Open for Discussion

[phred]

Over the years I've seen a lot of (new) users wanting to sync their music between MB and a device. Most are expecting tracks on the device to copy over to MB and visa versa. The reason for this expectation is, IMO, the use of the word "sync" to describe MB's action. "Sync" literally means "to synchronize" which is the action of making the data on both MB and the device match. And this is not what MB does.

I propose that Steven change the name of the action from "Sync" to "Transfer" in an attempt to minimize confusion, especially from new users. This wouldn't require any reworking of how MB works. Simply changing the word "synchronize" to "transfer" in all of the device dialog(s).

Your opinion is welcome.

[Freddy Barker]

I propose that Steven change the name of the action from "Sync" to "Transfer" in an attempt to minimize confusion, especially from new users. This wouldn't require any reworking of how MB works. Simply changing the word "synchronize" to "transfer" in all of the device dialog(s).

Not a bad idea, however, would it not be more benefitial to actually change MB so that it does sync play counts and ratings? If Steven is prepared to make the changes and if it's at all possible of course. I still use the Media Monkey player on my Android device, I'm sure two-way syncing functioned when I previously used MM before upgrading to MB

[frankz]

Not a bad idea, however, would it not be more benefitial to actually change MB so that it does sync play counts and ratings? If Steven is prepared to make the changes and if it's at all possible of course. I still use the Media Monkey player on my Android device, I'm sure two-way syncing functioned when I previously used MM before upgrading to MB

MediaMonkey has its own database on your phone that syncs with the MediaMonkey database on your computer.  It doesn't rely on Android or information in the files.  That's why it works.

To function like this would require a MusicBee app for Android.

I wish, but I think that's probably too much to wish.

[phred]

would it not be more benefitial to actually change MB so that it does sync play counts and ratings? If Steven is prepared to make the changes and if it's at all possible of course.

Of course it would, but I seem to remember many, many years ago Steven saying that two-way sync was never the intent. I may be mis-remembering, so we'd really need to hear from Steven on this.

My proposal is based on the fact that MB isn't capable of two-way syncing. I agree that if it could be done, then there's no need for a change in name of function. Nor for this discussion.

[psychoadept]

To function like this would require a MusicBee app for Android.

I wish, but I think that's probably too much to wish.

I have an ambition to do this someday. I've taken a class in C# and I'm taking one in Android app development right now, but the way things are going and given my challenges with time management, I see little hope that it will happen until I actually finish my degree, which is a couple more years away.

[psychoadept]

Of course it would, but I seem to remember many, many years ago Steven saying that two-way sync was never the intent. I may be mis-remembering, so we'd really need to hear from Steven on this.

My understanding is that it is theoretically possible now, at least to sync playcounts and such, but none of the players have taken advantage of that functionality

[phred]

but the way things are going and given my challenges with time management, I see little hope that it will happen until I actually finish my degree, which is a couple more years away.

Can't you step it up a little and get on an accelerated track?   :-)

[Mauser69]

Over the years I've seen a lot of (new) users wanting to sync their music between MB and a device. Most are expecting tracks on the device to copy over to MB and visa versa. The reason for this expectation is, IMO, the use of the word "sync" to describe MB's action. "Sync" literally means "to synchronize" which is the action of making the data on both MB and the device match. And this is not what MB does.

I propose that Steven change the name of the action from "Sync" to "Transfer" in an attempt to minimize confusion, especially from new users. This wouldn't require any reworking of how MB works. Simply changing the word "synchronize" to "transfer" in all of the device dialog(s).

Your opinion is welcome.

No, I disagree with you - MB does more than transfer files - it truly does "sync" with it's own files that it previously loaded if that option for syncing a playlist is turned on; if a file is added to a playlist it will be added to the device, and if a file is removed from a playlist, it is removed from the device.

Admittedly, this is not a true and complete two-way synchronization, but it is a lot more than just file transfer.  It might be more accurate to say "sync TO device", but that is probably too fine a point for most to pick up on.  I really do not know a better way to define it, other than to tell the user to read the documentation.

[jacktheripper]

In the early days of my iTunes usage, I became terrified by the word Sync, because I learned the hard way that iTunes could modify the very structure and content of the folder on my PC containing actual digitized music files. Perhaps we need a new language with words like "downsync", "upsync" and "crosssync" to at least describe what's happening when we push a button merely labeled "Sync".

The debate on whether MusicBee should upsync anything from a target device, like play data from an iPhone, is a separate issue. For me, I don't want anything I do on an iPhone or my SONOS system to mess with how I have structured my actual digitized music files on my PC.

In fact, what does the word "library" mean? In both iTunes and MusicBee, a library is just a collection pointers to the "real library" that contains digitized music files, sort of like a card catalog in a traditional book library that points to where actual books are in the stacks. So "pointerlibrary" and "stacklibrary" come to mind as useful distinctions.

The problem with trying to upsync anything from iTunes, in particular, is that it's a moving target. Apple cavalierly makes changes to fundamental file structures used in iTunes as they see fit, with little regard for the consequences to downstream software. The SONOS company, and its user community, has been struggling with this issue for years. In fact, it's the very reason I've come to use MusicBee instead of iTunes to curate my stacklibrary. I'd get things set up and working just fine, and bingo, a new release of iTunes would break it. If MusicBee does anything in the future to upsync data, I hope it's clearly labeled, and, by default, off.