Why is library mode not enabled/activated by default in XBMC?
#1
Question 
I've used XBMC without library mode for the first few months. Silly me. I didn't put much thought into it; I suppose I just accepted that XBMC didn't support reading music tags, or so I thought. But this weekend I activated Library mode, saw the light, and suddenly get a lot new nifty options when browsing music.

My question to the developers is: Why is library mode optional and turned off by default? From a usability point of view, I can think of few reasons why library mode shouldn't always be used.
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#2
because everybody likes to organize his/her media files differently. for example, when you have a NAS with a folder structure you are used to and just want to navigate through your stuff, the library mode (similar to this UPnP stuff) can go on your nerves. even worse when you are used to different USB media that you just plug and unplug, delete a lot of stuff etc. where it would make no sense at all to have a background library.

I have to admit, over the last years on my XBOX XBMC, I never got used to the library mode, instead just navigating through my folders. now I am using XBMCbuntu on my Acer Revo, and since I installed the Aeon skin, I also have seen the light Big Grin

library mode can be fantastic with the right scrapers, skin and time involved to catalogize your media collection. but I also have to agree that I wouldn't make it default.
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#3
Hannes The Hun Wrote:library mode can be fantastic with the right scrapers, skin and time involved to catalogize your media collection. but I also have to agree that I wouldn't make it default.

What would be cool to me would be an option to switch to library mode when you enter a specific folder. In my setup I have my directories like this:

Video/
>>Movies/
>>TVShows/
>>unsorted/
>>randomfile1.avi

TVShows and Movies are 'library' types. It would be nifty to have an option for those to switch to library mode when I browsed in, and also back out when I went out. I do find the 'Genre'/'Actor'/'Title' stuff tedious though - but I think there is another thread addressing that.

xnappo
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#4
It's not turned off by default.

You simply have to scan your media, and then hit the button to go to library mode. In PM3.HD it goes to library mode by default once you've scanned your media.

This will ofcourse be improved - good things take time, however.

Cheers,
Jonathan
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#5
jmarshall Wrote:It's not turned off by default.

You simply have to scan your media, and then hit the button to go to library mode. In PM3.HD it goes to library mode by default once you've scanned your media.

This will ofcourse be improved - good things take time, however.

Cheers,
Jonathan

Right, but then to get back to non-scanned areas of my media I have to switch it back.I finally got around to trying MediaStream - and it does exactly what I wanted - I think it makes sense to have both library and file mode browsing available from the main menu.

xnappo
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#6
xnappo Wrote:I think it makes sense to have both library and file mode browsing available from the main menu.

xnappo
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#7
Another logical reason to have file mode as 'default' is that for first time users.... library mode needs to be scanned / built... and there are mistakes made.

File mode is much more immediate and gives some reassurance that things are working.

Can you imagine a totally blank library and folks ditching XBMC because they thought it didn't work?

That said... a couple of the skins have a LOUSY UI for empty library mode... no help at all as to how to import / scan media... but that's another issue.

IMO, nothing is perfect, but XBMC and MediaPortal both do a pretty good job of getting your media into a database with little fuss. And by the time we've got this figured as users, we immediately want the developers to write more and more sexy stuff, and not have a new user wizard etc...

Library mode IS the right way to go of course. Of that, there should be no doubt.
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Why is library mode not enabled/activated by default in XBMC?0