[mythtv] Video Sources - time to call them what they are?

[Nick Morrott]

On 23/11/2007, Brad DerManouelian <myth at dermanouelian.com> wrote:
> On Nov 22, 2007, at 7:01 PM, Chris Ribe wrote:
>
> > I can't remember seeing any messages to this list asking what "video
> > sources" means or someone not being able to set up their system based
> > on the fact that they couldn't figure out what "video sources" means.
> > I take that to mean that even if it's not immediately apparent, it's
> > easy enough to figure out without needing any extra help from someone
> > else. So maybe it's good enough. :)
> >
> > This line of thinking is why MythTV sucks so much more than it should.
>
> Let me just check on the code you've submitted and see how much better
> you've tried to make it.

This line of thinking is precisely why F/OSS software can and does lag
behind commercial/closed-source software more than it should. I bet
there's more than a few users who submit code and then wonder why it
sits in trac for months.

I apologise in advance that I don't know your trac username offhand so
I can't see what benefits you've given me, but I thank all developers
(yourself included) for getting MythTV to its current level of
stability and functionality.

MythTV was and is designed by developers for developers. In my
experience the developers focus on the issues they are interested in
(it is their project after all, and spare time is limited), not the
issues which may necessarily make the software more usable by a larger
number of people.

The fact that MythTV is both very stable and feature rich is a
testament to the core developers' and code submitters' hard work. I
have submitted patches and had code committed to the project that
makes my (and possibly others') experience with MythTV better. I
wanted a better experience on Fedora, so I submitted patches. I wanted
better control over exit/shutdown, so I improved an existing patch.

I submit code infrequently, but regularly answer questions on the
mailing list, because I care about the project enough to dedicate a
fair chunk of my own time to it. A lot of patches (mine included) sit
in trac for months when they could be benefitting users if they were
checked and tested/committed/rejected sooner. It's only human to
wonder *why is it still there? I've done what they've asked*. Unless
you find a receptive core dev, take a ticket. No-one owes anyone
anything, after all. Or fork it.

The fact that non-developers can and do use MythTV, and notice its
benefits, is a bonus, and also a double-edged sword. New enthusiastic
users will probably have a lot of questions and suggestions (some
constructive, some not). The fact that there is (in my opinion) a
shortage of 'core' developers 'as is' limits what can be easily
achieved. This shortage might be due to:

i) an intentional limit on the number of developers (possible for
stability reasons),
ii) the fact there are not enough suitably qualified developers aware
of the project yet (entirely possible), or
iii) there aren't enough potential developers who also want to have to
deal with the built-in politiking (quite possible having read the
mailing lists for the past several years).

A decision always has to be made as to where to draw the line
regarding the barrier to entry, both to use and actively develop the
software. With a small core team of devs, features and stability win,
everything else (UI/ease of use) is essentially window dressing.

As a current developer for XMLTV (with an even smaller group of core
developers) with commit rights, I can sort issues out immediately and
suggest/add new features. I decided to pick up the uk_rt grabber and
strive to improve it with each new release. More often than not this
has worked. I have found the XMLTV core devs very receptive to
suggestions and I enjoy being actively involved in that project
because I see an immediate effect of my work and a distinct lack of
politiking. This is how OSS development should be, in my own narrow
and limited experience.

-- 
Nick Morrott

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