[mythtv-users] mythtv dropping mysql???

[Rich Freeman]

On Wed, Oct 22, 2014 at 4:47 AM, Andréas Kühne <andreas at kuhne.se> wrote:
> I have been following this discussion from the sidelines and I think
> that the entire discussion is really a bit wrong.

So, I get that I'm not paying for MythTV.  I don't believe that this
automatically shields its developers from /any/ criticism.  Free
software is a community.  I might not contribute to MythTV, but
perhaps I contribute to something that a MythTV developer uses.  Or,
maybe Fred uses software I contribute to, and Fred contributes to
software that a MythTV developer uses.  The bottom line is that while
we aren't compensated for our time directly, we all participate in a
community where we'd probably prefer that others take into account our
preferences.

Now, there are limits to that.  In the end as contributors to free
software we get to decide where those limits are.

> I for one would really welcome the ability to make MythTV more of an
> appliance than a program that you have to be somewhat of a DevOp to use. I
> know there was an Australian based company selling MythTV computers for
> "normal" people, and I think that a new version of that would be great for
> the TV ecosystem.

I don't think the term "appliance" is a good analogy here.

An appliance is something that is pre-packaged.  You plug it in and
turn it on.  A Tivo is an appliance.

Simply moving to a bundled, embedded MySQL database is not going to
make MythTV an appliance.  I can't just install the package and
magically get a working system.  If my distro uses the ext4 filesystem
with ordered journaling (which is the likely default on 99% of them)
the MythTV embedded database is probably going to have abysmal
performance.  If everything does work fine, I still don't have IR
remote control support.  I still need to pick a distro, which may or
may not include MythTV in its repository, and which may or may not
provide updates to it.

Something like Mythbuntu could be considered more appliance-like,
addressing just about everything but the hardware.  I've never used
it, but I assume that it comes with MythTV and MySQL pre-installed and
properly configured on appropriate filesystems/etc, and with a kernel
that has support for all the tuner cards and such enabled.  That just
demonstrates that you can have appliance-like behavior without moving
to embedded MySQL.

The ultimate appliance would have to be sold in a box and have a power
cable attached.

I don't think that moving to an embedded MySQL really solves the
"appliance problem" at all.  That is really a problem for a systems
integrator.  I don't object if MythTV wants to create a linux distro
on the side and ensure that it always has a smooth upgrade path.  I
don't think the solution is for them to basically embed a whole distro
in the MythTV program itself.  Keep it modular, and then everybody can
integrate it however they feel is best.  The MythTV devs could set a
policy that they'll only accept bug reports if they can be reproduced
on the official MythTV distro, though I wouldn't encourage that.

--
Rich