Welcome to AstroGrid Beta 2008

AstroGrid 2008.1 Release Now Available

20080401: Important Note: The new full 2008.1 release of the AstroGrid VODesktop has now been released - please visit http://www.astrogrid.org

These beta pages will remain available as a reference whilst users migrate to the full release version of VODesktop

AstroGrid VO Desktop 2008.1

Welcome to the beta testers page for AstroGrid's new software product - VO Desktop, which replaces and upgrades the existing prototype AstroGrid user interface. This is an application which runs on your PC but is able to query and access remote data services all over the world, and is interoperable with many data analysis applications such as Topcat, Aladin, and SPLAT-VO. It has been in the "alpha" stage for some months, and we intend to make a full public release in April 2008. During the remaining time, we are keen for, you, beta-users, to test the software and provide feedback. The software itself is now fairly stable, with this micro-site at http://beta.astrogrid.org, providing sufficient help and information to get started.

IMPORTANT SETUP NEWS

20080225: Please see the item on setting your registry endpoint at Known Bugs

In short, in the beta copy of VODesktop you have, via the preferences page, a choice of registries.

Please change your preferences to use this endpoint: 

http://registry.astrogrid.org/astrogrid-registry/services/RegistryQuery

Download and Get Started with VO Desktop

Download

The AstroGrid system is accessed using a Java application called VODesktop. In order to use it you will need to have Java Run Time Environment (JRE) installed in your computer and an AstroGrid username-password-community set.

Please note that this is a micro-site to support this VODesktop beta release, and is thus a draft of the final AstroGrid web site. It will be evolving during the beta testing period, so please be patient. Note that for now the software is downloaded as a Java "jar" file, but shortly it will be set up as a self-installing application. To get full benefit from VO Desktop, you will also want to download other applications that interoperate, such as Topcat and Aladin.

Giving Feedback

  • Send an email to helpdesk@… with the Subject Line as VODesktop2008.1 Feedback and your comments.
  • Report a bug using the Trac bug system - go to http://beta.astrogrid.org/trac.cgi/newticket, select defect or enhancement in the type: box, add your comments in the Description box and hit the Submit button when you are done. (Note - to use the trac bug reporting system you'll need an account for it - mail helpdesk@… for one).

What we'd especially like to hear about

We have tried to make the VODesktop software as simple as possible to use, whilst at the same time giving it enough capability to be useful in supporting real science use. We'd be interested to receive feedback on the following ten areas:

  • Are you able to easily download and install the software?
    • Have you used the python scripting at all?
  • Does it run fast enough on your particular machine?
  • Are you able to find the data that you need?
    • Is that data sufficiently described such that you know what it is?
  • Does the software work quickly enough?
    • And if it is doing a big task (such as a large database query), does it tell you what it is doing?
  • Does the software work with what ever other software you might be running on your computer?
  • Is the documentation good enough?
    • and are the worksheets and examples sufficient to get you started?
  • What features do you like, what don't you like

Of course, any other feedback, help, advice, comment, that you have will be appreciated.

Issues you should be aware of during the beta testing period

In this beta period, users are requested to make use of a central VOSpace set of disk storage. This space is managed in Leicester. Please regard it as you would departmental scratch disk space. Your files will not normally be deleted, but are not backed up. If you create high value files, please download them to your local machine or cluster and back them up there.

Whilst AstroGrid have made every effort to ensure that their software works as advertised, users are advised that this is beta software, and may contain certain bugs etc.

Thank for joining in the beta testing programme. We hope you enjoy using our software and that it is useful for you.

Information about the AstroGrid project is available.

Acknowledge AstroGrid

Attachments