We are thrilled to announce the release of Fidus Writer 4.0, the most significant update to our collaborative academic writing platform in nearly a decade! Originally planned as version 3.12, this release grew into a major milestone packed with transformative features, accessibility enhancements, and technical upgrades. After rigorous testing and refinements (now at version 4.0.5), Fidus Writer 4.0 is ready to elevate your writing experience.
A lot of the work that went into Fidus Writer 4.0 was sponsored by the European Union/NLnet Foundation.
What’s New in Fidus Writer 4.0?
1. Enhanced Export and Import Capabilities
Fidus Writer now supports a wider array of formats, making it easier to integrate with academic workflows:
- Tracked Changes in ODT/DOCX: Export and import documents with tracked changes, perfect for collaborative editing.
- Pandoc Integration: Import/export lesser-used formats via the new Pandoc filters, expanding compatibility.
- Book Exports: Generate JATS XML (BITS XML), ODT, and DOCX files for entire books, ideal for publishers and long-form projects.
- MathML in JATS XML: Improved accessibility and standards compliance for mathematical content.
2. Accessibility First
We’ve prioritized inclusivity and usability:
- Keyboard Navigation: Navigate menus, dialogs, and the editor entirely via keyboard.
- ARIA Tags & Visual Shortcuts: Screen-reader-friendly interfaces and on-screen keyboard shortcut hints.
- Color Contrast Adjustments: Updated color schemes for better readability, validated through accessibility reviews.
3. Collaboration Upgrades
- Django Channels: Replaced Tornado with Django Channels for real-time collaboration, improving stability and scalability. This allows for running multiple Fidus Writer processes of the same installation on one server for improved performance.
- User Invites: Streamlined invite process with sequential email handling and better error recovery.
4. Modernized Infrastructure
- Rspack & Biome: Switched from Webpack to Rspack and adopted Biome for faster builds and modern linting.
- Dependency Updates: Upgraded to Django 5.1.7, MathLive 0.104.0, and other critical security/performance patches.
5. Documentation and Security
- Comprehensive documentation updates and security audits (thanks to support from NLnet).
- Improved test coverage and debugging tools, including video capture for troubleshooting.
Under the Hood
- Real-Time System Overhaul: Migrated to Django Channels for websockets, enabling future real-time features.
- Performance Tweaks: Memory optimizations, faster data table rendering, and reduced latency.
- Developer Experience: Simplified codebase structure, updated linters, and GitHub Actions improvements.
Upgrade Now!
The easiest way to install Fidus Writer 4.0 on your server is via Ubuntu Snap. If you enable automatic updates, your server installation should have been updated already. You can also install Fidus Writer from the Python Packaging Index or run it via docker. You can even download the sources directly from the repository.
Help us improve!
The code doing the import and export from and to ODT and DOCX is really complex and there are likely many files that still are not imported or exported correctly. You will help us a lot by emailing such files to us so that we can improve our filters. Explain in an email what part isn’t working the way you expected it to and send it along with the file to mail@fiduswriter.com.
Thank You!
This release was made possible by our dedicated community, contributors, and support from NLnet. Your feedback and testing have been invaluable.
Have questions or spot an issue? Visit our forum or open a ticket on GitHub.
Here’s to the next decade of collaborative writing!
— The Fidus Writer Team