About
Name, Rank & Serial Number
The Deacon Project is an open-source software project aimed at bringing push notifications to Java applications and the Android mobile telephony platform. Designed to enable developers to run their own notification servers and readily integrate push technology into their apps, Deacon is a lightweight Java class library. The core functions of Deacon are written in pure Java, so Deacon can be used in any Java application; the Android-specific portions are wrapped around this pure-Java core.
Deacon is so-named as a portmanteau of the words "Droid" (referring, generically, to all Android-powered devices - not just the Motorola Droid) and "Beacon", a signaling or guiding device. Fittingly, the role of "Deacon" in many Christian denominations is that of a ministry member who seeks out others in a congregation and endeavors to keep them connected with the church. We promise, the name had nothing to do with Reese Witherspoon or her son's name...
As the Deacon Project and software evolve, additional general information will be added here. Eventually, new pages will be added with documentation for developers. In the mean time, check out the Deacon Project Wiki over at GitHub. Video more your thing? Check out our 5-minute lightning talk on Deacon Push Notifications.
Wanted: Testers and Bug-Flaggers
A major driver of progress in open-source software development is feedback, suggestions, and even complaints from users. If you try out Deacon, please let us know how it works for you. You can post your feedback to the Deacon mailing list, or submit bugs and issues at the project Issue Tracker. It would mean a lot to us!
Wanted: A few good coders
The Deacon Project has bitten off a pretty big chunk-o-mission-statement. Launching a new Meteor client from scratch is no small task, and the mobile phone environment introduces new challenges that a browser-based client needn't worry about. We could really use some help!
If you're handy with Java and would like to contribute to Deacon, please drop us a line in the comments, chat us up on GitHub or send along an e-mail: [dave] (at) [daverea] (dot) [com]
History
The Deacon Project was started in April 2010 by Dave Rea. You can get more insight into the project's origin in this post.