconnecting with the developers here is just a temporary fix, I don't think it's going to be taken well.
On the other hand, if they decide to go for and support a volunteer effort for the apps for the long term, I still think it would be great. It could also be a chance to prove that it can work, and make a case for the website too. And more, with the general trend, if the apps would provide much of the functionality of the website, it would be easy to see their usage go well over the that of the website.
Although, as the exasperation of members of this community is showing, it's pretty much a last chance that is given to them, and hopefully they understand that.
As for the private/volunteer option, I can't speak for developers here, but the idea of volunteering alongside paid developers seems awkward to me. And I don't see other good reasons to why the code would be private,
It really makes me sad to see people like @sgelb leaving the project. Farewell, and thank you a lot for your contributions!
I am quite disagreeing with the future plans of the board, too. However, I am sticking with the project for as long as I can as I am not volunteering for the board but the community. Contrary to @jeanfrancoisbeaulieu I am not against working alongside paid developers. This is what in many other open-source projects happens, too. However, to me it is important that anyone can fork the project and develop in a direction they believe to be important. Or adding features to the official app that are high-priority for an individual while being low-priority for the board. I don't see a compelling reason for the board to not allow that. I already tried to explain to Tahverlee that security is orthogonal to that more than a month ago.
At least, the FLOSS APKs can still be downloaded from here.
Hey, I would really like to contribute to the wsandroid project. How do I get an API key to get the build running? I planned to first start looking into whats there and maybe I than will come up with some ideas to improve or pick up an issue from the issue tracker. What would be the best way to rise those ideas? Simply open an issue?
For example one idea I had was to make profile images clickable. The one in the Sidenav to lead on your personal profile and most importantly the one in the message. Because last time I got a request I wanted to check out the profile of that person, but the only way to get to that profile was to copy paste the name into the person search. This was kinda complicated and I wished to have that feature back then :)
Your ideas sound like very nice improvements. Opening new issues is always a good idea to get started. I just submitted PR #348 with some code laying around for enlarging a user profile image. Maybe you could have a look at it, what do you think? If you have any questions feel free to ask here.
I will open an issue as soon as I get started and have looked a little bit into the code base.
I'll look into getting you a key. I cannot issue them but am going to reach out to the board. Please, PM me your Warmshowers userId? (It is the number in the url of your profile page on warmshowers.org). It might take a while to get your key.
Do you already have some ideas what you would like to work on? :)
Hi @mariha, welcome to the WSAndroid chat.
Where should I start..? Well, great that you applied for the RFP and even greater that you are willing to provide a solution that keeps the apps open source! We - the volunteers that maintain the android app - are obviously in favor of that path forward. In fact, we advised the board many times in the past to keep their source open - even if they decide to work together with paid software developers that ensure that progress is made, bugs are fixed, ... Personally, I'd be very happy to see an applicant like you getting the concession.
Unfortunately, the communication of the board has always been quite sparse and turned to almost non-existing in the past years. Therefore, I was not surprised to find a topic as important as the late request for proposal at the very end of a newsletter convoluted with another donation success story. So no, I unfortunately don't know anything about the progress of the RFP - the last I heard from the board was a notice one day before they sent out the newsletter to everyone. I suggest that you directly ask them about the progress (and maybe keep us posted? :wink:)
All of that said, the current wsandroid project is not dead (yet). And I guess it won't be until mid to end of this year. There are still cyclists on the road and we are still happy to provide the community with a nice and working app. So 3 years after your initial offer for help: Yes, we are in need of volunteers and would be very happy to welcome you aboard. Look at the readme on the Github page for how to get a developer certificate and how to build the app. Then we can chat here about any bugs/features you want to work on. If you need help I am here to help you. Thank you.