Feedback: FC8 Crashes, UI problems, etc.

[ziklag]

OK.  I want to provide some feedback on Amarok.

First a preamble:  I've been a faithful Linux user
since 1992.  But, when BeOS came along, I fell in love
it's A/V capabilities.  I'm still waiting for my FC8
PC system to approach the level of usability that I have 
on my BeOS R5.03 system (which is 7 years old now!)

Here's the problem.

1. Amarok crashes frequently.  I cannot load a playlist
and walk away and expect it to run.

2. When it crashes, it doesn't return to where I left off.

3. I like to listen to sermons.  Being spoken material,
many of them are recorded at low bitrates.  The Xine
engine is simply not able to play these at any level
of acceptability (mpg123 and SoundPlay (BeOS) work
just fine).  (But mpg123 is a commandline app.)

4. The user interface is difficult to use.   I like
to seek forwards and backwards in my music.  The
small progress bar prevents this.   Also, you lack
cue/review buttons.  Please compare to SoundPlay.

5. SoundPlay allows:
	a. multiple concurrent playlists
	b. playing many tracks concurrently
	c. playing music forwards or backwards(secret
	messages!) from -400% to + 400% pitch/speed.
	d. drag-n-drop interface (alas, that's due
	to Linux/KDE.)

OK. I realize that BeOS was designed THE RIGHT WAY (TM)
from the ground up (64bit FS, Attributes, Near Real-Time
response, seemless audio/video support with integral
plug-in architecture.)  Linux is forced to respond with
myriads of half-finished/half bugged-checked libraries.
(DLL H*LL/RPM madness ensues when one tries to update an FC
system (first you must delete all existing A/V libraries to 
update because missing dependancies prevent updates of certain
RPMS.)

O.K. How can you fix this?

1. Use the MPG123 or (MPG321) engine instead. That is
use a plug-in architecture for MP3, OGG, WMA support
instead of relying on the inadequate buggy Xine engine.

2. Redo external player window with resizable controls.

3. Encourage Linux "powers that be" to take a serious
look at BeOS and what it has to offer.  Ask yourselves
why someone would prefer to use an 8 year old OS on
a Pentium III instead of FC8 on an Athlon 64Bit system.

4. Get RedHat to get a clue to the fact that MP3 is the
de facto standard and to allow easy access to PLAYBACK
capabilities.  There's nothing illegal about me playing
my purchased MP3, my BeOS (BladeEnc) ripped music, etc.
on my Linux box.

4. Why is it that one guy (Marco Nelissenn) was able to
write a killer app on BeOS, while dozens, even hundreds, of
people working together on Linux still cannot create anything 
comparable?

Oh. Why am I writing to *you*?  Because Amarok is by far
the best audio player on Linux.   And perhaps, if you have
an open mind, you might be able to get the Linux leaders
to start to pay attention to A/V needs.

About SoundPlay:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~marcone/soundplay.html


Thanks for seriously considering my views without being too
offended. (I've spent hours and hours tweaking and updating
and downloading just to get Amarok to work with some semblance
of usabilty, but as I say, I still have a number of problems
with its usability.

Thanks again!!


tim
ziklag at inbox.com

____________________________________________________________
FREE 3D MARINE AQUARIUM SCREENSAVER - Watch dolphins, sharks & orcas on your desktop!
Check it out at http://www.inbox.com/marineaquarium
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: MyNewBeOSDesktop.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 171911 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/amarok/attachments/20080423/3a28a017/attachment.jpg>