SageTV on MACs and webfeedencoder

[michaeldjcox]

Hi,

I want to make my plugin usable for Mac users.

Pretty much this means spawning processes in the right way and refering to file paths properly (generally and specifically with respect to where SageTV is generally installed).

Can anyone tell me are there any significant differences between different versions of MAC OS?

And which one(s) should I look to support?

Also - would anyone be prepared to do some beta testing of WebFeedEncoder in a Mac environment?

Michael

[tmiranda]

Michael,

Currently Sage7 is not available on Macs so you will need to stick to Sage6 for this. From what I've seen as long as your plugins work on Windows and Linux, they will work on Macs as well BUT you need to keep some special cases in mind.

While Java eases the pain of cross-platform development, it does not eliminate it entirely. For example Windows has no problem with spaces in the name of the .jar files, Linux chokes on the spaces.

You also have to take special care when manipulating files in code that may get executed on SageClients because Java assumes the filesystem of the JVM and not the actual target filesystem. So if you have a Windows based SageClient that is working with a Linux (or Mac) server, calls like myFile.getAbsolutePath() invoked against MediaFiles that reside on the (Linux) Sage server will return goofy results (like C:/this/is/the/path). The same for some Sage API's like CreateFilePath(), they build paths based on the JVM it is running in, even if the File is on another OS.

Tom

[michaeldjcox]

Hi Tom,

My OS detection is a bit primitive at the moment.

I say if the file separator is \ then its windows else it must be linux or Mac.

Based on that assume file paths are like linux or like windows and add escaping and quotes where necessary.

I call out from java to run CMD.EXE or /bin/sh and pass in commands lines to run VLC.

The command lines after that are generally scripted.

It seems that Mac is a bit like linux and I'm not dealing with a whole new beast - is that correct?

Is the command line interpretor for Macs /bin/sh?

Where does SageTV generally get installed on a Mac?

Are paths the same sort of syntax on a Mac as on linux e.g. no spaces, '/' seperator, starts with '/' etc?

Michael

[tmiranda]

Originally Posted by michaeldjcox

I say if the file separator is \ then its windows else it must be linux or Mac.

Based on that assume file paths are like linux or like windows and add escaping and quotes where necessary.

That's pretty much what I do as well.

Originally Posted by michaeldjcox

I call out from java to run CMD.EXE or /bin/sh and pass in commands lines to run VLC.

I typically run the commands directly, not via the shell, but it should work this way as well.

Originally Posted by michaeldjcox

It seems that Mac is a bit like linux and I'm not dealing with a whole new beast - is that correct?.

Yes, Macs are *nix based.

Originally Posted by michaeldjcox

Is the command line interpretor for Macs /bin/sh?

Where does SageTV generally get installed on a Mac?

I'm not sure on either of these.

Originally Posted by michaeldjcox

Are paths the same sort of syntax on a Mac as on linux e.g. no spaces, '/' seperator, starts with '/' etc?

Yes.

I don't actually own a Mac and that always makes testing difficult. I think Apple should send us all one so we can test properly. What do you think Steve would say?

[michaeldjcox]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

That's pretty much what I do as well.

:

I don't actually own a Mac and that always makes testing difficult. I think Apple should send us all one so we can test properly. What do you think Steve would say?

Hah thanks for the info Tom.

Seems like theres not that many Mac users here anyhow.

Even if Steve sent me one I'm not sure I could take on board all the other attributes of a Mac user...

....modern clutter free interior design..owning a range of "Man bags"..paying too much for MP3s... looking smug all the time ;-)

Michael

[tmiranda]

Originally Posted by michaeldjcox

....modern clutter free interior design..owning a range of "Man bags"..paying too much for MP3s... looking smug all the time ;-)

APPLE : Always Pay a Premium for that Little Extra

[pkasin]

Hey, enough Mac bashing here. There are some of us that are tired of BSODs and "An Illegal Operation has been performed" (Geez, I hope I won't get arrested!).

And quite frankly, I love my "Man Bag". I am getting in touch with my feminine side and my wife says I look beautiful. Did I just say that? I better start pumping iron and check my testosterone levels - this is getting scary!

All kidding aside, there are tons of Mac users who would be very thankful for a Mac Client or Placeshifter, I assure you.

[reema12]

Plug-ins work properly on Windows and Linux and as far as Macs are concerned I am not pretty much sure. Though I couldn’t make them work on my Mac, I feel it’s because you have to consider many things while working on a Mac. Path name are an important criteria. Without properly setting path name it is impossible to get it right. I too advise you to use java as they work independent of the platform they are working on.

[michaeldjcox]

Yes Web Feed Encoder is java.

Going back to my original post - any fancy beta testing WebFeedEncoder on Mac?

Michael