Why exactly does the config file have to be platform specific?
It doesn't have to be, it just better that way. Then users who know
their platform have to learn less new things to work with Pd.
But users who already know pd from another platform will have to learn a new way to handle its configuration :(
How many users know how to edit this proposed config file? Just about how many know how to edit the registry settings for Pd. The FAQ can provide some help for getting people up to speed. We need to build on existing knowledge so that people don't have learn Pd- specific things for trivial operations. For what Pd does with it, the registry is simple to use. Plus if you learn the registry in the process of figuring out manual Pd configs, then you can apply that knowledge to just about every other Windows program.
I don't know _any_ windows program that encourages users to play
around with its registry entries. That usually results in odd
behaviour. MS wants the program to read and write the registry
through the API, the user isn't supposed to even suspect that it
might exist. The main reason for it seems to be for licensing and
copy-protection secret keys. My registry seems to have thousands of
entries. Browsing it is very tedious. I propose that an xml file could be read/writeable by pd in the
same way the setting dialogs work currently. Since it's a plain
text file and out in the open, anyone could read it, and "experts"
could edit it directly. As long as the 'xml' is kept simple (no nesting, no dtd lookups) a
parser should be doable in tcl, maybe a tcl xml parser already
exists(?)We are on the same page, we just disagree about how to solve the
problem. If the preference panels were fixed, then Windows users
wouldn't have to touch the registry, and people on other platforms
would benefit too. Just changing the underlying format will mean
that users have to learn a different, arcane config file. That
doesn't seem like a benefit to me.
The point is it shouldn't be arcane. It's just an ASCII text file with easy-to-understand tags. It could even include a full set of usage instructions as comments. To me the command line is arcane and the registry even more so.
Martin
On Sep 14, 2006, at 11:22 AM, martin.peach@sympatico.ca wrote:
Why exactly does the config file have to be platform specific?
It doesn't have to be, it just better that way. Then users who know their platform have to learn less new things to work with Pd.
But users who already know pd from another platform will have to
learn a new way to handle its configuration :(How many users know how to edit this proposed config file? Just about how many know how to edit the registry settings for Pd. The FAQ can provide some help for getting people up to speed. We
need to build on existing knowledge so that people don't have learn Pd- specific things for trivial operations. For what Pd does with it, the registry is simple to use. Plus if you learn the registry
in the process of figuring out manual Pd configs, then you can apply that knowledge to just about every other Windows program.I don't know _any_ windows program that encourages users to play around with its registry entries. That usually results in odd behaviour. MS wants the program to read and write the registry through the API, the user isn't supposed to even suspect that it might exist. The main reason for it seems to be for licensing and copy-protection secret keys. My registry seems to have thousands of entries. Browsing it is very tedious. I propose that an xml file could be read/writeable by pd in the same way the setting dialogs work currently. Since it's a plain text file and out in the open, anyone could read it, and "experts" could edit it directly. As long as the 'xml' is kept simple (no nesting, no dtd lookups) a parser should be doable in tcl, maybe a tcl xml parser already exists(?)
We are on the same page, we just disagree about how to solve the problem. If the preference panels were fixed, then Windows users wouldn't have to touch the registry, and people on other platforms would benefit too. Just changing the underlying format will mean that users have to learn a different, arcane config file. That doesn't seem like a benefit to me.
The point is it shouldn't be arcane. It's just an ASCII text file
with easy-to-understand tags. It could even include a full set of
usage instructions as comments. To me the command line is arcane
and the registry even more so.
To many Pd users, any text config file will be arcane. How often to
you directly edit text files for your Mail program? Your word
processor? Any GUI app? Pd is a GUI-based program, any kind of
config editing should be possible via the GUI. Then we would have to
think about the underlying storage format.
.hc
If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.
To many Pd users, any text config file will be arcane.
if a text file is arcane, what is the Windows Registry??
How often to you directly edit text files for your Mail program?
this is exactly how i configured my mail program. i edited 3 text files: .procmailrc, .muttngrc, /etc/postfix/main.cf
Your word processor?
and my word processor. since emacs has syntax highlighting for .emacs files, it was even pretty. it also has a GUI editor for said text files, if you consider the textfile itself too daunting or are afraid of missing a ( or ) somewhere..
Any GUI app?
and my wm (dwm/config.h) and web browser (userChrome.css) and msging app (.irssi/config)
Pd is a GUI-based program, any kind of config editing should be possible via the GUI.
and it now is, in DesireData . it still would be cool to have a settings 'patch' one day, but i dont think in anyone's top 5 TODO priorities
Then we would have to think about the underlying storage format.
i agree. i'm sick of library-specific hacks on cramming what they need to store in the .pd format. or user-level hacks using symbol manipulation objects. it's time for a format that can be at least say, 80% useful and flexible and diffable moving forward. RDF anyone?
To many Pd users, any text config file will be arcane. How often to
you directly edit text files for your Mail program? Your word
processor? Any GUI app? Pd is a GUI-based program, any kind of
config editing should be possible via the GUI. Then we would have to
think about the underlying storage format.
using a text-based file format and configuring it via gui are not mutual exclusive. a format like xml, ini or yaml is suitable for both human and machine editing/reading ...
t
-- tim@klingt.org ICQ: 96771783 http://www.mokabar.tk
The price an artist pays for doing what he wants is that he has to do it. William S. Burroughs
-
carmen -
Hans-Christoph Steiner -
martin.peach＠sympatico.ca -
Tim Blechmann