Why do we need car Front End software?!

I have done a lot of work on popular software.. mainly for open source but its all the same.

The main problem with this scene is that every user wants all their hardware supported and they want a certain way directories are played, whole directory or recursive. I'm seen mediacar start off as a stable app and not its getting a lot of bugs. Its the same with Media engine.

The thing that really ****es me off is others on this board flamming developers cause they don't wanna add in a feature. Yes I've seen a lot.. most get deleted but i've seen them.

Frontends are great but in my almost 10 years of programming, you have to stay on track and if a user comes to you and say i wanna do this.. stick to your route. Look what happened to cobra.. everyone and their mom wanted this and that feature added and its now bloatware.

hijinks21 :

You got it. That's why I keep saying do things in modules. You don't want to add every thing in there. You want a video player that plays a certain way, make it but do it as a module. So you have 2 types of video players rather than one that plays a ton of different ways. The more complicated a program gets, the more bugs it will have. Demands are good. That means people are using your front end and they like it. I am not sure about the rest but if I can't make it or if I am not going to add a feature requested, I say no. Most developers gets pressured into doing a ton of things. The key is you do it for yourself and if others find it useful so be it, otherwise, too bad. I know it's a bad way to communicate but sometimes, it's the only working way to have a good software and not a bloatware.

I agree that it is an impossible task to make one program that satisfies all users, we all want to use different GPS softwares, and I for one do not have any Radio hardware yet, so that button should not be on my interface. Some want a picture viewer and automatic camera picture download etc. I don’t (well for now :D ).

I think the best solution is probably a pluggable interface. Someone writes an open framework, and everyone can contribute plugins to this framework. Plugins for GPS (different programs), Radio, TV, DIVX, Picture Library, Calculator etc.

The framework would provide the common UI to make the interface coherent, and the plugins will provide the subset of features that each user will be interested in.

This is a relatively simple software concept. Most really popular software can be modded/extended/skinned.

Seraph,

I couldn't agree more. I think thats why there needs to be a group effort here. All one would need to do is to make a core that you add on modules or plugins to. Then you release a api or such for how to create plugins to interact with the core and you're set. Its a bigger task them I make it mainly cause users like their own look so it would have to be something completely skinnable.

As for the requests I agree again. if the developer hates that they are adding it its gonna die. I use to own a pretty successfull web hosting company and when users would ask for frontpage support I'd tell them to learn FTP. User requests are good in that they bring new ideas that the dev team might say that would be cool.

In my experience with some users in this scene is that they ***** and moan if their request isn't filled then start to flame. Now i can see flaming an app you have to pay for but dont flame a freeware solution.

I code a lot in the *nix field and my experience is the only time users contact you is to say something is busted and they want it fixed asap or why it sucks and what you should change. Rarely you get users commenting on all the free hardwork you put in.

On a side note.. i'd be all for being a code manager for a group effort but I don't even have a windows machine.. cept for the gf's but thats an emachine. I'd love to get a group effort going but I hate windows at the same time and 95% of the people here use windows :)

edit: on a side note it ****es me off when people say add bluetooth support so my phone can control it.. Well if you want it added and the dev team doesn't have a blue tooth phone donate one.. but they never do but yet still demand that feature.

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Originally Posted by hijinks21

I'm seen mediacar start off as a stable app and not its getting a lot of bugs

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I not agree completely, it is true that the last V1.8.3 had a critical bug in the audio player because I made a change between V1.8.2 and V1.8.3 and I forgot to modify only one nam of variable, I made a patch for that now. I think that V1.8.3 + patch is quite as stable as V1.0

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Originally Posted by nijel

...The only reason, I can think of, for using such an apps is everything looks more integrated, more all in one, but I can live without it for achieving stability and reliability. If I'm missing something let me know.

Just my thoughts. NO OFFENCE.

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And what is the point for putting a computer in your Car in the first place? CD Players, and CD MP3 players, Hardware DVD players, and Navigation systems are much more reliable also.

coyote,

I wasn't dissing you app i was just pointing it out. Chill. Just a warning stay on track or your app will go downhill and no one wants to see that happening. There is no way you can make everyone happy and support some users phone or such

nijel,

What's the problem? I f you don't like the software, don't use it! This discussion is not even worth a thread. damn...

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Originally Posted by qjones

And what is the point for putting a computer in your Car in the first place? CD Players, and CD MP3 players, Hardware DVD players, and Navigation systems are much more reliable also.

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What you're doing here then???

damn again..

Hybrid approach.

Windows XP tuned with big fonts, icons, etc.

Medcar, Media Engine, XP MCE, etc installed.
Winamp3 - Arby's Winamp skin (widescreen mod)
CoPilot 2k3

My initial setup was windows explorer with winamp3 loaded at startup. When I needed GPS, I launched copilot 2k3 from the desktop.

Now, I use medicar as my startup app. But, when I exit or hit the windows key, I still have the touchscreen ready XP explorer.

One nice thing about frontends, is they have access to software SDKs. For example, the winamp 2 sdk. By itself, winamp 2 is not freeform and doesn't let you do much with the gui. But the SDK gives you a bit more control. You can now use bigger touch screen friendly control buttons, equalizers, playlists and add functionality to make it easier/tailored for car use.

You can also use the SDKs to tie functionality together. For example, put gps and music controls/info on the same screen, pause music during gps instructions, etc...