I tried modesty. Didn't get thereults I wanted, or honestly expected. I could be less modest if I wanted. I held back. Instead I tried giving an example of my programming chops. That's all I was doing
Open source
The client is. The media server is not.
@hrcolb0: You may well be up to the task, I’m not arguing against that, as I have no knowledge of your experience or skills. My point is that there are several developers working on this already, each with their own areas of responsibility, and a strategy for implementing said feature which fits in nicely with everyone’s existing code that all have agreed upon. Suggesting that you know better and disregarding the work and plans of others without even having used the application, let alone seeing the code, comes across as slightly arrogant. Unless I’m misreading or misunderstanding your attitude, in which case I apologise. Sometimes it’s easy to incorrectly interpret the tone of a forum post 
Thanks for the reply :)
And nfo files? Will it (at some point) be possible to write metadata agents that pick up data from local nfo (or other XML formatted) files? Is it possible now?
As I have understood it only basic nfo support is planned. A nfo file in the same directory as the movie file will help Plex find the correct movie if the IMDB link is in the nfo.
I am not trying to state that I know better than those who have access to the code. I’ll explictely state that I don’t know better. The only word I have read, and I very well could have misread it, is that “As I said, we plan on introducing full metadata editing in 0.9.1” and that was it. When will 0.9.1 b released? That is rhetorical question.
My big frustration over all of this is that I have seen posted on the boards that three main functions are not going to be in 0.9 that I want. As far as I can tell, without having looked at the code, and based on how it would proof of concept wise be possible in 0.8.5, I have an idea on how to include it. Only 1 of those I think would require access to PMS code. I see PlexTV as a skin development only. I see Eyetv really as a skin development as I can already view live TV within plex in 0.8.5. The main argument to not having these features is the delay that would cause release. This is essentially a “not enough time in the day” argument. I was offering my services to help get these features added more quickly. Dev team doesn’t want my help? Okay. Enough said. Mind you, that wasn’t said until today. And having a plan to include it in 0.9.1, and having people already working on it are two different things. That wasn’t mentioned until jam’s post right above this one. Instead of just whining to release it already, I was offering my help to get these features in. I don’t feel entitled to be a developer. I feel frustrated that my efforts to help fell on deaf ears, especially given how open and available the dev team is.
I was offering help, not flames, when I asked to get the skin I use up to snuff for 0.9. I even got permission from the original developer of PlexTV.
I was offering help, not flames, when I offered to get an epg setup that would act like a skin, and quite possibly could be used for all skins, unlike the old PMIII epg.
Both fell on flat ears, and I accepted that since these would have been new features. I got riled up when nfo editing was thrown out/not added in yet. So much so, that I suggested delaying 0.9 until it is added. Boxee was a real pain to use when this feature wasn’t available. Now you can edit movies, but the UI is ugly.
I’ll still use Plex. I’ll still tell people it’s the best of the xbmc family, if it can even still be considered that. I’ll still program for plex, and everything I do will be closed source, and closed use.
@jam from a couple of posts ago: I am most likely going to upgrade because having two instances of plex using the same database is a much better function than integrated EyeTV. Saying I can keep using 0.8.6 is like saying I can use Boxee since I like their online tv display better than plex’s. There are too many better things about plex to really use boxee. The same goes for 0.9 versus 0.8.5.
@seamusshay: yeah, in most cases I am very modest. A rare few circumstances I am not. Programming, not so much. I’ve been able to pick any language I have tried in a short time since 1993. Being modest about these types of items has actually hurt me professionally. I’m not modest anymore. That regulator died.
@jayman: go ahead and closed the thread unless someone thinks I have missrepresented anything.
OK, but what about the ability to contribute our own metadata agents - that is still the plan, right? :)
yes, it sure is.
Great, thanks. :)
(But not in the first release, I gather?)
I'll let a developer answer that, but I don't think so.
Dear hrcolb0,
Thank you for hijacking the thread that I started in order to learn more about the new Plex. Your over-politicization of your not being accepted as a volunteer programmer for someone else’s project do not seem petty or baffling in the slightest. Your giving the “go ahead” to close the thread after you’ve de-railed it so is also very very commendable, and the level to which it does not make you seem completely self-centered is deserving of the most non-sarcastic slow applause that I can possibly muster. If I were able to stick a glittery gold star sticker on your shirt right now, I totally would.
But seriously, please take it to a new thread.
Also, is it just safe to say that everything that we’ve seen in the preview videos so far will be available on the first release? Or will there be a few things that have been shown that we’ll need to wait a little bit longer for?
New metadata agents can be written right now. It's as easy as writing a plug-in. There's no real documentation, but someone familiar with Python should be able to work it out by looking at the existing metadata agents.
Although I agree with your frustration, it is not nice to talk about putting golden stars on someone's shirts - might give some people with a sense of history a bad feeling... (I'm sorry if I somehow misunderstand what you meant - I'm not an expect of English proverbs/street language...) :o
Let's just keep on topic and also stop using too many words telling others what to post and what not to post (I for one will stop here ;)...
Everything you've seen should be in the public release. (I suppose there might be the tiniest possibility that something breaks, and the devs decide to release without fixing it, but I don't think that's likely at all.)
Great, but only for the invited crowd, right? (If I was "invited", I would throw myself over that instantly - maybe I could have a look at the metadata agent code, at least?)...
I'm guessing (based on what I believe that I have previously read) that a central part of the agents is Xpath - true?
Given the context of nameundecided's sarcasm, I think he was referring to the American practice of sticking gold stars to kindergartener's shirts to indicate a job well done.
You will be able to contribute to things like scanners once 0.9 is released. Until then, patience is the word of the day :)
No - the metadata agents look pretty much like existing Plex plug-ins. They use exactly the same Python framework, with a few additions designed to support our metadata storage format. Anyone can create them. They can pull in and manipulate any data regular plug-ins can (using XML and Xpath is one way).
Regarding local media, we will be supporting local artwork & poster/cover image files, but I'm unsure whether this will make the first release or not. Likewise for embedded metadata in MP4 movie files. We won't be supporting XBMC NFO files, as we don't want to be tied to a specification defined and controlled by another group which we have no influence over :) Our library has its own storage format, which bundles together metadata from all sources, posters, artwork, music, and (eventually) user-provided data in a single package. An agent could be created to parse XBMC NFO files, but the team won't be providing one, and wouldn't officially support one if someone else were to create it.
