New Subforum "Users Communicate Their Experience: Tips, Tricks, Hacks, Solutions"
#1
I often find myself thinking there must be in XBMC a tool (or a method) to do a job I need be done, or do it faster or better, yet I don't know of it; even if it stands before my eyes.

Other times I find mysself thinking that there must be sites out there which could be scraped for metadata, and scrapers ready to do the job, or readily amendable to it. But they are not advertised.

Then there are so many add-ons, especially in the realm of streaming, which may or may not work for me, but there is no way to tell on the basis of the information provided in their info files, indeed it often happens that their info is positively misleading as to what exactly they do. Nor is there any reliable, continuously updated, relative ranking of their performance.

And perhaps someone has solved this or taht issue, but he hasn't shared. Or he shared in a forum I do not frequent. Or he has solved something I did not even know existed as problem, but now I see it I am eager to use it too.

Bottom line, there is, IMHO, a need for a sub-forum "Users Communicate Their Experience (Or Their Frustration): Tips, Tricks, Hacks, Solutions, and A List of Don't Dos".
Using skins: customized Xonfluence, Unity, Amber, Estuary.
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#2
There's already such a section: http://forum.xbmc.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=110

Problems with plugins and script just need to go into the dedicated thread else everything is all over the place.
If there are structural tip and tricks they'd better go onto the wiki else the'll just get burried here
Read/follow the forum rules.
For troubleshooting and bug reporting, read this first
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#3
@Martijn wrote:
Quote:If there are structural tip and tricks they'd better go onto the wiki else the'll just get burried here

I couldn't agree more. But there are problem with the wiki as its stands:

Firstly, it contains only tried and tested solutions, not work-in-progress. A forum scan reveals many hacks worth elaborating on which are not reported in the wiki.

Secondly, some of its reported solutions have not been updated for years. Compare the solution to have video file types which fall outside movies or tvshows scraped using JustTheFileName scraper, a solution first reported in an Australian thread in 2009. The job is currently better done offline by Media Companion; in fact, JustTheFileName seems to not work with Frodo.

Thirdly and perhaps more importantly, the wiki was never meant to be a place for exchanging user opinions about the relative ranking og add-ons, scrapers, scrapable sites, etc. The wiki was, and is, meant to be a cathedral; we also need a bazaar.

Granted that a wiki-style structure is a better place than the forum for what I propose, perhaps I should reformulate my proposition as
  • a new section of the wiki called "Worth Trying, But At Your Risk!"
  • or an additinal "wiki-alpha"?

Quote:There's already such a section: http://forum.xbmc.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=110

This is a great place for solutions, but it should be subdivided into topics. You cannot throw together PVR functions, library management, and skinning. Plus it contains only solutions, not reviewing opinions.

Moving this subforum a hierarchy level higher, subdividing it into topics, and creating a same-level bazaar-like opinion exchange, again subdivided into topics, would be exactly what I proposed.

Quote:Problems with plugins and script just need to go into the dedicated thread else everything is all over the place.
I totally agree. In fact, it is not problems and troubleshooting, but exploring hidden possibilities and generating feature requests that I had in mind with my proposal.


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#4
Points one and three aren't really accurate. Core topical pages should strive to be able stable things with stable advice, but nothing is stopping anyone from putting inprogress advice or testing stuff on the wiki. I've encouraged this many times. The majority of the pages in the HOW-TO namespace were created as user to user advice. I have thought about making it clearer which pages are core topics and which are not, but that's just a design kind of thing.

As for point two, the more active the wiki is, the more likely people will branch out and update other pages. The advice for justusefilename scraper was added less than a year ago by another user. It works and works well, but if there is other advice then people need to add it. In other words, that's an example of needing more input rather than being outdated.

Every wiki account even gets their own user pages, so they're free to fill them with their own specific advice and rantings. As long as its XBMC related and it encourages people to become familiar with the wiki and editing it, then go for it.
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#5
Im using my user wiki page to wip pages/content that will become mainstream. most recent on my userpage is this forum post Im am "wikifying" (a small example) of a WIP.

Quote:Firstly, it contains only tried and tested solutions, not work-in-progress. A forum scan reveals many hacks worth elaborating on which are not reported in the wiki.
Thats because forum users (the ones that search and read) Dont bother to "wikify" forums posts that have become or will become obsolete and no one want to read through 200 pages of waffle to find a handful of great posts on the matter.

Most importantly a great forum post often contains dozens of offtopic posts, flame-wars, digressions that have 0 to do with main subject, I for once dont want to take part or be part of or involved or read though all this. Reason why I have remained unregistered in forums for 10 years+++
Especially because Im non English Speaker/Writer natively. What is perfectly fine in my culture is often misconstrued or twisted by someone else who go wrong idea.. (I suppose the price of doing business in International community?.

Quote:Secondly, some of its reported solutions have not been updated for years. Compare the solution to have video file types which fall outside movies or tvshows scraped using JustTheFileName scraper, a solution first reported in an Australian thread in 2009. The job is currently better done offline by Media Companion; in fact, JustTheFileName seems to not work with Frodo.

I rest my case, Were these posts to be on wiki anyone could updated the information.

Quote:Thirdly and perhaps more importantly, the wiki was never meant to be a place for exchanging user opinions about the relative ranking og add-ons, scrapers, scrapable sites, etc. The wiki was, and is, meant to be a cathedral; we also need a bazaar.

No it wasn't, your right -- this is why you can use such things as forumlink-back for discussion on this matter see http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=XBM...deo_issues for a few examples.

Several reasons why I prefer to wack content on wiki.

1) No character posting limitation vs 10k chars on Forum.
2) Better formatting via templates etc.
3) Pictures > unlimited vs 6 on forums. great to create step-by-step using a gallery with picture comments
4) Collaborative documentation, If I find something that can be improved I will do it, cant go ahead and edit someone's post on Forum. :/ Specially when ppl disappear and post goes to outdated...
5) No really PDF guides that noone can edit or contribute to, while its great to see its perhaps the opposite spirit to collaboration and FLOSS irrespective if guides are shared in whatever format that is locked to a community.
...etc
etc...
and etc just to show benefits of wiki outweigh forums for documentation and whatever 100 to 1

As for the comment of only tried and true I dont think so, wiki contains many user experiments and further more you can linkback as I said to a forum for discussion on a specific topic. Clearly you are not familiar with what can be achieved if only some effort is put into it.

Oh yes before I forget... My signature contains an amalgamation of a few posts which I find important and will eventually (already some do exist as a linkback in wiki) exist soley on wiki along with the zillion links I have on my control-panel Notepad area. I could have made a forum post about it, but because of all the right reasons I haven't or ever will.. the main is it will get buried and lost unless a wiki content exists to linkback to that post.

In conclusion:
Forum for discussions....
Wiki For ANY usefull Documentation.

Job done.

uNi
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New Subforum "Users Communicate Their Experience: Tips, Tricks, Hacks, Solutions"0