GSP to be released as DotNetNuke module

The headline gives away the surprise at the end of this post, but first let me tell you what’s been going on.

I previously blogged about how I am taking a temporarily break from full-time work on GSP to restock the savings account through a programming contract. That started in August and looks like it will continue for a few more months. It has been a real bummer being away from GSP – it is so unsatisfying to have so many things I want to do but not enough time to do them.

Your support continues to amazes me. In the last couple weeks there were three $100 donations. I truly appreciate every gift and am doing my best to get into a position where GSP is self-sustaining. Ultimately I plan to bring developers on staff to speed up the pace of development.

Work on GSP continues, but at a little slower pace than when I was at it full-time. Each evening I have a go, beginning with catching up on forum threads. There are a couple things you can expect in the coming months.

SQLite support in the Web Platform Installer (WPI)

Microsoft included support for SQLite in Web Platform Installer 2.0, released a few weeks ago. I am working with them to create a new package that takes advantage of this. This will allow an even easier installation process for GSP because you can use the file-based, self-contained SQLite database engine rather than SQL Server.

As long as I am modifying the package, I am trying to add support for choosing the type of SQL authentication for SQL Server users. The current version requires that you use a SQL login account – support for Windows authentication is not supported. Sounds easy enough, but the Web Platform Installer does not appear to allow for this. I am waiting to hear back from Microsoft as to whether we can somehow shoehorn this in. If not, we’ll have to settle for SQL-only authentication for a while.

Bug fixes

There are a few bug fixes I’d like to get out, so I’ll probably refresh all the packages when the WPI version is released.

DotNetNuke module

Today I am publicly announcing that Gallery Server Pro will soon be released as a DotNetNuke module. You have probably heard of DotNetNuke – it’s the most popular Content Management System (CMS) for .NET. Below is a screenshot of a default DNN installation with the GSP module running in a page.

The module preserves all the features of GSP 2.3 while integrating with core DNN functionality such as user membership and site-wide searching. I am nearly done with the coding – just a handful of items left that I think will take about 40 hours or so to finish up. Finding those 40 hours is a real challenge, so I can’t provide a firm release date. I can tell you it won’t be within the next month, but I can also tell you that I want to get it out the door as soon as possible.

The module will be released as a commercial product, although no price has yet been set. The goal is that the revenue will pay the bills so that I can continue to offer the stand-alone version of GSP as a free open source product. Let me repeat – there are absolutely no plans to begin charging for the regular version of GSP. I adore the donation model and it is one of the things I am most proud of. That will not change.

If you are wondering why someone would pay for a module when they can have the regular app for free, I have thought of that, too. And I’m not worried. Developers who build DNN sites are accustomed to paying for modules that provide the desired functionality. They are typically building sites for customers who are paying good money and they don’t mind shelling out a few bucks to get what they need. Having access to the free regular version doesn’t really help them because it won’t integrate into DNN.

Stay tuned for more information.