[LINUX/MAC/WINDOWS] Launch applications/games from XBMC "Programs" section

How about adding native supports to launch third-party executables to XBMC for Linux, Mac, and Windows from XBMC's "Programs" section?

Similar to the Xbox, the big difference being that on Linux, Mac, and Windows, the user should have the option to choose if launching that executable closes XBMC or keep XBMC running in the background.

I for one would like to see this focusing on games and emulators, but really any application should be launchable from XBMC programs menu.

Ideas, comments?

Pretty sure spiff is workign on this in
or at least that was the idea I got from him on irc

Jezz_X Wrote:Pretty sure spiff is workign on this in

Code:

https://xbmc.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/xbmc/branches/arcade/

or at least that was the idea I got from him on irc

I thought that just had to do with Nuka1195's emulator python plugin (plugin version of EmuLauncher)?
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=32186
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=32150

don't want to speak for spiff, but,

it will add new features currently not available. there will be a need for plugins to gather the relevant info and fill lists. which is what i'm playing with.

So that alone will not enable one to "Add source" and select the executable file of a game or application then?

yes it will, but i think the arcade branch will run emulators at least mame inside xbmc.

but i should let spiff answer.

@spiff, will the arcade branch code you are working on be able to browse and 'add source' from the "Programs" section in XBMC under any operating-system platform?

Hi, probably a no brainer and I suspect it may have been requested a thousand times before, but I am missing my 'programs' menu item from within XBMC in Windows and Linux.

Clearly I can't run Xbox games from within XBMC any more - which all in all is not entirely a bad thing - as I have quite a decent PC which can run PC games at many times the framerate and resolution of any old school Xbox 1 game.

But what I would like to be able to do is to add icons for my installed PC games for XBMC.

Heck, why stop with games? XBMC could act at a fully alternative window manager. Why shouldn't I be able to add my favourite email program, or bittorrent program, or anything I choose to the programs list? (Although separating games from programs would clearly be desirable, just as is the case on the XBox version of XBMC).

The thing that has always limited XBMC is that you could never really run anything much outside of the default native .xbe format - but of course with the move to PC, the gloves (and the restrictions) are now entirely off - and in theory at least developers could write any number of executables and plug-ins (since they are no longer restricted to using python either) designed to work seamlessly with XBMC.

Again I'm sure this is something that has already been thought of - and I know PC XBMC is still in very early Alpha stages - but I just thought I would put it out there anyway.

Ideally I would like an XBMC environment that I could do all kinds of cool stuff with and that I would never have to close down.

FYI; a launcher plugins to run in XBMC for Linux and Windows as a workaround => http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=35739

leo2 Wrote:I've modified emuLauncher plugin to run windows applications.
here is the modified script:
http://leo212.googlepages.com/emuLauncher.zip

now it checks if its windows or linux and runs it using System.Exec command.
(linux version wasn't tested) otherwise runs with xbox normal command.

I hope it will help to some other people.

What are we planning to do with "Programs" for 8.10? I know that some work was put into MAME support but I'm not sure its done..

I vote for removing "Programs" from our skin completely until we have a proper solution for it.