INTERACT FORUM
More => Old Versions => Media Center 17 => Topic started by: daveman on May 18, 2012, 09:49:27 am
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Hi All,
I have been using MC17 for about 2.5 months now. I just wanted to say what an incredible program it is. I am amazed at its power and speed and it is one of the few programs that I find to be a pleasure to use. While I am no where close to using it at its full potential, I hope to continue learn and understand its more esoteric abilities.
One comment, I would love to be able to download a pdf manual that detailed all of the features and commands. While the forum is amazing, it is still not the same as a manual )I am old school that way :)
Dave
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Hi daveman,
There is no PDF manual. The site has a very good wiki which has loads of information on how to use MC. Look here:
http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Category:Frequently_Asked_Questions
Nick.
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FYI: They used to produce a detailed Help file. The problem was that MC changes so much over time as they develop it (because of their "in the open" development style, which I love), that the Manual/Help File was constantly wrong and out of date.
Plus, it was a major expense to keep updating it once a year or whatever, I imagine.
We had big discussions here about how useful it was, and how it was troublesome that the "manual" was always wrong in this way or that way, or things got missed in the updates, and the screenshots were for old versions and whatnot. So... The Wiki was born. It isn't a perfect solution, but I think generally it is better than an out-of-date and often wrong help file or manual.
You can, conceivably, print out the whole Wiki to a PDF if you're determined. I'm pretty sure some enterprising user did just this a while back and printed it out for himself. There are some Wiki -> PDF Manual plugins you can get for your browser, I think, or something like that.
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Another thing I've recently 'discovered' and find useful is the search box in the options setup dialog box.
Type a word or 2 and the options that contain that are filtered to usually show only 1-3 options, which are usually pretty self explanatory.
Also, there has been some talk by some users about trying to put together a (series of) video 'walk-thru' or 'how-to' guides on some of the main features and abilities of MC.
I suspect the big problem is that there are about a half dozen developers working on MC, and none have time to work on the constantly changing feature set of MC. I have hoped for years that Jim would hire a person solely dedicated to user interface/usability. They would focus on how users use the product, evaluate and track requests, and ensure that features get 'finished'.
Working with the devs to fine tune how users interact with the program, and helping make it easier for the user to be more productive with the software. MC can do so much great stuff that even Matt (the main developer) has the occasion 'aja' moment where he learns of a new/better way of doing something with the software. Someone focused on making the best use, and of training users to do more. They would decide on what help videos need done, manage their production. They could design wizards or tutorials, or a more meaningful way of using popup descriptions, or any number of tricks to help guide the user into a good understanding of the many ways of using MC. As they get comfortable with the basics, they can learn more advanced abilities, like expressions. including user contributed examples. Modifying views, with examples.
That's not to say that MC isn't moving forward all the time, because it is. There are just some design/usability areas that could use improvement, and someone focused specifically on that, and that isn't an expert on the inner workings of MC would do wonders, I think. A 'fresh' perspective is usually beneficial in seeing the complex in new ways.