The edX organization has released an early version of the new Open edX platform, Ginkgo, although it is not ready for production yet. The final version, based on the edx.org code of July 6th, is expected within one month.
“The first Ginkgo test release is available: open-release/ginkgo.1rc1. Between now and the release of Ginkgo.1, there will be fixes applied, but typical development will not affect Ginkgo from this point on,” explained Ned Batchelder, a veteran edX engineer.
“There is no upgrade script from Ficus to Ginkgo, and there will not be one. We will be focusing instead on written instructions to guide people in updating their installations. Instead of upgrading, we will be supporting moving your data and configuration from a Ficus installation to a new Ginkgo installation,” added Ned Batchelder.
Ginkgo will bring new features into the Open edX platform such as a new learner dashboard with programs and progress (in the picture above), a new navigation across the courseware (as displayed at courses currently hosted at edX.org), coupons and enrollment codes as well as a mobile app with clickable video transcripts.
Marco Morales, an edX engineer in charge, elaborated on these features during the last Open edX conference, as shown in the video below. Also below, a screen shot of a Ginkgo installed by the IBL team.
