[idabari]

also, many of the apple remote right key menu gone.
from where to get it?

[Isaac Ordonez]

We've removed the file manager and some other settings that weren't commonly used. We're trying to make plex less of a "kitchen sink" application and more of a simple, yet powerful Media center environment. In the process of this we will be slowly removing features that aren't applicable to a wide audience and can confuse new users.

[Mickey]

Is there a means to reactivate it with an advancedsettings for instance ?

[wally007]

Isaac Ordonez, on Mar 3 2009, 12:49 AM, said:

We've removed the file manager and some other settings that weren't commonly used. We're trying to make plex less of a "kitchen sink" application and more of a simple, yet powerful Media center environment. In the process of this we will be slowly removing features that aren't applicable to a wide audience and can confuse new users.

now that is a joke right ? why completely remove feature that SOME find useful ? arent features one of the reason we ARENT using Front row ? if somebody wants dumb down media player they are using front row.

i for one used file manager every day , moving downloaded episodes from my download folder to my NAS. So no .7.11 and future updates for me :-(

[krpan]

Isaac Ordonez, on Mar 2 2009, 06:49 PM, said:

We've removed the file manager and some other settings that weren't commonly used. We're trying to make plex less of a "kitchen sink" application and more of a simple, yet powerful Media center environment. In the process of this we will be slowly removing features that aren't applicable to a wide audience and can confuse new users.

Huh? Lack of file manager make Plex without a doubt less powerful. And as far as confusing people, the approach you describe is bound to confuse current users.

When I start to use a program I expect it to, at a minimum, retain functionality as it supposedly matures, not confuse me by turning into a Lite version of itself.

[pmcd]

Isaac Ordonez, on Mar 2 2009, 06:49 PM, said:

We've removed the file manager and some other settings that weren't commonly used. We're trying to make plex less of a "kitchen sink" application and more of a simple, yet powerful Media center environment. In the process of this we will be slowly removing features that aren't applicable to a wide audience and can confuse new users.

I don't know about the other settings but I for one find file manager really useful. I use it all the time.

philip

[idabari]

Isaac Ordonez, on Mar 2 2009, 11:49 PM, said:

We've removed the file manager and some other settings that weren't commonly used. We're trying to make plex less of a "kitchen sink" application and more of a simple, yet powerful Media center environment. In the process of this we will be slowly removing features that aren't applicable to a wide audience and can confuse new users.

I think u remove the most basic tool.

How we can put it back?

[funkahdafi]

ouch! bring it back! definitely!!!

[superJ]

I would like to see it back too!!!
It would be ok, to turn it on/ of via the advanced settings. So newbis wouldn't get confused (on the other hand, I realy don't know how someone could get confused by something basic like an filemanager...) So please give it back to us.

[zank]

i have to chime in as well to the usefulness of filemanager. i used it all the time, for browsing networks, drives, folders i don't necessarily want as sources, etc. While i appreciate the new features like app store, tremendously useful, if i had to pick, i'd without a doubt trade in the implementations such as background music, theme music, etc for good solid features like filemanager. while i appreciate the media player being simplified, it is still necessary for a tool like plex to have the advanced options necessary for somewhat more advanced users. While i like the idea of enabling some options via advanced settings file, i also don't think id constantly want to enable all sorts of features via advanced settings...just because i like the advanced features of plex doesn't mean i know anything about its code or implementation or how the advancedsettings.xml file is written. Is it possible to skin the advancedsettings file via the GUI so that one can change it within plex? maybe for simple users one has a simplified menu structure, with a subcategory of advanced options where one can enable/disable these additional features, rather than going into a text file.

Also, would it not just be simpler to just tell beginner users to be aware of changing any settings they don't understand, thus allowing them a path to discover features on their own, rather than reskinning and rebuilding the whole program, taking programming efforts away from additional useful features, at the same time cripplin usability for more advanced/seasoned users. how a feature like file manager can be confusing to anyone still boggles me though.

[bcometa]

i'll chime in too and say an option for turning on/off advanced features sounds great. if you're worried about new users, consider a mac server approach -- with 3 levels of installation/features (easy, intermediate, advanced).

btw, i haven't said it yet b/c i just found plex yesterday, GREAT JOB DEVS - THIS APP IS SIMPLY FANTASTIC!!!

brian

[schulty]

Isaac Ordonez, on Mar 2 2009, 06:49 PM, said:

We've removed the file manager and some other settings that weren't commonly used. We're trying to make plex less of a "kitchen sink" application and more of a simple, yet powerful Media center environment. In the process of this we will be slowly removing features that aren't applicable to a wide audience and can confuse new users.

Having advanced preferences (file only) would be nice... I liked using the file manager.

[chip]

With the file manager gone, do we still have the ability to delete files?

[Stokkes]

+1 for file manager. Bring it back. Full stop.

[Isaac Ordonez]

chip, on Mar 3 2009, 01:51 PM, said:

With the file manager gone, do we still have the ability to delete files?

You can still delete files from "Watch your Videos" Menu.

What is it that everyone did in file manager that you can't do in watch my videos? Were you copying and moving files?

[Isaac Ordonez]

krpan, on Mar 3 2009, 01:04 AM, said:

Huh? Lack of file manager make Plex without a doubt less powerful. And as far as confusing people, the approach you describe is bound to confuse current users.

When I start to use a program I expect it to, at a minimum, retain functionality as it supposedly matures, not confuse me by turning into a Lite version of itself.

That is sorta the problem, we started with thousands of features from XBMC that we don't want to be the focus of a media center. I'm more than happy to chop a feature that will piss off 10-15 users but make plex easier to understand for 100-200 users. It's what separates 'hobby' software from software used by the masses.

[Isaac Ordonez]

Also file manager will be coming back in 0.7.13. If you want you can move the copy of media stream from and older version to a newer one, it's in:

Plex.app/Contents/Resources/Plex/skin/

I will not promise that this feature will stay in Plex as we evolve though. Even Boxee has enough design sense to know that you don't put a Filemanger in your media center.

[superJ]

The funny thing is: the file manager is still there. Yes you read right. I am using 0.7.11 and I have the file manager just before my eyes. I had the filemanager mapped to a Button on my harmony. And just pressed it out of curiosity what would happen. And Tatta, the file manager still appears. So the Devs did not take it out. They just deleted the link in the main menu, that lead to the filemanager. It's now an easteregg, hehe.
If this could stay that way, you would really please me. So it is less confusing for the new user. But if you want it, you still can have it.

I have mapped it to the "clear"-Button on my harmony. So in the harmony.xml it looks like this:

<global>
<harmonyremote>
<clear>XBMC.ActivateWindow(3)</clear>
</harmonyremote>
</global>


Will it stay that way or will you REALY take it out some day?

[zank]

Isaac Ordonez, on Mar 3 2009, 06:20 PM, said:

That is sorta the problem, we started with thousands of features from XBMC that we don't want to be the focus of a media center. I'm more than happy to chop a feature that will piss off 10-15 users but make plex easier to understand for 100-200 users. It's what separates 'hobby' software from software used by the masses.

I think you might be taking a Matrix approach here : the fundamental problem is choice. As you remove the choice of a powerful tool for 10 people to appease a hundred, the next crop of users after that 100 might find a feature those 100 found useful to be quite confusing, thus evolution turns into regression. The reason front row is in the state it's in is because apple deems too many codecs and too much choice confusing for the mass users thus keeps it simple in it's software. And that's when people turn to alternatives. I think pled needs to stay true to it's roots as a power media centre which can co incide with ease of use for new users by improving layout documentation etc and not by trading features like file manager for background theme music. You could place file manager and other features you feel are too adavnced in specific areas deemed for advanced users, not by taking away a feature so that your next 100 users are happy for a little while yet can grow the software and adapt it to their growing needs. In a way, removing a useful feature almost reflects on the calibre of users you plan to attract to a software. Anyway it's all philosophical n shit and it's your software you do with it as you please.

Also to answer the question I wasn't deleting of movig files via file manager. I used it to access one time USB drives networks idobt want to add to librariy or to sources. Thugs of this nature. It's a perfect balance because I only add to my library my main media which my gf can navigate trough easily, at the same time I can watch a documentary a movie off my USB etc which I don't plan to keep through the fm. Works perfect this way. My gf doesn't even know fm exists and it keeps the media centre nice and east to operate.

[elan]

zank, on Mar 3 2009, 03:40 PM, said:

As you remove the choice of a powerful tool for 10 people to appease a hundred, the next crop of users after that 100 might find a feature those 100 found useful to be quite confusing, thus evolution turns into regression.

I have to respectfully disagree with your math here; if the feature was only appealing to 10% of the users, then if we double the number of users, it's likely that it'll still only be useful to 10% of the users. And if we're targeting less "advanced" users, then it's likely the feature will be appealing to an even smaller percentage.

The other thing that's not taken into account here is that each feature has a cost (associated with maintaining/supporting the feature). More features equals more bugs, and there's nothing humanly possible we can do about that.

I for one would rather have a rock solid media center that did a lot less rather than a massive monolith that played RAR'd zipped ISOs over FTP and had a fully featured file manager (as just two silly examples).

This is just my opinion...