[GLLUG] Looking for some open source projects (local) to aid in

[vanek]

Steven Sayers wrote:
> I've been studying programming quite a lot lately and I was wondering 
> if there were any programming projects any of you were engaged in that 
> I could assist with, I'm most familiar with java.
>
>
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> linux-user at egr.msu.edu
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>    
Hi Steven,

My name is Lou and I was wondering whether you found another open-source 
commitment, and whether you are still available. If you haven't found 
anything interesting yet, please give the following all the 
consideration you think it deserves. I know that I may have caught you 
at a bad time, and you may still be pukin' your guts out over the 
porcelain alter, but after you get done doing that, if you still feel up 
to it, I may have the second most fun thing to do. OK, maybe not the 
second-most, but the 11th-most: an open-source patch to XBMC! Yes, 
that's right, one of the coolest open-source projects on the planet is 
in need of a patch, and you have been chosen to partake in this wondrous 
experience, to be remembered by legions, revered by all, and hailed by 
10 or so geeks.

Have I got your attention? Good. But if you need to take a moment and go 
look to see if you still have that bottle of Pepto-Bismol, I can wait.

Here's teh skinny: right now XBMC recognizes about 10% of my TV and 
movie files, and I'd like that to be closer to 100%. I know there are 
stupid work-arounds to get XBMC to recognize them all, but, like I said, 
they're stupid. As far as I know, you have to organize your files 
carefully in separate, carefully-labeled directories in order to give 
the scraper enough information to do its job. People shouldn't have to 
expend effort that a computer should be able to manage itself. I think 
you should be able to place all your video files in one directory and 
let XBMC figure out what they are. I'm trying to simplify life, not just 
for me but for anybody who uses the program. It appears to be the one 
sticking point for new users when they first install XBMC.

I've found a program called 'TVRenamer' that mitigates a small portion 
of the problem, but it is by no means a total solution. The program 
renames video files so that the scraper recognizes their corresponding 
meta-information better.

I'm estimating this patch/project will take somewhere between 0-1000 
lines of code. The reason why I say "0" lines of code is because I 
haven't fully researched the problem and I may not understand it. I'm 
new to XBMC so I may be overlooking something. (If you've used XBMC 
before maybe you can clue me in.) It's better to solve a problem with no 
code if that option is available.

The reason why I know this project has legs is because Boxee is able to 
do this, and Boxee is built on top of XBMC.

You mention you know Java. The languages I was planning on using were 
either Ruby or Python. I know Ruby better than Python, but XBMC is 
written in Python so that's the "native" language that should probably 
be used. I've also considered Java, but I ranked Java as the 92nd best 
language to use on a project of this type. (It's not surprising that 
Java consistently ranks near the bottom of my lists.) If you're up to 
learning something new, you can contribute. I'm not a code purist; I 
just like to get something done. I suck at Python myself but I've never 
let that stop me. What's the worse that could happen?

The database you would be interacting with is sqlite3 (that's what XBMC 
uses). It's a very simple, undemanding database. I've found a 
description of all the tables that XBMC uses. Some database spelunking 
would be required. You would also be required to install the coolest 
open-source program on your computer and watch movies to test the 
program. It's just one of the burdens of being an open-source developer. 
We learn to live with it.

BTW, if anybody here thinks I'm overlooking something obvious, please 
speak up. Like I said, I'm new to XBMC, but I have to scratch this itch.

Thanks for listening and I hope to hear back,
Lou Vanek