[mythtv-users] tv guide line-up free

[Michael T. Dean]

On 09/04/2007 08:51 PM, Robert Current wrote:
> See above for most of that.  But, the trouble I see you get into when
> you don't offer options is that you get people who want options.  I
> don't see the harm in adding another Direct Data source, IF someone is
> willing to code it, and IF people are willing to use it.  The whole
> TitanTV thing seems to be a much better alternative than
> screen-scraping.  For some reason (who knows) there are people putting
> energy into screen-scraping, why not into TitanTV instead?  It makes
> more sense…
>   

You do realize that the people who started up SD talked to TitanTV, and
TitanTV did not want to provide data to Myth users--not even if MythTV
users were to pay.  The people who started SD did not want to start SD,
but did so as a last resort when other commercial and non-commercial
sources of listings data were unable to provide the listings for the
number of users that were expected to need the listings.

> The ONLY two legitimate reasons to not try an alternative I know of
> are this: not to do it that I see is if it is clearly illegal, which
> isn't the case here IMHO (and which hasn't stopped screen scraping
> anyway).  Or, second, if no one has time or is willing to work on it…
> The second option seems to be the case…  And I'll agree to that…  But
> the other excuses seem like FUD to me.

Or because TitanTV said, "No."

> PS: Micheal Dean, go back and read your old posts if you don't
> understand why people think your pushy on this...  Going back several
> weeks.  I'd rather not mud sling, but it seems pretty clear you come
> across as anti-anything that isn't Schedules Direct, and talk down to
> anyone not willing to pay them $5.

Since when is pro-SD anti-anything that isn't SD?  I will say that I'm
vehemently anti-wasting-my-own-free-time-writing-code (for scrapers or
whatever) and
anti-wasting-my-own-free-time-helping-support-users-who-try-to-use-broken-approaches-for-listings-data. 
(For the overly sensitive reader...  I'm not saying that any approach is
broken.  I'm simply saying that SD is not broken.)  And, perhaps--to
please the "Mike Dean is anti-anything-that-isn't-Schedules-Direct"
crowd--I should also become
anti-wasting-my-own-free-time-answering-questions-about-problems-that-are-a-direct-result-of-not-using-SD. 
For the overly sensitive reader...  I'm not saying that any other
approach has caused problems.  I'm simply saying that with SD there
won't really be any more problems than with Z2L since it's basically the
same data.  I know SD and its data well enough to trust that it won't
create problems.)

I just feel that people should make an informed decision about the
data.  The charge for the data isn't the only difference involved.

Mike