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Subject: Important: the Citadel git repository has MOVED
Important announcement: the Citadel git repository has moved!
TL;DR: it is now at [ https://code.citadel.org/citadel/citadel.git ]
The longer story is that we are now running a private GitLab server, so that we can do all of that neat stuff with CI/CD and automatic builds and have a better way of handling merge requests and all of those other things.
You don't need to have an account on the server to download or browse the code. However, if you intend to submit patches or otherwise contribute, you can sign up -- but to limit abuse, we have it configured so that you MUST use an @uncensored.citadel.org email address. I think you can change it later if you want to. I just don't have the time or patience to deal with random kiddies from out of town trying to mess with the system.
Subject: IMPORTANT RELEASE NOTE regarding Citadel 976
This is an important release note regarding Citadel version 976, which is appearing shortly on all the usual download places.
Every installation of Citadel has a database called the Use Table, which keeps track of external data items that have already been "seen" so they are not downloaded again. During the most recent development cycle, we became aware that these items have been getting stored in a way that (1) consumed much more space than required, and (2) never got purged from disk.
Regrettably, this bug was not fixable in a way that could preserve the table, so part of the fix involves erasing the whole table during the next upgrade.
Don't worry, this doesn't erase any of YOUR data. It just means that after your next upgrade, you're going to see some duplicates in rooms that are pulling external RSS feeds or remote POP3 mailboxes. After that first run, the duplicates will not appear again.
We apologize for the minor inconvenience this may cause.
Subject: ctdlmigrate to be replaced by new utilities
Consider it vaporware -- but not really, since it's already been written, but not published yet. This is just an advance notice so that Citadel sites can take advantage of an upcoming improvement.
If anyone has tried using the "ctdlmigrate" utility to move a Citadel database between machines -- perhaps on different architectures (AMD64 vs. ARM) or different bit widths (32-bit vs. 64-bit), then you already know how slow that utility is, and on very large systems the fidelity can be less than perfect.
Therefore, this utility is being retired in an upcoming release.
It will be replaced by simple "dump" and "load" utilities, whose purpose will be instantly familiar to anyone who has ever worked with databases. You can dump your Citadel database to a flat file, which can then be loaded onto another system running the same version of Citadel -- even if it's a different CPU. These utilities are intended to be used while Citadel Server is *NOT* running, so they are much faster and more reliable.
So if you've been putting off a migration to a different CPU because ctdlmigrate was too finicky (like I have -- my system still runs on 32-bit) then the upcoming release and its new dump and load utilities are for you.
Citadel 992 is now available. There are no end user visible changes in this version, but there's a whole lot going on in the back end. So if you're a system administrator, you might want to get this one.
* As promised, `ctdlmigrate` has been removed. It has been replaced by two utilities that get the job done much faster and more reliably: `ctdldump` and `ctdlload`. They are, as their name suggests, dump and load utilities for your Citadel database. These must be run while Citadel Server is *stopped*.
You can use these utilities to move a Citadel installation around between machines that have different architectures -- for example, you can go from 32-bit to 64-bit, from AMD/Intel to ARM, etc.
* This version has been tested on FreeBSD. There are no sexy installation scripts included but if you're running FreeBSD you probably want to roll-your-own anyway. It does require GCC and GMake.
* IMPORTANT: if you've had problems with database corruption in the past, then this is the one for you! We've got it running REALLY SOLIDLY at this point. I personally haven't been able to get my test databases to fail no matter how badly I abused them. Ironically, this was part of an effort to get ready to move AWAY from Berkeley DB, but in the process we figured out how to get Berkeley DB to be as stable as it was when we first started using it 20+ years ago.
* There is a new `loadtest` utility that you can use to abuse the system for a while before you put real users onto it, if you feel like doing that.
It's multithreaded and can support hundreds of concurrent load testing threads.
So there it is ... that's how the Citadel team spent our summer. :) This is an upgrade that makes the Citadel Server far more solid, far more reliable, and far more portable. We are also now in a position where someone can write alternative back end storage layers for Citadel Server, such as LMDB or MariaDB or whatever.
Such a back end could potentially be written in a few days, and the new dump-and-load utilities would allow quick porting to them.
Once the dust settles down from this upgrade we'll be going back to work on WebCit-N[5~G.
Hello to everyone out there in Citadel land! We hope your new year has been fresh and exciting so far. This is a quick update on what's new, what's coming, and what's possible.
Citadel software releases
There have been a few new point releases of the Citadel system in the last five months. These are just maintenance releases, containing minor bug fixes and minor feature updates.
Community feedback from the Version 992 release last fall has been overwhelmingly positive. For sites which experienced database corruption on, shall we say less than ideal machines, these reports have completely stopped. We cannot overstate how good it feels to know that we have once again achieved one of the most stable data stores available. This thing is rock solid! We're also pleased that the dump and load utilities have been well received by the community, for sites which need to move to new hardware, or different hardware.
Development work
You're not seeing a lot of new features because all of our UI effort is going into WebCit-NG right now. I wish this was something that you could see the progress on, but it's useless to end users until it's feature complete! So for those who think our Web UI looks a bit dated, fear not: the new one is gorgeous. The "forum" and "mail" modules are complete, and we are currently focusing on the "calendar" module. Since WebCit-NG natively uses DAV/REST as its browser-to-server interface, we're making it CalDAV native! Everyone is looking forward to not only the web user interface, but also native access from all of your favorite desktop and mobile calendar applications.
Follow along?
Our git repository at code.citadel.org is one again running GitWeb. For all the features that GitLab CE offered, we just weren't using them, and so it was a waste of server space. But you can still follow along and watch the development progress. If you're a developer, or can write documentation, we'd love to have you join our community!
And don't forget, the community bulletin board at uncensored.citadel.org isn't just for Citadel support; it's also a vibrant set of forums covering all sorts of topics about technolibertarianism and life in the free world. Join us!
Hello friends! Here in the northern hemisphere we're taking in the beautiful weather of spring and enjoying our little corner of the digital world here in Citadel land. We have a few little bits of news that we think you'll enjoy.
Citadel 1000 now includes DKIM signing support
That's not a branding exercise -- it actually happens to be Version 1000 in the release train. And it contains something special.
If you are using Citadel as an email server, you know how frustrating it can be when the big email services throw your messages into the spam folder or even reject them entirely. Google and Yahoo in particular have really turned up the heat on email senders. Now hear the good news: Citadel now automatically creates a DKIM signature for all outbound email. If you want to take advantage of this feature -- and you absolutely should -- it is implemented with Citadel's legendary ease of use. Citadel Server automatically creates your site's private key, automatically sets up signing of outbound messages, and the ever-helpful Citadel Aide will send you (the site administrator) a message containing the exact DNS records you have to create. All you have to do is copy and paste those records into your DNS provider, and you're done!
Here at citadel.org, we were getting everything rejected by gmail at the door, but when DKIM went online, the effect was dramatic and immediate; we had no problem getting email to those users within 12 hours. So if you're using Citadel for email, upgrade now and take advantage of this exciting new feature.
Roadmap
We've added a new "Development Roadmap" to the Citadel web site. It's at https://www.citadel.org/roadmap.html and you can see where we're going next, including screenshots of some of the exciting new developments we have in the works.
And as always, remember to join us at https://uncensored.citadel.org for vibrant forums covering all sorts of topics about technolibertarianism and life in the free world.
HOw long until ActivityPub is a thing?
HOw long until ActivityPub is a thing?
Good question, thanks for asking. The short answer is that we won't be adding that to WebCit Classic, so it will be implemented once WebCit-NG goes live.
I know that's a frustrating answer because it's what we really want to be adding right now. The new framework will make it possible. Unfortunately WebCit Classic has become so difficult to maintain that it really isn't feasible to add a major new subsystem to it. The new code is architecturally beautiful and should put us into a good position to add, change, and replace new features for many years to come.
so it will be implemented once WebCit-NG goes live.
Naturally makes one have to ask, do we have an estimate on when NG will be live? Pretty excited for that interface more than anything else in the works ATM -- that's all "icing on the cake" so to speak.
Naturally makes one have to ask, do we have an estimate on when NG
will be live? Pretty excited for that interface more than anything
else in the works ATM -- that's all "icing on the cake" so to speak.
Realistically ... probably some time next year. The good news is that what you saw in the screenshots is real and actually completed, not a mockup. So the basic framework is in place, including all of the REST/DAV foundation and SSL and even some CalDAV support now, and as you saw in the screenshots the Mail and Forums modules are feature complete.
At this time the Calendar module is being developed, which is probably the most complex one out of all the remaining modules...... And we are actively working on it; this is the top and only priority. Unfortunately we just lost a couple of weeks to the DKIM side quest; this was unplanned but it became an emergency when the Gatekeepers Of Mountain View stopp accepting all email being sent to gmail accounts. But with that out of the way we're back to WebCit-NG.
Realistically ... probably some time next year.
Oooh a wait but one that sounds well worth it. Pretty excited for it all obviously.
Subject: Re: CitaNews - May 2024
I tried running the easy install to update my existing server but it gets stuck here at the end - I tried manually starting the citadel server process and I can then log in but it never sent me the DNS code. Any ideas?
Marisa
Hello friends! Here in the northern hemisphere we're taking in the beautiful weather of spring and enjoying our little corner of the digital world here in Citadel land. We have a few little bits of news that we think you'll enjoy.
Citadel 1000 now includes DKIM signing support
That's not a branding exercise -- it actually happens to be Version 1000 in the release train. And it contains something special.
If you are using Citadel as an email server, you know how frustrating it can be when the big email services throw your messages into the spam folder or even reject them entirely. Google and Yahoo in particular have really turned up the heat on email senders. Now hear the good news: Citadel now automatically creates a DKIM signature for all outbound email. If you want to take advantage of this feature -- and you absolutely should -- it is implemented with Citadel's legendary ease of use. Citadel Server automatically creates your site's private key, automatically sets up signing of outbound messages, and the ever-helpful Citadel Aide will send you (the site administrator) a message containing the exact DNS records you have to create. All you have to do is copy and paste those records into your DNS provider, and you're done!
Here at citadel.org, we were getting everything rejected by gmail at the door, but when DKIM went online, the effect was dramatic and immediate; we had no problem getting email to those users within 12 hours. So if you're using Citadel for email, upgrade now and take advantage of this exciting new feature.
Roadmap
We've added a new "Development Roadmap" to the Citadel web site. It's at https://www.citadel.org/roadmap.html and you can see where we're going next, including screenshots of some of the exciting new developments we have in the works.
And as always, remember to join us at https://uncensored.citadel.org for vibrant forums covering all sorts of topics about technolibertarianism and life in the free world.
I tried running the easy install to update my existing server but it
gets stuck here at the end - I tried manually starting the citadel
server process and I can then log in but it never sent me the DNS code.
Any ideas?
Well you could start by posting your help request in the Citadel Support forum instead of in CitaNews.
Subject: Advisory for sites geting DOSed on the "s" ports (smtps/pop3s/imaps/nntps)
Over the past year or so we have seen an increase in brute-force attempts on the "s" ports -- SMTPS, POP3S, IMAPS, NNTPS -- and these don't time out as quickly as the unencrypted ports, so we end up with the effect of it being a denial of service attack when you hit the maximum number of sessions limit for your site.
We are recommending that you disable these ports. The good news is that these ports are seldom used; just about all users are configured for STARTTLS on the regular port numbers anyway.
The next release of Citadel Server will have these ports disabled by default.
They can be activated at any time for the few sites that need them.
Naturally makes one have to ask, do we have an estimate on when
NG will be live? Pretty excited for that interface more than
anything else in the works ATM -- that's all "icing on the cake"
so to speak.
Just a quick update -- the roadmap page at https://www.citadel.org/roadmap.html now includes a preview of the Calendar app in WebCit-NG. We're really excited about how much of an improvement this one is over the calendar in WebCit Classic.
Interestingly, the communication between the user interface on the browser and the datastore on WebCit is actually using CalDAV as its on-the-wire protocol, and we're successfully exchanging calendar data between Thunderbird and WebCit-NG using CalDAV.
Now I do need to mention one thing. The purpose of these updates is not to peddle vaporware. It is, in fact, the opposite: to *show* you the progress, and to demonstrate that what we are building is actually taking shape and is not vaporware. It is to demonstrate that Citadel is a highly active project but most of the current work is not yet visible in the published releases of the Citadel System. I hope that you are all as excited as we are.
The calendar module is, without question, the single most complex and logic-heavy piece of the Citadel system. As you might expect, there are hundreds of little details to get right -- not just getting the display looking good but handling time zone conversion, recurring events, interaction with foreign calendar systems, integration with client software, handling all sorts of weird edge cases -- it's quite a chore! But we are not cutting corners and we believe you will be pleased with the results.
A big thank you to anyone who has sent in patches, reported bugs, or contributed comments and suggestions and test results over the last six to twelve months. Thanks to you, Citadel Server is exceptionally robust right now and this frees up folks like me to focus on the new user interface. You are all a wonderful community and for that we are grateful.
I've been checking out the git from time to time and noticed a lot of work going on with the back end calendar code. Looks good in the updated web interface, for sure! A solid improvement to the usability of citadel as groupware.
While I'm thinking about it, I have to ask about the "forums" -- obviously the floor - room structure isn't going anywhere (as it shouldn't, it rocks) but I'm curious if there will be, to even a rudimentary degree, subject based or reply based threading, or will any given room on webcit NG still be shown basically as a chronological list of posts as is current in the bulletin board view option on webcit?
To be clear I'm fine with whatever, just wanted clarification for future planning and preparations.
I'm curious if there will be, to even a
rudimentary degree, subject based or reply based threading, or
will any given room on webcit NG still be shown basically as a
chronological list of posts as is current in the bulletin board
view option on webcit?
Good question! Thanks for asking.
One of the BIG design decisions for WebCit-NG was to abandon the idea that the Web interface should mirror the "rooms" metaphor of the text-based BBS.
Although we've taken steps towards this goal in the past, we are now fully embracing the concept that if you access a Citadel site with a web browser, it's going to look like a set of integrated applications with a common design language and a common back end -- NOT as a metaphorical walk through a building where you visit rooms that have different purposes.
In other words, think of it as something in the same family as NextCloud or Teams, but with a focus on applications that mix group communication with content management, such as email, group calendars, blogs, wikis, and of course forums. (As a benefit on the other side -- this frees up the text client to be itself: a real old-school BBS!)
What this means is that the "forums" app can look however we want it to look, and I am definitely open to the idea of having a threaded view. The only question in my mind is how to render it in a way that ensures you don't "miss" replies because they were buried way up in a thread that you've already seen most of. I'm open to suggestions on this.
The good news is that when you "reply" to a message in a Citadel forum/room, it *does* record the thread references. In fact, it's been doing this for over fifteen years, so an existing site already has the threads in place -- IF people are using the "reply" button. And that's the bad news: many Citadelians, particularly those who have been around since the old times, never got into the habit of using "reply" -- they just select "enter message" even when replying. This has the effect of "starting a new thread" when they shouldn't. Now this is probably less of a concern than it used to be, but we'll have to look at some recent forums and inspect the headers. (I suppose an "in reply to..." header, that could be switched on for diagnostics, could do the trick.)
I'm also wondering whether it might make sense to simply offer a "topic" view, where there is merely one level of threading, so you just see the "OP" (original post) and then everything underneath it is linear (or maybe that's what you meant by "subject based"). Uncoincidentally, the "blog" view in WebCit-Classic does exactly this: you're looking either at all top-level posts, or a single top-level posts and all of its replies. Under the covers it's *exactly* the same back end as the Forums view, and we simply ignore all thread references other than the top one, and render it the way people expect for a blog.
I think you'll agree, however, that the most important thing right now is to get WebCit-NG to the point where it has feature parity with WebCit-Classic, so that we can release it into general availability, and *then* we can innovate on top of it. It's regrettable that we couldn't do the transition gradually, but the old and new versions are so fundamentally different from each other in architecture that it just wasn't practical to do.
Again, thanks for asking; the feedback is wonderful and very much appreciated!
All this just underscores my feeling that Citadel is one of the finest underappreciated pieces in the world of FOSS. It may be a thankless job, but I certainly appreciate all the work done on it.