Archive - Page 4

spectrrr · 05-11-2004, 09:50 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by HybridEngineer

When our system builds your song list from the specified folder, should it look at ID3 tags as the primary source then folder layout? Should this be a preference? What are your thoughts?

absolutly has to be a preference... I know some people whose entire system is based on ID3 tags.... and some people (like me) whose entire system depends on the ID3 tags NOT displaying sometimes

Quote: Originally Posted by AlienEclipse

Yes definitely need to look at the tags. I don't know about anyone else but i don't think the physical directory layout is important. I mean mine are set out as ARTIST\ALBUM\TRACKNAME.mp3 but all the info is in the tags, so there is no need to base the info on the directory structure.

exactly why it has to be a fully customizable preference right there

Bitoholic · 05-11-2004, 11:27 PM

What would most of you prefer out there for scripting? If you was able to write scripts to extend MMC, would you prefer C, JavaScript, C#, etc?

JavaScript seems to be the most widely known due to websites, actionscript, etc...

Please give me your thoughts on this developers

SteveC · 05-12-2004, 12:55 AM

Gotta be Javascript - gives us non code-jockeys a chance to play with it

Hopefully you will configure everything using XML as well so that every parameter can be changed and configured in XML - we can then write an XML editor to provide the novice user with the ability to play with all the settings. Everyone wants a different version and needs it to do different things so if you give the user the ability to modify and play with it then you will stand a much higher chance of becoming the 'de facto' software solution for incar PCs. For example imagine what people want to read from the OBD2 screen - say you can display 6 gauges in 800*600 - but everyone will want different sensor values displayed on each gauge - same goes for every other function of the user interface (MP3 / XM PCR / FM Radio / TV / GPS / OBD2 / DVD / External APPS)

Steve

xBrady · 05-12-2004, 01:31 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by HybridEngineer

What would most of you prefer out there for scripting? If you was able to write scripts to extend MMC, would you prefer C, JavaScript, C#, etc?

JavaScript seems to be the most widely known due to websites, actionscript, etc...

Please give me your thoughts on this developers

How about just plain old Java

As of now, that is the only thing I can code in.

Bitoholic · 05-12-2004, 04:33 AM

I notice in some of the already in use software that there is options for creating playlist using on screen keyboards? Is this really practical for in car PC? Would it be better if the "media library" just allowed for intuitive and easy navigation instead of playlists? Is playlists something most of you really want and use a lot?

Please provide feedback...

Thanks

PiR-P3 · 05-12-2004, 05:08 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by HybridEngineer

I notice in some of the already in use software that there is options for creating playlist using on screen keyboards? Is this really practical for in car PC? Would it be better if the "media library" just allowed for intuitive and easy navigation instead of playlists? Is playlists something most of you really want and use a lot?

Please provide feedback...

Thanks

Personally I prefer to have the media-library listed with a search scope.
That means if the search field is empty, all files are shown, otherwise only
the files that correspond with the search-field are shown.
Ofcourse it is damn handy to have an onscreen-keyboard to type in
the search-field. Also handy are quick sort-options for artist, songtitle, albumtitle, genre, filesize.
You cannot completely disgard playlists, because many people need them
for special events like christmas, romantic, humor, dance and a dozen of
other moods. The winamp5 library is a good example of an easy accessable
media-library.

greetz

C4M · 05-12-2004, 05:38 AM

I run a couple of playlists - for example - I have one that cuts all the Christina Agualira (?sp) etc when the wife isn't in the car, and I want metal and loud silly dance music (please don't try to understand my taste).

But it's nice to be able to just pick an album when the shuffle is giving you the sh1ts.

For reference - my files are saved as "Artist - Album\track.mp3" further proof that we all do it different.

C!

liquid_smoke · 05-12-2004, 11:11 PM

personally i never use the playlist or search function with any player, in home or in car. I also havent seen any on screen keyboard thats worth using for more than 5 min. I would much rather have intuitive ways to play my music, specificly something just like a CD changer.

spectrrr · 05-12-2004, 11:51 PM

programing language: well, i'm not much of a programmer, so JavaScript and XML would be the best for me.... HOWEVER: I know javascript is a VERY basic language, and I certainly wouldnt want something like that crippling the functionality of the player. better that i have to learn C++ or java or some other language or use someone elses plugin than not even be able to create the plugin because the language was so basic.

I totally agree with SteveC that customization by non-programming users will be key (it doesnt have to be idiot proof, but something relatively simple like XML or INI files) to the software being king of the hill (everyone's got very different expectations, as i'm sure your seeing)

for me, I dont use playlists... (all contained in the file structure)

as for an OSK... you want an example of the perfect search feature, load a bunch of mp3's into winamp and then press the J key. PERFECT. so if that were implimented along with a BIG on screen keyboard, someone could load up their entire library of mp3's and run a search for it if they had a big collection and wernt quite sure where they stuck the file.

C4M · 05-13-2004, 01:08 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by liquid_smoke

personally i never use the playlist or search function with any player, in home or in car. I also havent seen any on screen keyboard thats worth using for more than 5 min.

Agreed - although the wife seems to decide that she wants to listen to an album and can navigate to it using the remote control. My playlists are set up more for filtering rather than defining actual playlists.

I don't have a TSK, so one screen keyboards are of no value for me.

C!

LESLIEx317537 · 05-13-2004, 08:13 AM

I'm gonna check this out when I get a chance.

Quote: Originally Posted by brady

How about just plain old Java

As of now, that is the only thing I can code in.

If you got time to wait for the Virtual Machine to execute the code sure.
Java is great, multi-platformed and has great protection, (Dont have to use Malloc calloc memory allocation stuff) but alot slower.

SteveC · 05-13-2004, 11:30 AM

Never use playlists myself either so (for me) coding playlist support would be a waste of effort. I would suggest that you can rely upon the user making sure that their MP3s are properly formatted etc before loading into the carpc.

I'm amazed that no-one has embedded XM support yet. I use TouchXM which is just screaming out to be integrated (and skinned) into one of the media control packages. Either XM PCRs aren't vey popular or it's harder to do than I first thought.

Steve

spectrrr · 05-13-2004, 11:58 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by SteveC

I'm amazed that no-one has embedded XM support yet. I use TouchXM which is just screaming out to be integrated (and skinned) into one of the media control packages. Either XM PCRs aren't vey popular or it's harder to do than I first thought.

for me, XM radio is cool (and would sure beat the CRAP radio stations i have around here), but I'm too cheap to pay $10 a month for it; not when I'll already have 60gb of handpicked music to listen... works as good as XM, unless your looking for the latest top 40 song.

xBrady · 05-13-2004, 06:09 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by LESLIEx317537

I'm gonna check this out when I get a chance.

If you got time to wait for the Virtual Machine to execute the code sure.
Java is great, multi-platformed and has great protection, (Dont have to use Malloc calloc memory allocation stuff) but alot slower.

Ya, don't worry I completely agree with you. I was kind of joking when I said that. The only reason I know Java is, when I started learning it a long time ago I didn't know how bad it sucked (as in sucked I mean, unpractical for regular, fast windows applications.) I am dropping Java now and I am going to learn C++, so that is actually what I would prefer.

Bitoholic · 05-13-2004, 07:07 PM

Just to clear a few things up. The SDK with Plug-in development is all C# based. Theoretically you will be able to use any language that the .NET Framework and that is CLS compliant to write plug-ins as long as you follow the spec.

As far as the skinning and scripting goes, it is all based on XML right now. I am adding scripting support for JavaScript. Meaning you would be able to control application objects from JavaScripts.

I guess I was looking for examples and feedback from developers on which things they would like to control from scripts. I want this thing to really be flexible. So you can do anything you want with the system pretty much.

Feedback is really appreciated. Thanks everyone! Keep it up.