As my blog goes to github pages, so do my other side projects. I just moved nixi, my bikestation finder project, to github pages. Its new location:

http://wlach.github.io/nixi

I opted not to move over the domain: it would have cost extra money, time and hassle and I couldn’t justify it for the very, very small number of people that still use this site (yes, there are a few, including myself!). For now, nixi.ca will redirect to the github pages site until I decommision my linode server, probably at the end of January (end of Feburary at the latest).

This transition brings some other changes with it:

• Now using the citybik.es API directly, instead of proxing through an intermediary server. This was necessitated by the switch to github pages, but I suspect this will be more reliable than what we were doing before. Thanks citybik.es!
• Removed all analytics and facebook integration. As with the domain, it didn’t seem worth bringing over. Also, it’s nice to give people at least marginally more privacy than they had before where possible.

I still think nixi is worlds more usable than most bikesharing maps, even if it’s not an actively maintained project of mine any more. Here’s hoping it lasts many more years in its new incarnation.

I’ve been working on a new, mobile friendly version of Nixi on-and-off for the past year and a bit. I’m not sure when it’s ever going to be finished, so I thought I might as well post the work-in-progress, which has these noteworthy improvements:

• Even faster than before (using the Bootstrap library behind the scenes, no longer using slow canvas library to update map)
• Sexier graphics (thanks to the aforementioned Bootstrap library)
• Now uses client side URLs to keep track of state as you navigate through the site. This allows you to bookmark a favorite spot (e.g. your home) and then go back to it later. For example, this link will give you a list of BIXI docks near Station C, the coworking space I belong to.

If you use BIXI at all, check it out and let me know what you think!