Migrating lab-watch
// Written on September 15th, 2018
Hello users of lab-watch. I thank you for continuing to use Lab-watch despite all its bugs. Unfortunately, as more and more students (and their sessions) are added to the database, the cost of running the app has become unsustainable for a mere college student. In fact, the past few months have been a net-loss. Because of this, I’m making the decision to host the app on my personal server.
Actions you will need to take
On Monday, September 24th, 2018 library.pengra.io will open. On Friday, September 28th, 2018 lab-watch.herokuapp.com will be shut down to prevent next month’s bill cycle. Logging in will use the same usernames/passwords.
- You will also need to set bookmarks of kiosks to the new website. These links will be different.
- It is recomended you reupload an XML file of all student IDs. Especially Student IDs that begin with a “0”.
Major Changes To Service
The biggest change is downtime: Servers will be down between 11pm and 5am. I’m also switching the pricing to a pay-what-you-think-it’s-worth model for the following years. The suggested donation is $70/year; but any amount helps! Payment will now be entirely done online using a secure third party service (no need to hand us checks anymore!).
Future Changes to Service
This app will go through a major update which will transform the look of the site. Documentation will be provided. Mechanics of the site will remain the same.
New Data Policy
This new server is essentially where I apply all my UW math classes for data science purposes. In short, musings about library usage (and how you, the librarians, use the new interface) may be published. Identifiable student/librarian data will never be published, but will be used to improve the service (e.g. what page/functionality is used the most). Additionally, the following services may collect your data:
Wait! I found a bug!
Please submit your issue on the github issues pages.