| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| JDommi |
Posted - 15 Sep 2014 : 10:23:56
Well, somehow I wonder if XMM is still alive.
Nearly no bug was corrected since the first few releases of XMM8 or better since more than one year. Only a few minor additions were made but morely seem to be an alibi than real enthusiasm.
Even if Ale has a lot to do in real life it should be possible to eliminate at least some of the bugs that are reported and the users get no response for weeks.
In my opinion release 8 has killed the whole project. A really good working program was downgraded.
If Ale doesn't change anything I don't see any future for XMM. |
| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Rincewindwiz |
Posted - 20 Nov 2014 : 23:11:33
Mawu is corect - v7 neded modernising but the approach to V8 was a disaster.
No database design; no prioritisation of facilities; no fall back position (XMM7 should have been kept running until XMM8 reached a stable state - something we are still waiting for. Even now it only requries a few main scripts to be updated and XMM7 woudl be fine as a fall back)
No thought to other platforms? No thought to a cloud version etc etc
And where do we go?
How is it decided where to put the loimited resources?
Maybe now is the time to change the pricing structure and get some more resources - especially if the product is to go multi-platform? (Personally I dont see the need but I am old fashioned that way - why woudl I want my entire movie collection on my iPhone? iPad maybe but not Iphone. OK maybe a slim version with the basic data.
But whatever is to be done, it would be really nice to have a plan/roadmap so users have some idea of where this is going and when to expect it.
Otherwise we will all wander off disgruntled
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| Alessio Viti |
Posted - 18 Sep 2014 : 09:48:28
Hello Mawu,
You help me a lot very much with suggestions and bug report. This morning I have some free time and I will try to correct some scripts.
The main problem of course is my free time, that is less than before. I have many projects I would like to do but I cannot start it at all. 
Ale |
| Mawu |
Posted - 17 Sep 2014 : 19:00:59
@Alessio
Sorry, my reply to JDommis post maybe was a little bit too hard. I didn't want to attack you personally. It's only about a small software.
quote:
I know that there are some old/new bugs that must be fixed, but the whole XMM is working.
That's true. For me the problem is not, that xMM crashes or that the basic functions don't work at all. But there are many many small bugs that driving me mad. These bugs force me to edit many things manually in Access, use other programs (e.g. to read the correct discID or the the audio streams) or just copy/paste data from the web.
For many years xMM was an insiders' tip for movie collectors. And I'm sad, that this reputation is gone now. And at the moment there is no hope that things will improve in the future.
quote:
I have receive really offensive emails from people that has purchase a registration in 2002, payd it 5$ and pretend upgrades/updates in real-time after 12 years! OK, the registration is and will be lifetime but...
For sure this behaviour of old users is ridiculous. Maybe we were pampered to much in past by immediate support and updates. But how to get out of the current situation unharmed? How can we help you?
Bye byte & happy coding
Mawu |
| RedArmy |
Posted - 17 Sep 2014 : 17:52:32
Hi Ale,
I can say I became acquainted a year with the program.
The best one of its kind in the program is because I have worked with programs similar to this, but neither my needs were unable to resolve too.
Of course, should mention that some scripts are problems that must be solved.
It's another thing that I had a crack version if it did not exist on the Internet.
I hope this problem will be solved.
In our country we have a proverb that says the problem is much greater glory... |
| Alessio Viti |
Posted - 17 Sep 2014 : 14:29:56
Hello Guys,
as Wernhard wrote my answer right now is just an apologize, this because I haven't much free time.
I know that there are some old/new bugs that must be fixed, but the whole XMM is working. I try to get the script updated for what I can.
I have receive really offensive emails from people that has purchase a registration in 2002, payd it 5$ and pretend upgrades/updates in real-time after 12 years! OK, the registration is and will be lifetime but...
Ok, There is no more thing to write here... what I can say is that XMM is not dead so do not expect that I will close the project and the website.
I have to really thanks JDommi for all the help and support in all these years, I hope you will continue with it.
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| Mawu |
Posted - 17 Sep 2014 : 13:41:52
@JDommi
You'll get the answer to your question (Is XMM still alive?) when you read this thread. Almost no response. One or two years ago there was much more traffic for such threads. I think most of the hardcore users are gone or don't read the forum any longer.
For sure xMM is not dead, but I don't see much future. I'm a long time user since 2001 and saw all the ups and downs of the program. For me xMM7 was the last version that was accectable. xMM7 also has many bugs and many functions are not state-of-the-art, but it worked until most the scripts were outdated. It was the right decision to modernize the program but the result is terrible. Bugs, bugs, bugs! It's evident that xMM8 is quick-and-dirty-code. There is almost no function that works as it should or works without manual editing in Access. This bugs are all listed in several threads but were not fixed during the last 2 years. Only some cosmetic updates that simulate a development that doesn't exist. I have no problem when a programmer has no time to develop his programm because real life has changed dramatically since the time he was a student. But then he has to find clear words and cancel the whole project. Or he has to develop a plan/systematic approach. The longer this takes the fewer people will be here to support this. I think most authors of 3rd-party-plugins and script seem to be gone, the last posting of the second moderator is months ago. The platform is burning! There is not so much developing necessary when the main program is stable and functional. DVDprofiler got the last update 2 years ago, but everything works and people are still sending dvd profiles to the online database. But xMM core program sucks at the moment and then every additional activity (scripting, plugin programming, forum activity)is waste of lifetime at the moment. Not only programmers have a real life and xMM originally was developed to save time for movie collectors. Nevertheless I appreciate it very much that you have taken over the whole support for xMM, JDommi.
But it's not only the bugs. Things have changed dramatically for movie collector programs. They have to be available on all (mobile)platforms and find als an answer how to cover streaming platforms in the future. xMM is also far behind in this field. It's clear that all this stuff can't be done by one person. But there is a simple formula: no stable and functional program - no users - no community - no scripts - no translations no plugins - no apps.
Talking about alternatives:
The frustrating answers is: there is no real counterpart. Not when you want to have all the IMDB stuff or audio/video details in your database. The market leaders like DVDProfiler, MyMovies or Movie Collector are all using proprietary databases with rigid contribution rules for the movie profiles (only info from movie covers and opening/end credits are allowed). That means: no custom movie data. All IMDB stuff, posters, fanart is gone. The advantage is that you have a consistent online database where you can synchronize your collection with all devices. When you collect Blu-ray/DVD you only have to export the EAN-List and import it into the new program. Although I still using xMM as my main database (there is too much custom info and fanart inside), I'm using DVDProfiler and MyMovies to get my collection also on my Windows tablet and Windows Phone.
All the freeware stuff that follows the same concept as xMM (grabbing info from several internet sites) you can forget. They are far behind in functionality and in few years there will be the same trouble than with xMM (student life vs real life after the student years). |
| wellwet |
Posted - 17 Sep 2014 : 12:16:53
JDommi, I entered to the forum to write something like yours.
Been long time I'm using this "once perfect" software, have nearly 11,000 movies in database. Hated to re update all the movies when I couldn't convert the database fully to the 8th version (First of all that Import routine was the worst "upgrade" problem my 30 years of computer life!).
After 1 months of spare time work I re-updated everything, started to use XMM again but this time lots of other bugs, for example, I bug still exists, I wrote here lots f time, XMM can not read avi files, every time I -and other foreign keyboard users- XMM tries to read them as AV? files because of big letter translation etc, each time I try to add a AVI I must correct it by hand in options menu! This was a minor bug, I learnt to live with it but with every update we had other problems. I dont want to mention all again...
But today I saw another problem which makes me really unhappy with XMM, don't know when and how but some of my old movies have wrong datas now :( Downloaded HD version of some Charles Chaplin movies today, tried to change the low quality movies in DB but I saw old movies has wrong datas, some of the movies Director names are incorrect! I saw at keast 10-20 movies which has wrong director names :( This is unacceptable :(
Now I need help to move another movie database program, lets find a better "supported" and "working" program which can import XMM database without problem. And Alessi at least write a export program to keep our years of time spent databases :(
It's time to move another program,I lost my pssion to XMM :( |
| wernhard |
Posted - 15 Sep 2014 : 15:13:09
Luckily i'm not that demanding in features for XMM but you're right.
Whats with the x64 Version. This stuff takes too long.
If your private life is too time-consuming than don't sell a program where it takes weeks or month for a bug to fix.
But as i suspect there will not be more than an apologize and big sweet dewy cateyes so that we are no longer mad. ;'/ |
| Mawu |
Posted - 15 Sep 2014 : 14:08:48
xMM is not dead, it just smells funny. |
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