On Wed, 8 Dec 2004 10:39:32 -0800, "Mike Payson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> said: > I think you are completely missing the point. The idea isn't to force > everyone > to use the same remote. Everything will still be the same as it is now. > The > software is the same, LIRC still works, etc. There are two minor > differences, > though. First, The documentation can be more specific, since there are > "recommended" remotes, that all have certain buttons, etc. Second, you > can > make a default configuration that works out-of-the-box with the > recommended > remotes. However if you prefer to use another brand (or no) remote > instead, > you are of course welcome to configure it yourself, just as you do today.
I totally agree with all that. How could we not support the other remotes? > Open Source is a wonderful thing, but generally speaking, there isn't > much OS > hardware. If we did, as originally suggested, come up with a design and > fabricate our own OS remotes, they would end up costing substantially > more > then the ones I linked to. > > So you basically have three options: > No standard: Pros: Less "commercial"; Cons: Poor documentation, harder > install, generally poorer user experience. > > OS Remote: Pros: excellent user experience, documentation, & install; > Cons: > very expensive, limited flexibility, high financial risk. > > Recommended commercial remotes: Pros: Good user experience, > documentation, & > install, inexpensive; Cons: none really. There are really to reasons, at least in my mind, why to have a custom remote. One is standardization, which yours almost entirely covers. Two is to move beyond the current remotes. Impliment new ideas. If we implement an alphabet on the remote, we can't label it. All will that will have to be on the screen. I also can't figure out a way to do it without implementing a mode. I am sure the deeper I get into the interface the more the remote will limit. And only a custom remote can handle that Secondly, how will we implement this? All I can think of is different skins for different remotes. The same will have to be done if we use our own remote. But if we endorse multiple remotes, and when they start changing versions on us... It becomes a lot harder. Not undoable, just a lot of work to create multiple version of a skin to achieve the goals that endorsing some remotes have. We either have to endorses very similar remotes, or just one. I don't think it would get too expensive to build the remotes. I mean look at these remotes: http://www.evation.com/orders/online.html Those look like crap, I know. They are limited, non complex. But they are still _retailing_ for $10 I just asked a friend of mine how much in materials. In volume, 25, he said 5-10 each. Now that is just for the outside stuff. The chip board would be more. If anyone know about electronics and wants to take a stab, go for it: http://www.layoutonly.com/ -One can guess on number of transistors, chip circuitry and the like. http://www.pad2pad.com/ -Needs a final document to quote price. If anyone has a repository of them somewhere (work at a large manufacturing company) And here: http://www.emachineshop.com/ Is the online machining place I was thinking about. I would guess they are more costly too, one would have to shop around on this. I have friends would would through me a price if I threw them an AutoCAD spec. I don't have time for another two weeks to learn basic AutoCAD but again, if anyone knows how... I really don't understand the limited flexibility point. Could you explain it better? Do you mean we just get locked in? I think "High fancial risk" is a little much. At least on emachineshop the price breaks get good at 100. Could we sell 100 remotes? What if we did it in tandem with MythTV? How many on the pre-orders could we get? If we did everything local, we could do protypes on the cheap. I really don't think anyone needs to get upset over the remote thing for a while. It is rather far off. And there are still some HUGE maybes. All those questions I asked need to be answered. We would need to get some people that can design build circut board's and do AutoCAD stuff. We would need the community's backing, and the developers, whome none of which I even know! And right now I don't even have a Freevo box, not sure if I will have one. Money is tight for me right now, and 400 is quite a bit. I seem to be the only one interested. So dn't get crazy over the remote idea : p Okay, ToBe, of course we would use standards on the remote. The first thing to do is creat a standard spec, so that others could create the remote also. But how would that abandon the spirit of OpenSource? Look at OpenBSD. Try to download a regular install CD. You can't. Only the network install CD's are available for download. For a regular CD you have to buy it. Its how they keep the server running. And if you are worried about Linux specific stuff, all major Linux shops make money. There are buisnesses behind the group that funds Linus. Okay, food time! : ) Zach > > The problem with such actions is, that you are leaving the spirit of linux. > > The OpenSource idea is what made software like freevo and it's components > > what they are today. If you make them commercial, no matter how, you are > > discouraging people to contribute. > > Standartisation is a good thing, but use OpenSource standards. They are out > > there, you just have to find them. I thought lirc was pretty good at that? > > If anyone has to make money with freevo (I could understand that, have to > > pay my life too), I woud suggest the donation way. Just look at meedio. > > Since it has gone commercial, there doesn't seem to be any further > > development. People still use it's free precessor. > > > > Just my 2 cents on this... > > > > ToBe > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > SF email is sponsored by - The IT Product Guide > Read honest & candid reviews on hundreds of IT Products from real users. > Discover which products truly live up to the hype. Start reading now. > http://productguide.itmanagersjournal.com/ > _______________________________________________ > Freevo-users mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freevo-users ------------------------------------------------------- SF email is sponsored by - The IT Product Guide Read honest & candid reviews on hundreds of IT Products from real users. Discover which products truly live up to the hype. Start reading now. http://productguide.itmanagersjournal.com/ _______________________________________________ Freevo-users mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freevo-users
