Center View and Music store integration

[Mark Kretschmann]

On Wednesday 28 February 2007 23:41, Bart Cerneels wrote:
> This is related to the results of the FOSDEM brainstorm session, mainly the
> Context View idea, which I'm re-branding the Center Pane.
>
> Now that the context browser is in the center and always visible it might
> be a opportunity to rethink it's concept.
> This is related to music stores because I don't think the current tree view
> browser will scale when music stores get a bigger catalog. Consider a music
> store that has a web-like interface, it's easier to browse, looks better,
> albumart, browsing through a catalog based on related artists, genres,
> recommendations, etc.
> To implement a store like that we need screen real estate. The only place I
> can think of that we have that is in the center pane.
>
> Now what is interesting is that, when implemented right, context and music
> stores are just themes for the Center Pane. A reminder: Themes control
> Widget that display data supplied by Scripts.
> The things we can show in the center pane are only limited by the
> complexity of the widget it uses.

While we're at this topic, let me repeat my proposal that I had presented on 
IRC:

1)
We need to create a set of minimum requirements for a store to be included in 
Amarok. Requirements could include:

* No DRM.
* Allows free preview of the music.
* Maybe also ethics: Is the store allowed to offer any kind of music (e.g. 
Nazi music)?

2) The store must fullfill our minimum requirements, and make a deal with us 
(we get a share from the sales, like we do with Magnatune).

As a result, stores need to be *certified* by us, to be allowed to bundle 
their store interface with Amarok. This also implies that we *cannot* allow 
stores to offer plugins for download on their website, which are loaded at 
runtime in Amarok. This would totally circumvent any of the requirements I've 
listed above.

All store plugins (be it C++ or a scripting language) should be certified and 
bundled by us with Amarok, and ideally put into KDE SVN.

-- 
Mark