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

[Steven Sayers]

Seems interesting enough, I'd have to become a bit more familiar with the
problem to fully understand it but it seems odd that a program of any known
worth would have such a blatant bug, but sure, if it seems as straight
forward as it sounds I'd be interested in helping.

>
>
> On Fri, Jan 1, 2010 at 11:34 AM, Richard Houser <rick at divinesymphony.net>wrote:
>
>> The only really obvious question I see: "Is XBMC the right tool for
>> the job?"  You may be better off either using another software (ex.
>> MythTV) adding a translation layer (batch conversion process, fuse
>> decompression layer, etc.)  Aside from that, if the project is written
>> in Python, you should stick to that unless there is an explicit reason
>> that prevents that (ex. performance issues or hardware acceleration
>> require C libraries, etc.).  It's easier for a semi-decent programmer
>> to learn a new language than it is to try to bolt something that
>> doesn't fit on via a known language.
>>
>> On Fri, Jan 1, 2010 at 8:00 AM, vanek <vanek at acd.net> wrote:
>> > 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.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> _______________________________________________
>> >> linux-user mailing list
>> >> linux-user at egr.msu.edu
>> >> http://mailman.egr.msu.edu/mailman/listinfo/linux-user
>> >>
>> >
>> > 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
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > linux-user mailing list
>> > linux-user at egr.msu.edu
>> > http://mailman.egr.msu.edu/mailman/listinfo/linux-user
>> >
>> _______________________________________________
>> linux-user mailing list
>> linux-user at egr.msu.edu
>> http://mailman.egr.msu.edu/mailman/listinfo/linux-user
>>
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.egr.msu.edu/mailman/public/linux-user/attachments/20100101/4c1db836/attachment.html>