Below are frequently asked questions about Wakanda... and their answers!
Please see the Licensing page.
You say Wakanda is open source, but I can't see where I'd download the sources. Where are they?
We are still finalizing source code organization and licensing questions. The sources will be available with the production release. Nevertheless, the source code of our Wakanda Application Framework is already available on Github.
How much does Wakanda cost?
Please see the Licensing page.
Please see the Roadmap page to follow Wakanda's development and release priorities.
What kind of open source license will you use?
Please see the Licensing page.
You say Wakanda is open source, but I can't see where I'd download the sources. Where are they?
We are still finalizing source code organization and licensing questions. The sources will be available with the production release. Nevertheless, the source code of our Wakanda Application Framework is already available on Github.
What are your plans regarding team development?
Wakanda provides very task-specific files like the ones for the datastore model, project and solution settings, users and groups, permissions, user interfaces, etc., making it very easy to have each team member work on his or her specific part. We plan to implement additional team development features such as integrated source control and a studio extensions system that will allow Wakanda to easily integrate other tools like bug tracker, dashboards, task lists, project management, time trackers and messengers in a progressive manner.
Wakanda Architecture
What are datastore classes and models?
A datastore class is a persistent object: The attributes of the class are saved on disk in the datastore and can be retrieved at any time. Related classes, if any (a typical employee/company, for example) are also persistent.
"The Wakanda datastore model uses a datastore class paradigm rather than a relational database methodology. Instead of representing information as tables, records, and fields, Wakanda uses a new approach that more accurately maps data to real world items and concepts."
from Wakanda Server-Side Concepts (PDF)
Can I continue using my favorite framework with Wakanda?
Yes. Just include the appropriate scripts at runtime (Note:Wakanda Application Framework comes with jQuery 1.4.3).
You even can create the full interface from the source view (or via your current IDE) and access Wakanda Server data using its HTTP API (See the corresponding documentation at doc.wakanda.org).
Can I add/create my own widgets in the GUI Designer?
Yes. See the corresponding documentation at doc.wakanda.org
Can I theme my Wakanda pages?
Yes. You can add your own CSS file(s) to any HTML page you create with the Studio. As of today (Wakanda Beta), some attributes are set inline and thus must be overridden by JavaScript code.
How fast is Wakanda?
The datastore engine is damn fast. You can query over a billion entities in 0-3 ms. Attributes of datastore classes can be indexed – using the appropriate index will speed up data access. Furthermore, querying on related entities, using "projections" (see Wakanda Datastore documentation) is very fast.
Server-side, Wakanda uses the SquirrelFish Extreme just-in-time compiler, which is known to be very fast. Just remember to stop the debugger in your production environment or when you're doing benchmarks, because when it is running, it slows down code execution. (This is standard behavior.)
Doing JavaScript on the server side, what a strange idea. Why?
JavaScript is widespread and easy to learn. It's already used in the browser by lots of developers. Having one single language in the full stack (from server to browser) makes it easier to develop/maintain an application, and to hire developers. Every year there are an increasing number of JavaScript events and conferences around the world where people meet and improve their skills.
On the Server-Side, JavaScript is fully ready for professional usage. Its dynamic behavior makes Wakanda Server very fast and optimized for accessing data in the datastore.
Can I develop for mobiles with Wakanda?
Yes. The studio lets you create your HTML pages for desktop, mobile or tablet, with widgets that have been adapted for the "Touch" environment.
How about PHP?
The language is JavaScript. With the SystemWorkers API, you can launch PHP using the command line of your platform.
No. We're aware that "Wakanda" is used as the name of the country from which the comic book character Black Panther hails in the Marvel universe. We're quite happy to coexist with them, but our Wakanda is different. In fact, we got it from the Sioux Indian name for the "inner magic" that's in everything. We feel that our product, appropriately, has a little inner magic of its own!
Licensing and Pricing
What kind of open source license will you use?Please see the Licensing page.
You say Wakanda is open source, but I can't see where I'd download the sources. Where are they?
We are still finalizing source code organization and licensing questions. The sources will be available with the production release. Nevertheless, the source code of our Wakanda Application Framework is already available on Github.
How much does Wakanda cost?
Please see the Licensing page.
Product Lifecycle
When do you plan to release the final version?Please see the Roadmap page to follow Wakanda's development and release priorities.
What kind of open source license will you use?
Please see the Licensing page.
You say Wakanda is open source, but I can't see where I'd download the sources. Where are they?
We are still finalizing source code organization and licensing questions. The sources will be available with the production release. Nevertheless, the source code of our Wakanda Application Framework is already available on Github.
What are your plans regarding team development?
Wakanda provides very task-specific files like the ones for the datastore model, project and solution settings, users and groups, permissions, user interfaces, etc., making it very easy to have each team member work on his or her specific part. We plan to implement additional team development features such as integrated source control and a studio extensions system that will allow Wakanda to easily integrate other tools like bug tracker, dashboards, task lists, project management, time trackers and messengers in a progressive manner.
Wakanda Architecture
What are datastore classes and models?A datastore class is a persistent object: The attributes of the class are saved on disk in the datastore and can be retrieved at any time. Related classes, if any (a typical employee/company, for example) are also persistent.
"The Wakanda datastore model uses a datastore class paradigm rather than a relational database methodology. Instead of representing information as tables, records, and fields, Wakanda uses a new approach that more accurately maps data to real world items and concepts."
from Wakanda Server-Side Concepts (PDF)
Can I continue using my favorite framework with Wakanda?
Yes. Just include the appropriate scripts at runtime (Note:Wakanda Application Framework comes with jQuery 1.4.3).
You even can create the full interface from the source view (or via your current IDE) and access Wakanda Server data using its HTTP API (See the corresponding documentation at doc.wakanda.org).
Can I add/create my own widgets in the GUI Designer?
Yes. See the corresponding documentation at doc.wakanda.org
Can I theme my Wakanda pages?
Yes. You can add your own CSS file(s) to any HTML page you create with the Studio. As of today (Wakanda Beta), some attributes are set inline and thus must be overridden by JavaScript code.
How fast is Wakanda?
The datastore engine is damn fast. You can query over a billion entities in 0-3 ms. Attributes of datastore classes can be indexed – using the appropriate index will speed up data access. Furthermore, querying on related entities, using "projections" (see Wakanda Datastore documentation) is very fast.
Server-side, Wakanda uses the SquirrelFish Extreme just-in-time compiler, which is known to be very fast. Just remember to stop the debugger in your production environment or when you're doing benchmarks, because when it is running, it slows down code execution. (This is standard behavior.)
Doing JavaScript on the server side, what a strange idea. Why?
JavaScript is widespread and easy to learn. It's already used in the browser by lots of developers. Having one single language in the full stack (from server to browser) makes it easier to develop/maintain an application, and to hire developers. Every year there are an increasing number of JavaScript events and conferences around the world where people meet and improve their skills.
On the Server-Side, JavaScript is fully ready for professional usage. Its dynamic behavior makes Wakanda Server very fast and optimized for accessing data in the datastore.
Can I develop for mobiles with Wakanda?
Yes. The studio lets you create your HTML pages for desktop, mobile or tablet, with widgets that have been adapted for the "Touch" environment.
How about PHP?
The language is JavaScript. With the SystemWorkers API, you can launch PHP using the command line of your platform.
Other Questions
Is Wakanda a comic book character?No. We're aware that "Wakanda" is used as the name of the country from which the comic book character Black Panther hails in the Marvel universe. We're quite happy to coexist with them, but our Wakanda is different. In fact, we got it from the Sioux Indian name for the "inner magic" that's in everything. We feel that our product, appropriately, has a little inner magic of its own!