You can download your Free Trial copy from socialengine.net/free-trial

The trial contains SocialEngine v4 as well as all of Webligo’s v4 plugins.
To get all the same features when you buy, you’ll have to purchase the plugins you want to use. The trial expires after 30 days and once it’s expired, the site won’t work.
The trial’s PHP source code is encrypted. The full version is NOT.

Even after the Trial expires your database will stay intact, so you can use all your member data with the full version after you purchase it, no need to start over. That’s user friendly

The SE3 to SE4 upgrade package is not yet available but is expected within a week or so.

Version 4.0.1, with further tweaks and bug fixes is coming very soon.

Several Third Party Developers have already begun releasing their Plugins and Templates for SocialEngine v4, and others are hard at work upgrading their v3 plugins to v4.
Latest listings for v4 can be found on the SocialEngineMechanic v4 Plugin and Template Listings RSS

You can experience and discuss SocialEngine v4 at SE4.me as well as finding tips, tricks, mods and bug fixes posted by SE4me Community members.

If you’d like to test a working copy of the RC2 of SocialEngine 4 head on over to our install at http://se4.me/rc2

And if you’d like to save $30 off the purchase price of SocialEngine it’s almost your last chance. Use the discount code clare-30 when you purchase SocialEngine and get $30 off but ONLY before the full release of SocialEngine 4.

This offer expires when the first official version of SocialEngine 4 is released.
SocialEngine RC1 has been released, so the Production version won’t be far away. Be quick!

Be creative – start your own Social Network with SocialEngine.

This is Great News! If you’d like to test the RC1 version of SocialEngine v4 in action you can visit our own test install at http://se4.me/rc1/

You can still save $30 off the full price of your SocialEngine platform by using the Coupon Code ‘clare-30‘ – but only before the Official release of SocialEngine4 – so hurry!

( SocialEngine V3 plus V4 for $250, minus $30 = $220 !)

Although the following tips were tested on SocialEngine version 3, they are valuable for all versions.

In this article I want to put emphasis on html/css optimization rather than on php/mysql. But some of these tips will reduce server load as well.

1. Choose plugins carefully. Less plugins you have -> faster your website works.
2. Unite all css files in one. That will reduce total number of separate requests to server. I’ve seen more than 25 separate css files for a single page. Minimization of css is a good idea as well.
3. Unite javascript files and move them to the bottom where it’s possible. Pages will load up faster because all html/css will load at first.
4. Unite small images, for example icons, in bigger images and output them using css sprites, the way it is done in a lot of WordPress themes. Again this will reduce number of separate http requests to server.
5. Try to use a static page for home. Since it will be the most popular page of your website it should load up as fast as possible.
   A good workaround for dynamic home pages is to make a page that will be updated once every 20 minutes.
6. Minimize what you load from outside servers. Place widgets and gadgets from outside sources (eg twitter widgets) lower in the page or in the right-hand column, so that most of the page can load before the widget. Use images from your own server for ads where possible.

If you are seriously working on speed-up best practices from Yahoo is a good starting point.

Thanks to Clare for proof-reading.
Original article – http://webhive.com.ua/blog/socialengine-speed-up-tips/

The Beta3 has been eagerly awaited by the SocialEngine community. Looking forward to it !
And exciting news that the release candidate for SocialEngine v4 will be with us in a few weeks.

Perhaps some of the ‘Quit Facebook Day’ users might want to check out a new social networking system on May 31

Reminder: you can still use the discount code clare-30 to save $30 off your purchase of the SocialEngine Platform, valid until 15th of June 2010.

Buying SocialEngine now you will receive both SocialEngine v3 and SocialEngine v4. You will also be supporting SocialEngineMechanic.com by using this code

Go to SocialEngine.net and select the SocialEngine products you want to purchase.

In order to redeem the discount code, after clicking on “Continue to Checkout” look for the text that says “If you’ve received a promotional discount code, please click here” located at the bottom of the page. Enter the code clare-30 before continuing to Paypal.

Buying SocialEngine now you will receive both SocialEngine v3 and SocialEngine v4

It’s great to be finally able to test SocialEngine v4 on our own servers. You can see the SocialEngineMechanic Beta1 install at SE4.me

Please continue to report bugs to SocialEngine.net as you find them! Use the email se4beta@socialengine.net

If you don’t already own a copy of SocialEngine you can save $30 off your purchase (for the next 3 weeks only) by using the discount code clare-30 when you purchase SocialEngine

Webligo News : “We’re happy to announce the release of SocialEngine 4 alpha to a select group of developers and testers. This will provide developers with a head start in upgrading their mods, as well as providing thorough testing of the script before the beta release.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support, we really appreciate the kind words we’ve been receiving (and the occasional pizzas). This is one step closer to the release, thanks for your patience! .. Posted by Noam.”

Music was the last plugin to be released and by all accounts the team at Webligo are now working feverishly on completing the v4 Admin Panel. Comments posted on the SE4 Preview have revealed that the Language for v4 will be file-based .. not database-based as was the case in V3, and this is welcome news for many.

Excitement continues to build, with screenshots of the new Admin Panel expected shortly and the much anticipated SE4 Beta download is rumored to be available to SE clients within a month or so !

Reminder: Want to save $20 on your purchase of SocialEngine v3/v4 core ? Use the discount coupon code clare-20 [thanks to the good people at SocialEngine.net]