Announcing Funf Version 0.4!

[Nadav Aharony]

(Cross posting from the Funf blog, for better formatting check out the source http://funf-blog.blogspot.com/2013/04/announcing-funf-version-04.html)

We are very happy to announce a major version update to Funf, our open source mobile sensing framework, accompanied by respective updates to Funf’s two user-facing components (Funf Journal and Funf In A Box).

In the time since our last major version update (Funf 0.3) last year, we’ve had a chance to see how the framework has been used by developers and end users. In addition, we compiled our own “to do” list of features that didn’t make it into the 0.3 release.

Our high level goals for Funf 0.4 were to increase reliability and performance, as well as minimize effort for the developer. This last part includes both developers who are using the standard Funf API and Android library to build apps, as well as developers working on their own probes and extending the Funf framework at the lower levels (a “probe” is the basic component type in Funf which is responsible for sensing or detecting some type of data, and reporting it to software clients who requested the information. Funf 0.4 comes with 38 built-in probes!)

Most of the changes in this release are under the hood. It is a major release, and as such it breaks some compatibility with Funf 0.3 based apps.

The following diagram illustrates the high-level structure of the updated Funf architecture:

Funf phone-side architecture: high-level

Key updates:

• Funf now runs as a single service instead of a service per probe.
• Internal communication now implemented using internal function calls in the same JVM rather than inter-process communications. 
• Probes: Probe data exchange re-architected to use a GSON/JSON implementation.
• Pipelines: Generalized pipeline interface.
• Configuration: Extensive redesign of the configuration process
• Time normalization improvements. In particular, added ability to set configuration values of less than 1 second.
• Added dependency to modified Gson 2.1 library (see downloads page)
• Bug fixes.

For additional details see the detailed 0.4 release overview.

If you’re a user of Funf Journal, Funf In A Box, or any other Funf-based app that has been upgraded to version 0.4, you’ll enjoy higher stability and reliability out of the box.

Funf Journal: New version and updated look

We’ve also refreshed the look of Funf Journal to match the Android style guide, and tested it with devices running up to Android 4.2 Jellybean. 

For all components, please let us know if you find any issues with this release. 

Finally, as Funf was also just accepted to Google's Summer of Code program, if you are a student and interested in spending the summer contributing to Funf (and being paid by Google), you should consider applying.

We hope you enjoy Funf and find it useful!

- The Behavio team

[Klemen Peternel]

Great job guys! I've read the documentation and it is really a huge step in the development. I really love detailed scheduling inside configuration.

Just one thing: for small number of enabled probes I prefer running in multiple threads, like it was before (you gain some additional flexibility like sleeping a probe for a moment if you wait for some other data to become available). But I understand your decision - you are building a generic framework.

Best,

Klemen

[何梓]

If you are mentor?

在 2013年4月10日星期三UTC+8上午7时46分11秒，Nadav Aharony写道：

[Rami Batal]

Hi Nadav,

I am noticing that the group is not active at all and a lot of people are asking questions without any answer from anyone.

Can you please activate the group and answer our questions please?

Best regards
Rami

[Nadav Aharony]

Hi Rami,

We (the core team) have limited time to work on Funf, and are trying to use this time to benefit the most people. We're currently focused on upcoming releases and the Google Summer of Code projects, so we don't have as much time to answer many questions on the forum.

We are hoping that some of the members of the community will step up to answer more questions, while some of the questions are repeat questions that have been answered in the past.

If you, or anyone, has ideas of how to get more Funf developers to be active on the forums we'll be happy to hear them out...

Nadav

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Funf Developers" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to funf-develope...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.

[shay ryan]

Hi Nadav, I'm a Master's student in Ireland currently working on a project based on measuring social interaction - I'm hoping to use Funf for the final study at an research/industrial complex in Southern Ireland. My problem is that for the past week or so Funf seems to not be working. This worries me as I'm dependent on Funf for collecting data remotely. Could you tell me if Funf in a box is still working as it has been for the past two years or have changes been made? Thanks in advance, Shay.

[Nadav Aharony]

Hi Shay,

We have not done any change, but have noticed some back end reports on the site going up and down for some odd and yet unkown reason. 

I don't think that should interfere much with Funf In A Box since once you generate your APK it works directly with your Dropbox account and nothing goes via Funf servers. So if you are able to generate an APK, even if the site goes up and down, you should be in the clear. 

Nadav

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Funf Developers" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to funf-develope...@googlegroups.com.

For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[shay ryan]

Thanks very much for getting back to me, I'm relieved I can keep on with my research!  Thanks again Nadal also for putting Funf in the public eye, it's a great tool.

You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "Funf Developers" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/funf-developer/fDrLMNYUbXY/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to funf-develope...@googlegroups.com.

[Sonia Wu]

Hi, 

I am planing to use funf to collect mobile data for my research. Just wondering if you are considering to have iOS version since lots ppl use iPhone too.

[shay ryan]

Hi there, I think it is only android and there is no IOS version.  shay.

[shay ryan]

Hi Nadav,

I've finished my Master's Degree by Research in Business and I used funf and gephi to get there. These are both open source software options and I just wanted to say 'thank you' for your work in enabling me to get my Master's Degree. So, err, thank you!!

I can't publish my document until sometime in November but will forward on a pdf of it for your perusal.

Thanks again fella,

Shay.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to funf-developer+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "Funf Developers" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/funf-developer/fDrLMNYUbXY/unsubscribe.

To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to funf-developer+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.