[mythtv] MythTV Usability Report

[Kevin Kuphal]

Steve Hodge wrote:

>On 1/9/06, Kevin Kuphal <kuphal at dls.net> wrote:
>  
>
>>I agree and I think he should take the time to make a similar evaluation
>>of the latest code rather than spending time on things that have already
>>been addressed
>>    
>>
>
>Unfortunately most people are not able to run a development version of
>MythTV. They only have one system with capture cards and that system
>must be as stable as possible as it is essentially a production
>system.
>  
>
Actually most people can.  Myth is a very stable product in the SVN 
branch compared to other projects I've used.  A littl reading of the 
-dev and -commits lists and it is very easy to see when things are 
broken (which is rare).  I have only one system.  I run SVN.  I rarely, 
if ever, have a problem and my 3 tuners are usually quite busy between 
my wife and I and the kids.  When it's not working, I hear about it.

>Unless you want to ignore all feedback from non-developers you've got
>to accept that most users will be running the latest stable release
>and not the latest SVN code. There's going to be a certain number of
>resolved issues reported. That's the nature of the beast.
>  
>
Sure.  And when it happens, expect people to respond with "it's already 
been fixed" or "revisit this in the next release".  A quick search of 
the -dev list and a look at SVN online would show that a 0.19 release is 
imminent and constructive criticism of 0.18 is bound to be slightly less 
valuable than waiting a short time for 0.19 and evaluating then.

>>Part of the point of open source is exactly "if you don't like it,
>>change it".  Try to do that with you Tivo.  The point being made is that
>>while the out of the box Myth menus or keybindings may not work for you,
>>it is entirely in *your* hands to make them work better because you have
>>the power to do it.
>>    
>>
>
>That's a poor excuse for not addressing problems in the default setup.
>  
>
I haven't seen much, outside of the MythMusic suggestions, that I could 
raise to the level of a problem but that has been discussed ad nauseum 
already.

Kevin