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NOW LMS 1.0.0 Release

We are pleased to announce the release of NOW LMS version 1.0.0, marking the first stable release of the platform.

What is NOW LMS?

NOW LMS is a learning management system built with Flask and Bootstrap 5, designed to support educational institutions, instructors, and learners. The system provides tools for course creation, user management, assessments, and certificates.

Release Validation

Version 1.0.0 has been validated through:

  • Automated testing: Over 880 tests with a 99% pass rate
  • Database support: Tested with SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MariaDB
  • Security review: Verified CSRF protection, Argon2 password hashing, and SQL injection prevention
  • Performance testing: Validated with concurrent users, average response time under 200ms
  • Manual testing: All major features have been tested manually
  • Code quality: Compliance with Black, Flake8, and Ruff standards

Key Capabilities

Course Management

  • Section-based course organization
  • Multiple resource types: videos, PDFs, audio, rich text, presentations, and external links
  • Support for free and paid courses
  • Self-paced, instructor-led, and time-limited modes
  • Course library for browsing

User Management

  • Role-based access control (Administrator, Instructor, Moderator, Student)
  • User authentication with email confirmation
  • Role-specific dashboards

Assessment and Certification

  • Date-based evaluation system
  • Automatic certificate generation with QR code validation
  • Multiple certificate templates

Communication

  • Internal messaging between students and instructors
  • Course forums for discussions
  • Announcement system
  • Blog with moderation

Calendar and Events

  • User calendar showing course dates and deadlines
  • Event export to iCalendar format
  • Automatic updates when dates change

Technical Features

  • Database support: SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB
  • Configuration via environment variables or files
  • CLI tools for administration
  • Cache support: SimpleCache, Redis, Memcached
  • Internationalization: English, Spanish, Portuguese
  • Security: CSRF protection, Argon2 password hashing

Payment Options

  • PayPal integration for paid courses
  • Google AdSense support for free courses

System Requirements

  • Python 3.11 or higher
  • Compatible with Linux, macOS, and Windows
  • Supported databases: SQLite (included), PostgreSQL, MySQL, or MariaDB

Getting Started

Install NOW LMS using pip:

python3 -m venv venv
venv/bin/pip install now_lms
venv/bin/lmsctl database init
venv/bin/lmsctl serve

Visit http://127.0.0.1:8080/ in your browser. The default admin credentials are lms-admin (username and password). Change these immediately in production environments.

Documentation

Known Limitations

  • Audit mode for paid courses is partially implemented
  • Some advanced reporting features are planned for future releases

Next Steps

Future development will focus on: - Enhanced reporting capabilities - Additional integrations - Community-requested features

License

NOW LMS is released under the Apache License 2.0, a permissive open-source license that allows use, modification, and distribution for both personal and commercial purposes.