Various questions - mulitple displays, multiple copies of XL

[cioffij]

Steve,

Just a few quick questions....

1) Is there any problem installing the beta in a separate directory so I don't affect my current 'production' version? I tried to install two copies of XL once before with very bad results. I don't want to mess up my customized version until I have a stable and configured 'new' version.

2) What kind of support is planned for multiple displays - i.e. in additon to what is there now? As many people probably do, I use a touchscreen to control it but I have an HDTV which is widescreen. Clone-display is not an option, (I don't want the movies running on the display, only on the TV!) so I use Nvidia's "DualView" mode. Things like photos and webcam should push the video to the TV the same as my video player does. The same is true for visualizations. And I shouldn't have to install a 'remote' do do that. The 2 monitor setup is a pretty basic requirement, IMHO. Is this new version going to handle this better?

3) Keyboard/remote support. I use a Keyspan remote which does it's handywork by emulating keystrokes. Works great for external video players like zoom and winamp. Will you be enabling more keyboard support? Zoom and Winamp do a very decent job and it makes for great flexibility, and also for wireless keyboard, which I use also.

Thanks much

Jim C

[sdumas]

I'd like to add my .02 cents.

If we are talking about multiple displays, what about multiple client/server control.

ie; the possibility of a client to send commands to a server (of even fat client) of our choice.

Ex.: Client 1 sends a command to server 1 to display photos (photos being displayed on server 1 only)
Client 1 sends a command to server 2 to start a movie
Client 2 sends a command to server 1 to show weather
Client 1 sends a command to server 2 to turn on lights (via X10)
etc.

This way we truly have a client / server solution.

The server being a true server and clients being independant of that server.

[tomprout]

I'd like to add my .02 cents.

If we are talking about multiple displays, what about multiple client/server control.

ie; the possibility of a client to send commands to a server (of even fat client) of our choice.

Ex.: Client 1 sends a command to server 1 to display photos (photos being displayed on server 1 only)
Client 1 sends a command to server 2 to start a movie
Client 2 sends a command to server 1 to show weather
Client 1 sends a command to server 2 to turn on lights (via X10)
etc.

This way we truly have a client / server solution.

The server being a true server and clients being independant of that server.

+1

[dgemily]

I'd like to add my .02 cents.

If we are talking about multiple displays, what about multiple client/server control.

ie; the possibility of a client to send commands to a server (of even fat client) of our choice.

Ex.: Client 1 sends a command to server 1 to display photos (photos being displayed on server 1 only)
Client 1 sends a command to server 2 to start a movie
Client 2 sends a command to server 1 to show weather
Client 1 sends a command to server 2 to turn on lights (via X10)
etc.

This way we truly have a client / server solution.

The server being a true server and clients being independant of that server.

If you need it right now, you can use xap plugin to do it

[sdumas]

Xap plugin to perform remote tasks?

I didn't look at it this way. I thought that Xap was for "X10-like" functionnalities, to control lighting devices and such.

How would the performance be to send commands from one system to another?

I am using girder right now to do this, but I have to say it's quite painful.

Would the performance be similar or worse?

An example is that I created a keyboard on a client to send keystrokes to a Sage client located on the Xlobby server. I created a keyboard layout on a Xlobby fat client, which sends a command to girder which in turn sends a command to Xlobby then to Sage. (I know I could cut "middleman" but since the Xlobby to Sage was already done, I did not want to recreate it a second time without Xlobby). This takes forever to take place. I press on the letter "S" on the fat client and it takes a couple of seconds to appear on the TV which has Sage on it. It makes it quite impractical to use actually.

[dgemily]

In fact with this plugin you can send a xap message by executing an event but you can also execute an event when you intercept a xap message on your network.
So you can configure an event to send a “fake” xap message and, on your other pc, configure the plugin to execute an event when it receives this xap message …


You can take a look to the end of my first post in this thread
It’s what I did for the “ring function”


Ps: Xap plugin is not only for "X10-like" , you can do a lot of things with it

[cioffij]

The Xap discussion in interesting, but does it help me with my keyboard issue? My original 3 questions were:

1) can the new beta coexist with the old version in different directories?
2) will the new version's core support handle two displays more elegantly than it does now?
3) will it be operable via keyboard? (without major programming).

Now, for #4: Does Xap do what I want for question 3?


Thanks much

Jim

[stevenhanna6]

1) yah the new pre release can co exists in different directories fine. Just make sure you create multiple shortcuts to each one if your launching from the desktop to point to the different installs.

2)yah having an option to push certain video players to another display is at the top of my list right now, and will most likely be in the next build

3)we will be providing a keyboard mapping function so you can map any key stroke to defined events. I think thats what your looking for, your trying to do something like this...you want to map the "H" key to go to trigger a "goto main menu" event.