Eureka Streams
| Company type | Open source software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Enterprise social networking software |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founder | Lockheed Martin |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Enterprise social networking platform |
| Owner | Lockheed Martin |
| Website | github |
Eureka Streams is an open-source enterprise social networking solution offered at no cost, created by Lockheed Martin. Its main functionalities revolve around activity streams and gadgets, with the platform’s content largely made up of microblog entries and both internal and external web feeds. Users can connect to additional resources such as wikis, blogs, and collaboratively managed documents stored within a content management system.
Technical architecture
The platform is built on a shared nothing architecture and incorporates a range of technologies including Memcached, Apache Maven, PostgreSQL, and Hibernate. It leverages Shindig to support OpenSocial standards, alongside Java Message Service (JMS), Java Persistence API (JPA), Lucene, and Google Web Toolkit (GWT). Eureka Streams also supports protocols and frameworks such as the Apache JServ Protocol (AJP), OAuth, and Representational State Transfer (REST).
History
Lockheed Martin initiated development of Eureka Streams in early 2009. The project was publicly introduced at the Enterprise 2.0 Conference held in Boston in July 2009, with the official "Eureka Streams" name announced during the project’s launch on July 26, 2010.
The principal development team operates from Lockheed Martin’s CIO Office of Information Systems & Global Solutions, comprising individuals like Shawn Dahlen, Chris Keohane, Brian H. Mayo, Steve Terlecki, Blake Caldwell, Chad Scott, Rob Keane, and Anthony Romano.
The open source community was taken aback by the announcement due to Lockheed Martin’s reputation in aerospace and defense sectors, especially as it contrasted with the prevailing trend of declining enterprise involvement in open source initiatives.
| Version | Release date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0.9 | July 9, 2010 | Initial release as open source on github.com |
| 0.9.1 | September 1, 2010 | Introduced notifications for unsaved edits; enhanced email alerts; enabled browser back button functionality; external links open in new tabs |
| 0.9.2 | September 22, 2010 | Added email notifications for group members when activity occurs in a group |
Features
Eureka Streams offers three primary user-facing modules: Activity Streams, Profiles, and Start Page, complemented by administrative governance capabilities.
Activity streams
- Generate and subscribe to streams for individuals or groups, with options for public or private access
- Share messages or links; engage through comments and activity sharing
- Mark activities as favorites; incorporate activity from public RSS feeds
- Arrange streams into personalized lists; save searches based on keywords
- Develop applications from saved lists or search queries
- Control posting rights within streams
- Obtain email notifications and instant alerts for new activities
Profiles
- Maintain personal profiles including biography, employment history, education background, and interests
- Create profiles for groups or organizations featuring summaries and keyword tagging
- Upload avatars and cover images for streams
- Access connection networks and track profile completeness with checklists
- Search and browse profiles filtered by recent additions, activity level, or popularity
Start page
- Integrate apps that display both intranet and Internet data; organize these apps across multiple tabs
- Customize app placement via drag-and-drop; apply specific layouts to tabs
- Explore or search through galleries of apps and themes
- Use a feed reader app to view public RSS feeds; share selected items to personal streams
Governance
- Control access through LDAP groups and attribute settings
- Integrate video content; oversee gadgets, themes, and plugin management
- Establish terms of service acknowledgments and display user guidelines for proper usage
- Define expiration periods for activities; supervise the creation of groups
- Address reports of inappropriate behavior submitted by users