[mythtv-users] EOL for MythArchive, MythZoneminder, MythBrowser and MythMusic Re: linking mythtv with zoneminder live view

[Thomas Mashos]

>
> That is a recipe for disaster - it could kill the entire MythTV
> project.


It could kill a project that is already on the verge of dying? I'd argue it
could save the project.


> The users of MythTV use mythfrontend - that is what they see
> and love.  Only a small minority use other frontends (eg Kodi), and
> they still have to use mythfrontend for some things Kodi does not do.
>

Which is precisely why I suggested assisting in the development of plugins
for third party frontends, so they can be on par with mythfrontend.


> Mythfrontend's ability to be used from a remote control and to do
> everything that is necessary for excellent and comfortable TV viewing
> must remain!


Kodi and many other third party media players can be used with a remote
control and have 10 foot interfaces.


> If you want to change how it works underneath to use the
> Services API, fine, that is probably a good idea.  But the Services
> API is insufficient to be able to make mythfrontend do everything it
> needs yet - do NOT remove functionality from mythfrontend.  Make the
> Services API fully functional and convert mythfrontend to using it as
> the necessary functions are added.
>

I'm glad we can both agree that the services API should be fully functional


> And I would also say that removing all the plugins is a bad idea too.
> My mother uses the mythmusic plugin to play her operas.  It is not the
> best of user interfaces, but she knows it know and can use it.  Having
> to change to something else at her age (85) is not going to happen and
> removing mythmusic would stop her from playing her operas without my
> help every time.  That would be serious reduction in her quality of
> life - she listens to operas every night.  I use mythmusic myself - I
> do not play my music collection so much these days, but when I do,
> mythmusic does the job, because, like the rest of mythfrontend, it is
> fully functional via remote control and works on a TV screen.  I have
> looked at using other, more capable, music players, and they all
> stumble on the problem of having to work from a TV setup - they need a
> mouse based GUI interface, which simply does not work when the screen
> is a TV some distance away.  My mother simply would not be able to see
> the detail of such a GUI, and can not use a mouse properly anyway. The
> joy and beauty of the plugins is that, like mythfrontend, they are
> remote control operated.  That is rare and necessary for anything used
> from a TV screen, as opposed to a computer monitor that is less than a
> metre away.
> _______________________________________________
>

Other third party frontends can provide music (and other) functionality
(and one could argue already does a better job of
organization/searching/usability) and via theming should be able to give
the same UX as any of the mythtv plugins.

Removing the plugins frees up developers that don't want to work on them
anymore. It allows focusing on the "important" parts of the project (which
IMO is the backend, which sets it apart from all other DVR solutions).

If you don't want to give up the plugins, are you going to continue
developing them? If not, then who?


-- 
-Thomas
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