DaveC said:
Yes, one of them is that it forces you to have files scattered into separate places. I like stuff more self contained, everything for the app, data files BIOS etc in it's own folder somewhere. How many times have I deleted just the executable but left config files on the card to save space on other systems like Wiz?
Well, easy: Don't use it.
You can extract any .PND, copy it onto your SD Card and run it the same way you did on the WIZ.
Nobody forces you to use the .PND system.
I want to use it. Most casual gamers too. Most of the support things I had to reply via eMail about the WIZ or the Pandora from casual gamers was asking for help how to install games.
It was too complicated for the mass market. Now it's not.
Copy the PND to the card. Play.
A package manager which can download, install, update and remove them (including their application directories) automagically isn't a hard thing to do and will surely appear within the next months.
If I need to save space I just moved the whole folder (now with the pnd system I will have to mess with TWO folders) off of the card to my PC rather than leave some junk on the card, that is sloppy. If you REALLY have so much trouble with card space that you are doing this so much that it is an issue, my suggestion, buy a bigger SD card :rolleyes:
If you REALLY want to save space, I'd suggest using the PND format
AlephOne including the three original scenarios takes 190 MB unpacked on the card and 97 MB as PND...
One game (okay, actually three), nearly 100MB saved.
That will be the case for all the other games.
The other issue is that many minimal launchers etc will detect and put the game into a catagory that the coder decided as it is imbedded in the pnd and even worse it may show up in multiple places (slop).
As said: Sort it elsewhere. You can override each setting including the category.
It just uses a default category, which is probably okay for 95% of all users. It's cool, they don't need to sort them manually as on the WIZ or GP2X.
The other 5% can do so. Nobody forces them to use the default category.
So it's not something that restricts you to do something - it is just more convenient for others.
Another issue is that you will be stuck with the icon that is embedded in the PND. It probably won't match if you are using a minimal launcher, and coders aren't known many times for their artist abilities. Users will want to make or load icons into their system to match the skin they are using.
Again, use the override feature for your own icon. Or description. Or name. Or Preview Picture. Or MHz setting...
What else do you need?
There is too much "automagic" going on here that keeps users from customising their system how THEY want.
That's wrong. There's automagic stuff that still allows customising your system like you want.
There could be an easy solution. Have the PND do a check on load for a .ini file of the same name in the same dir as the app. AppX.pnd will look for AppX.ini. If it doesn't find an .ini file then it will just use the defaults like now. So ED you would not have an .ini for your apps if you don't like it(I assume because you only want one file)and it will just do as now. When the pnd DOES find an .ini file it will use the parameters to override the defaults. With this override you can set it to load the icon you want, the catagory the app will show in and the directory path you like for appdata.
Errm - that's basically what the override feature does?
So you would have two possibilities:
Just the pnd file like now plus stuff defaulted to the appdata dir like now.
If there is an appname.ini file in the same dir (because the user put one there) as the pnd, it will detect and use the parameters in that file to override all defaults.
This way joe blow that doesn't care just places the pnd on his system and the pnd automagically makes an icon for him and he is oblivious to the appdata dir it made on his card. He doesn't know or care. Now when power user comes along and wants his own icon, wants the app to show in a certain menu catagory, and wants appdata in a spot he wants he can just make an .ini file in with his pnd and now regains control of his system.
That's what we have included and mentioned a few times in this thread already (skeezix as well as me...)?
kuru said:
Would it be possible to have a selectbox pop up when you delete a PND? It could ask you wether you wanted to keep your settings/saves like it does when deinstalling most pc games.
Not for the default file manager - but as mentioned above:
A manager that automagically downloads, removes, updates, etc. apps would easily be possible.
No big deal for a program: Use LibPND to find out the installed version, ask the server for the most recent version and download it.
As the appdata-directory is in the PXML as well, it does exactly know where the datafiles are and can therefore either delete the PND, the settings or both.
Yes, it's not yet ready, as we're mainly focusing on the basic function of the OS right now.
But everything is prepared that does make exactly all this stuff possible.
And THAT'S the most important thing.
Downgrading from an automatic customisable system to normal directories just because it might take a few weeks until an app is ready that lets you do all that stuff would be the stupidest thing to do
We did a big leap from the WIZ to the Pandora - and this should also be the case with the software running on it.
