getmusicbee.com
Support => Questions => Topic started by: Steven on February 22, 2015, 09:20:21 AM
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With the changes for v3.0, there are a lot things to be done to implement the changes discussed. Because I do this in my spare time, I feel its going to be pretty much impossible for me to do that while still providing full support on the forum. I am keen to do these changes but it requires a lot of focus and time.
So what that means is over the next several weeks, I will spend a lot less time looking at issues or answering questions. To the regular forum readers, if you do find an issue that needs reporting, try and figure out as much information as you can before reporting it. Often issues involve special combinations of settings or very specific steps to reproduce.
I am undecided about when I will make the final v2.5 release available, because when i do so, based on past experience, it means an increase in new users and hence new problems or mis-understandings about how MusicBee works. I will probably let it sit for a few weeks.
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Yes, delaying 2.5 makes full sense :)
Yet, may I ask you a small thing? Could you please provide a zipped version with just the new files to be replaced, not an installer (as you do in the nightlies), in order to update portable versions? Thanks
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My opinion is the sooner the release date, the better because there have been a lot of bug fixes and new features added. You used to have a few weeks of break right after every new release, so you could do the same this time while spending the time for v3.0. The forum should work fine without your frequent visits as long as you keep monitoring.
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Maybe somebody should sticky this until 3.0 is released?
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Maybe somebody should sticky this until 3.0 is released?
done
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I am going to keep a list of the things I am doing for v3.0 and have acheived to date:
- rebuilt most of the core controls used in MusicBee eg. the list grids, panels, tree structure controls etc for better scaling, colour support and the graphics should perform better with less flickering
- skinned scrollbar handling is now built in "from the ground up" which will make it much easier for me to add new panels that require scrollbars
- also (not tested yet) touch handling for the scrollbars should work
- popup scrollbar and narrower scrollbars are now supported
- for list grids, i have built my own rather than using the one that comes with .NET. This had allowed me to address some of the selection and keyboard handling quirks of the current grids, and remove the hacks i had to build in
- also not tested properly yet, scrolling should hopefully be less "jerky" (not promising that with the artwork layout though)
- for tree controls (such as the left navigator) the control itself now supports multiple node selections
- by doing all this i have eliminated quite a few GUI quirks and hopefully not introduced new quirks!
- as i am going through the various controls i will look to improve the scaling for images (ie. make them look sharper and proportionate for the screen resolution) where practical
- elimated a lot of duplicated functionality in the various player control panels - this will make future enhancements easier
There is still a load to do and I still havent fully started looking at the changes discussed in the v3 GUI topic, but all the changes to date are laying the foundations
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That list might might not look exciting to users expecting a bunch of new "features", but I think building your own controls tailored to MusicBee's needs is an awesome way to start planning for future versions. I'm looking forward to seeing what MusicBee 3 will bring, however long it takes. :)
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at this stage it is just "under-the-hood" stuff but as mentioned its laying the foundations for the v3 changes and its necessary in order to keep musicbee maintainable and non-bloated going forward
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*thumbs up*
I'm a fan of making everything run smoother.
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non-bloated going forward
There are many great reasons to use MusicBee, but this is really appreciated. And usually not seen in music players/managers.
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That list of stuff is some seriously impressive work Steven. Really looking forward to the new version. Now feels about the right time to once again thank you for all the work you put in.
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Have you ever thought about working as a team on MusicBee? I reckon you are the sole developer, but the way I see it, there are plenty of talented programmers around here. Maybe it will help to reduce the work load, introduce more ideas etc etc. Am not asking to make MB Open Source.
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non-bloated going forward
There are many great reasons to use MusicBee, but this is really appreciated. And usually not seen in music players/managers.
This will make everyone's life easier in the long run. Sometimes you have to build back some things from scratch to allow moving forward. Great attitude.
Have you ever thought about working as a team on MusicBee? I reckon you are the sole developer, but the way I see it, there are plenty of talented programmers around here. Maybe it will help to reduce the work load, introduce more ideas etc etc. Am not asking to make MB Open Source.
I think this was already asked in the past and if I remember well, he had and he'd rather not. ;)
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Just a small update on this. Progress is still slower than i was expecting so it might/ probably will be July now before its ready.
At this point I am still getting MusicBee back to its original state but with the right building blocks in place to do the planned GUI enhancements.
I do want to say that I am really pleased with whats been done so far and I think many people will see improvements in performance (memory usage and GUI rendering performance). Also the changes have really simplied the code so introducing changes going forward should be a lot easier than they would have been. So even if things are getting done a little slower than expected I still think this exercise has been worth it.
I also want to thank the forum members who have been helping out answering problems reported on the forum. Its been really helpful to be able to focus on doing the changes
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Good to hear you're happy with what's been done. And don't worry too much about the time - all the regular users are happy to wait, I'm sure. We're just glad we can help out with dealing with as many problems as possible for you.
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Just a small update on this. Progress is still slower than i was expecting so it might/ probably will be July now before its ready.
At this point I am still getting MusicBee back to its original state but with the right building blocks in place to do the planned GUI enhancements.
I do want to say that I am really pleased with whats been done so far and I think many people will see improvements in performance (memory usage and GUI rendering performance). Also the changes have really simplied the code so introducing changes going forward should be a lot easier than they would have been. So even if things are getting done a little slower than expected I still think this exercise has been worth it.
I also want to thank the forum members who have been helping out answering problems reported on the forum. Its been really helpful to be able to focus on doing the changes
It seems like this is all for the best. I'd gladly wait a little longer for the rewrite to be done right. Take your time and thanks for the efforts!
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Well worth the wait. Looking forward to the release.
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i am getting quite a few personal emails asking if this project is abandoned. Its getting quite annoying and a cursory glance of the top most forum topics shows otherwise. I guess the type of person that doesnt bother checking is not going to read this but i am posting this in case it helps a little.
Also see http://getmusicbee.com/forum/index.php?topic=15050.0 for the latest updates for the v3 (demo version)
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Perhaps a 'sticky' in the "Latest Version" forum clearly stating that MB is still being developed and supported, but author participation is somewhat limited at the current time due to the continuing development, and eventual release, of v3. Perhaps a "READ THIS" subject title. And lock it. You don't need/want comments.
Granted, people who don't read the other notices probably won't read this, but with it being in the 'latest version' section, maybe it will catch their eye.
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I think MB should support social groups, like FaceBook and Google+. That gets more attention and perhaps devs that understand proper programming. Tons of applications use Google+ groups just to stay relevant.
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Steven has actually stated that he doesn't want many more users as he has trouble coping with the wealth of bug reports as it is. He also likes being the sole developer, so there would be no attraction for him there either. There is an FB page though if you want to like it.
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I think MB should support social groups, like FaceBook and Google+. That gets more attention and perhaps devs that understand proper programming. Tons of applications use Google+ groups just to stay relevant.
I don't see how social media would help in any way. It would be just an added workload for a benefit I can't see.
As for "devs that understand proper programming". I find this rather insulting to the efforts Steven has poured into MB the unrivaled music manager that it is.
However:
Steven has actually stated that he doesn't want many more users as he has trouble coping with the wealth of bug reports as it is.
this will become an exponential issue as MB becomes more popular. I know Steven has stated several times he likes developing MB solo, but I don't see how this would be viable in the future.
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However:
Steven has actually stated that he doesn't want many more users as he has trouble coping with the wealth of bug reports as it is.
This will become an exponential issue as MB becomes more popular. I know Steven has stated several times he likes developing MB solo, but I don't see how this would be viable in the future.
Yes, it's something Steven is just going to have to live with. I imagine when he releases the final version of 2.5, he'll make a request for experienced users to only report bugs if they can determine exact conditions for them to occur, to help him keep on top of it all. He's done it before and it makes sense.
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well its the middle of the summer holidays so things should be fairly quiet if i do the release in the next week or so
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well its the middle of the summer holidays so things should be fairly quiet if i do the release in the next week or so
As a programmer, can i ask why you like to solo develope this program? Don't misunderstand please, i think your work is fantastic, and I think that this is the best music player for windows, but maybe with someone else you could work less or/and more free time :)
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i think its because team programming is ALWAYS more difficult than solo programming.
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As a programmer, can i ask why you like to solo develope this program? Don't misunderstand please, i think your work is fantastic, and I think that this is the best music player for windows, but maybe with someone else you could work less or/and more free time :)
other developers could help out with building plugins - there are many and (i think) interesting things that could be done