2013-02-07, 12:29
Hi all,
Before anything I'd like to thank everybody that contributes to this project that I've passively used almost daily for the last year.
To recap my general impression on the Android Remote I would say that it does the work. It's not the most impressive in looks, functionality or intuitiveness (does that exist?) but it allows an easy and total control of all your xbmc boxes.
The only annoyance I've had more commonly in this year is the persistent error messages with diverse connection errors when in fact the remote is connected and working. I really haven't deepen my analysis of this (I haven't even searched this forum, sorry) but I would suggest to give less intrusive error messages. something that doesn't require acknowledge by pressing a button (maybe something like the new application uninstalled message on stock android 4.2)
In the last days I've check another persistent error referring to API errors. I figured out it should be related to my upgrade in some xbmc boxes to frodo so I was happy to see this morning that there was a new version of Remote XBMC available.
I haven't installed it yet, but I don't like What I read in the Update Notes:
Ok. Just reading this I have to say I don't think it's smart move, and this is the motive of this whole post (sorry for the long introduction).
With this I understand that we are asking people to "synchronize" their upgrades of XBMC and XBMC remote. But many people will not care about this.
With the specific issue of the android remote we have to take into account the potential users and ways of the platform (Android in this case). In Android is very common that users activate for the applications they trust the market option for "auto-updating" applications.
So they will find that the remote stops working after the update (many won't even notice the remote app updated) and start complaining (here or in the comments in the play store, you can see some of these latest already).
The thing is: I know XBMC is a special project and that we are used to users that are kind of "techy" oriented that know, in the lesser cases, about versions, files, samba... and the more advanced even compile their own taste of XBMC.
But with all the media attention and new ports many new people approach to XBMC and they are not all as technically capable. And when possible we have to facilitate use for everybody.
I understand that, as a programmer, it is easier to modify just one version of our code and forget about the past. But this is plain wrong. At a very least I would expect latest remote android to work fine with every version of xbmc since it's launch (remotes launch, not xbmc's
)
If this is technically challenging, at least we should offer 2 flavours of the remote: pre-fodo and post-frodo.
Also with this aproach there is no solution for people like me that use the same remote in many etereogeneous installation (mine, my mother's, my friend's) each one on a different xbmc version. So there is no remote that will work with all. Being a option in the core of the remote (configuring several boxes and select one easily) it's even more important to support several XBMC versions in the remote app.
I don't mean to make blood with this post. I just wanted to post an opinion from out of the project on the feelings many users might be experiencing. I'm a total fan and I'll be OK anyway because in the end If I don't get a fix I need I can find one for myself... but we're here to help those that can't help themselves. Aren't we?
Thanks again,
jur.
Before anything I'd like to thank everybody that contributes to this project that I've passively used almost daily for the last year.
To recap my general impression on the Android Remote I would say that it does the work. It's not the most impressive in looks, functionality or intuitiveness (does that exist?) but it allows an easy and total control of all your xbmc boxes.
The only annoyance I've had more commonly in this year is the persistent error messages with diverse connection errors when in fact the remote is connected and working. I really haven't deepen my analysis of this (I haven't even searched this forum, sorry) but I would suggest to give less intrusive error messages. something that doesn't require acknowledge by pressing a button (maybe something like the new application uninstalled message on stock android 4.2)
In the last days I've check another persistent error referring to API errors. I figured out it should be related to my upgrade in some xbmc boxes to frodo so I was happy to see this morning that there was a new version of Remote XBMC available.
I haven't installed it yet, but I don't like What I read in the Update Notes:
Quote:This is a release update for XBMC 12.0 codename Frodo, which was released January 2013. Please note that running this with previous versions of XBMC may result in weird behavior due to API changes.
Ok. Just reading this I have to say I don't think it's smart move, and this is the motive of this whole post (sorry for the long introduction).
With this I understand that we are asking people to "synchronize" their upgrades of XBMC and XBMC remote. But many people will not care about this.
With the specific issue of the android remote we have to take into account the potential users and ways of the platform (Android in this case). In Android is very common that users activate for the applications they trust the market option for "auto-updating" applications.
So they will find that the remote stops working after the update (many won't even notice the remote app updated) and start complaining (here or in the comments in the play store, you can see some of these latest already).
The thing is: I know XBMC is a special project and that we are used to users that are kind of "techy" oriented that know, in the lesser cases, about versions, files, samba... and the more advanced even compile their own taste of XBMC.
But with all the media attention and new ports many new people approach to XBMC and they are not all as technically capable. And when possible we have to facilitate use for everybody.
I understand that, as a programmer, it is easier to modify just one version of our code and forget about the past. But this is plain wrong. At a very least I would expect latest remote android to work fine with every version of xbmc since it's launch (remotes launch, not xbmc's
)If this is technically challenging, at least we should offer 2 flavours of the remote: pre-fodo and post-frodo.
Also with this aproach there is no solution for people like me that use the same remote in many etereogeneous installation (mine, my mother's, my friend's) each one on a different xbmc version. So there is no remote that will work with all. Being a option in the core of the remote (configuring several boxes and select one easily) it's even more important to support several XBMC versions in the remote app.
I don't mean to make blood with this post. I just wanted to post an opinion from out of the project on the feelings many users might be experiencing. I'm a total fan and I'll be OK anyway because in the end If I don't get a fix I need I can find one for myself... but we're here to help those that can't help themselves. Aren't we?
Thanks again,
jur.
