Re: Gnomad2 and libmtp

On Thu, 23 Mar 2006 [email protected] wrote:

> Couple of suggestions - now that multiple protocols are supported is it 
> necessary to have BOTH libmtp and libnjb in order to compile gnomad2?

No, you only need libnjb, libmtp functionality will be disabled if the 
library isn't found at ./configure...

> If so, maybe that design coukd be reconsidered for a dynamic load of 
> the appropriate library based on a command line option or a config 
> parameter?

Runtime linking is a pain and would require that I define an ABI and 
plugin-in system so better not... Unless someone else is willing.

> Secondly, to save you and the rest of us loads of time with having to 
> fit all our apps to two APIs, wouldn't it be cleaner to design an 
> abstract API so that the apps address this one API (gettrack, 
> getmeteadata, putfile, settime etc etc) and  libnjb and libmtp are the 
> backend implemetations of it - maybe the route to go would be to change 
> libnjb to have the same front-facing interface as libmtp?

Would be good, but the systems are fundamentally different, MTP supports 
not only music files but also movies, photos etc... It is not easy to 
squeeze this into the same API, better to design a new one IMHO. libmtp is 
engineered from start for MTP and Creative have put PDE on the shelf 
planning to withdraw it entirely, making libnjb obsolete in a few years 
time.

There has been an attempt in the past to do this, sort of, for all 
portable devices, libPDMP. John can tell more about that I think..
http://www.pointless.net/libpdmp/

I think it was simply too ambitious given the limited resources, so unless 
someone is really interested in unifying libnjb and libmtp we'll go with 
this design for now. My current focus is to get something out that can be 
used on MTP devices with little hassle.

But if someone shows me a partially implemented design and takes the 
project lead, I will of course reconsider!

Linus


-------------------------------------------------------
This SF.Net email is sponsored by xPML, a groundbreaking scripting language
that extends applications into web and mobile media. Attend the live webcast
and join the prime developer group breaking into this new coding territory!
http://sel.as-us.falkag.net/sel?cmd=lnk&kid=110944&bid=241720&dat=121642