[mythtv-users] family acceptance test.

Hika van den Hoven hikavdh at gmail.com
Sat Aug 15 04:53:52 UTC 2015


Hoi Craig,

Saturday, August 15, 2015, 5:44:15 AM, you wrote:

>> On Aug 14, 2015, at 11:19 PM, Michael Watson <michael at thewatsonfamily.id.au> wrote:
>> 
>> On 15-Aug-15 8:49 AM, Stephen P. Villano wrote:
>>> On 08/13/2015 12:26 PM, Thomas Mashos wrote:
>>>> On Thu, Aug 13, 2015 at 8:48 AM jedi <jedi at mishnet.org <mailto:jedi at mishnet.org>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>    On Wed, Aug 12, 2015 at 05:28:15PM +0000, Thomas Mashos wrote:
>>>>    > On Wed, Aug 12, 2015 at 10:21 AM Stephen Villano <
>>>>    > stephen.p.villano at gmail.com
>>>>    <mailto:stephen.p.villano at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>>>    >
>>>>    > > On 8/12/15, Kirk Bocek <t004 at kbocek.com
>>>>    <mailto:t004 at kbocek.com>> wrote:
>>>>    > > >
>>>>    > > >
>>>>    > > > On 8/12/2015 8:38 AM, John Marshall wrote:
>>>>    > > >>> So my question:
>>>>    > > >>> Anybody who has managed to integrate an easy to use
>>>>    interface for
>>>>    > > >>> his/her music collection in mythtv ?
>>>>    > > >>> One that can pass both family acceptance tests ?
>>>>    > > >>
>>>>    > > >> I already have Kodi on the menu so I can use it for
>>>>    MLB.tv, so I use
>>>>    > > >> that for music, too.  I don't think the family uses it
>>>>    much, but I
>>>>    > > >> find it easier to use.  There are plugins for streaming
>>>>    services, too.
>>>>    > > >
>>>>    > > > Just last night my wife asked me to start up her playlist
>>>>    for the first
>>>>    > > > time since I upgraded from 0.24 to 0.27.4. I could see all
>>>>    my playlists
>>>>    > > > were there. I couldn't figure out how to just select one
>>>>    and get it
>>>>    > > > playing.
>>>>    > > >
>>>>    > > > Doesn't pass *my* acceptance test.
>>>>    > >
>>>>    > > It appears that some changes haven't been very popular.
>>>>    > > Does anyone *like* MythMusic in its current version?
>>>>    >
>>>>    > I'm going to save everyone a lot of time. Some users don't like
>>>>    the new
>>>>    > mythmusic. The people that created the new mythmusic do like
>>>>    it. So if you
>>>>    > don't like it, you have 3 options.
>>>> 
>>>>       That snark overlooks the fact that it was fine the way it was
>>>>    before.
>>>>    Someone got it in his head that something that wasn't broken
>>>>    needed fixed.
>>>>    Then he went away in a huff when he actually got some real
>>>>    feedback about
>>>>    all of his changes. Unfortunately, it was too late then becaues
>>>>    his damage
>>>>    had already been done.
>>>> 
>>>>       The entire thing was mismanaged.
>>>> 
>>>>       Perhaps some feedback should have been obtained before
>>>>    stabotaging what
>>>>    was a perfectly decent plugin.
>>>> 
>>>>       Why should the rest of us have to clean up the mess or even be
>>>>    inconvenienced
>>>>    really?
>>>> 
>>>>       There are plenty of examples in MythTV where your attitude
>>>>    doesn't just
>>>>    make you look like a total jackass. This isn't one of them.
>>>> 
>>>>    > SNIP
>>>> 
>>>> Well aren't you a prickly pear. I wasn't trying to be snarky. I wasn't taking a side on which version of mythmusic is better (I don't use mythmusic, I just use Google Music and a chromecast). I was actually attempting to save everyone some time on what is a (as of this writing) 52 email thread.
>>>> 
>>>> However, I will defend the developers against a bunch of armchair quarterbacks. Not because I like one version over the other (as previously stated, I don't use Mythmusic), but because it was their decision to make (right or wrong). You and me, we're just users here. Would it be nice if they asked our opinion? Sure it would. But I'm not sure why you think we are entitled to be part of the development process.
>>>> 
>>> Users should *always* be part of the development process, however, some user requests would be far too impractical or such a rare niche that development of a singular requested feature wouldn't be worth limited developer time.
>>> But, when one makes sweeping changes, one should first put suggested changes onto a list for discussion with the users. That saves one from blow-back when an undesirable change is made that the majority of users dislike and one even can get suggestions on implementation of features and functions that can lessen one's work.
>>> 
>> Well put.   If you dont satisfy the majority of users, there is no point….

> How do you propose that this design-by-committee process is going to work?

> Or should developers just check with you?

> Sheesh.  

> Either one is a contributor or one is leaching the contributions of
> others.  If you want a seat at the table, contribute!  One avenue is
> to run the unreleased master version and provide feedback as
> development is in process.  Which very few people did during the
> development of the current MythMusic.

If as a developer you make changes to the UI or in other words to the
way users( for whom you do it in the end) experience it, always leave
the old way workable. This way you leave people time to adapt. Also
for whichever action is available in the UI always create at least
three ways to accomplish it. Try to follow even logics, illogical to
you. If I create anything even if I think I only will use it myself I
always follow the minimal three ways and keeping backwards
compatibility in UI. Then in the next or the second next step you
possibly can fade out the old way! But if it doesn't hurt keep it!
You however can create hints to push people friendly to the new ways.
By making new features easier through the new UI. In general create
new, but only slowly fade out the old. Use parallelism. 
In a way this in part is why I like opensource. Most time changes go
slow, because you can go with all the changes, one by one.
In paid software you stay at a version with possibly only functional
changes. And then suddenly you must upgrade and everything is
different and unusable to you. You have to learn it al over again. :(


Tot mails,
  Hika                            mailto:hikavdh at gmail.com

"Zonder hoop kun je niet leven
Zonder leven is er geen hoop
Het eeuwige dilemma
Zeker als je hoop moet vernietigen om te kunnen overleven!"

De lerende Mens



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