ownCloud Community Edition 6

Improved design, advanced integration with enhanced APIs and the ability to create, share, download – and now collaboratively edit – documents online lead the list of enhancement and additions in ownCloud, Inc.‘s Community Edition, an open source, on-premises file sync and share.

With more than a million users worldwide, ownCloud offers the ease-of-use, flexibility, privacy and security unmatched by consumer-grade services. It installs on a web server, enabling users to host their own file sync and share, giving them control of their data whether using their own storage or cloud storage.

“ownCloud 6 is the fastest, easiest-to-use ownCloud yet,” said Frank Karlitschek, founder and leader of the ownCloud project, as well as CTO of ownCloud. “It has a ton of cool new features that the community can use to safely and privately sync and share files – under their control. And ownCloud Documents gives small groups the ability to edit documents together in real-time.”

ownCloud Documents
ownCloud Documents enables online, live, collaborative editing of standard documents. Documents stored can be created within a web-interface or existing documents can be uploaded. Sharing and editing can be done securely in the browser and be shared inside ownCloud or via a public link. The editing works on top of normal ODF files that are stored in ownCloud and can be privately and securely stored on-premises.

ownCloud Community Edition 6 Features
In addition to ownCloud Documents, the ownCloud Community Edition 6 includes new and enhanced features:

User Interface

• Activity feeds. A real-time list of recent activity so users can see what is going on in their ownCloud account with the files they own.
• Improved design. Updated interface, new elements, and other improvements provide less visual clutter and more space for better user focus and more intuitive interactions.
• Avatars. New user pictures visible through the interface that augment sharing and collaborative interactions.
• Previews. Thumbnail previews for file types and pictures enabling a user to see a quick summary of their files without having to open them.

Usability

• Conflict handling. A new web conflict dialog providing the user multiple options if a file is uploaded that already exists on the server.
• Share file notification. Optional emails sent to users and groups when sharing a file or folder with other users of the system.
• Example files. Pre-set files that an admin can select that appear in new user accounts when they log in for the first time, such as a tutorial on how to use ownCloud.
• Enhanced performance. Improved performance across the board, including encryption, external system integration and file sync.

Development/Deployment

• Sharing REST API. A new API that enables app developers and partners to externally access all ownCloud sharing functions from, for example, a mobile app or desktop application.
• ownCloud App API. An enhanced API for easier development of 3rd party apps and easier access to core functions for app development.
• App management. A new framework that improves management of 3rd party apps and the installation of these apps into ownCloud.

“The ownCloud community has once again helped create the latest and greatest ownCloud – the best way I know to protect the privacy and security of data, while still freely sharing it with friends, family and colleagues,” said Karlitschek. “And, it’s easier than ever to create more great apps, extending ownCloud to fit your needs.”

Availability
ownCloud 6 Community Edition is available and is recommended for experienced ownCloud Community Edition users only. It gives open source enthusiasts and technical users a free, secure and innovative way to sync and share data.

ownCloud, Inc., the company behind ownCloud, will launch a commercially-supported Enterprise Edition in the first quarter 2014, targeting enterprise IT departments that require on-premises file sync and share for sensitive corporate data.