The term "share" should be "(base) folder" (1 Viewer)

pbb

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  • October 30, 2006
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    MediaPortal Version: all

    MediaPortal interface and documentation use the term "share" for folders that may have nothing to do with sharing.

    While it is true that FTP- and network-folders can be called "shares", MediaPortal supports more types of folders. The default "shares" for movies and music are "...\My Documents\My Movies" and "...\My Documents\My Music"; these are not shares at all!

    The term "share" implies that the folder is being shared or at least available for sharing. It also demands that the host is reachable through a network. These demands do not need to be filled for folders selected in MediaPortal.

    My suggestion is to use the more general term "folder", or possibly "base folder" if you want to clearly show that underlying subfolders are also available.

    Peter
     

    elliottmc

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  • August 7, 2005
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    Hi,

    While I understand your point here, I think that this is so trivial to be irrelevant. Someone new to MediaPortal will quickly figure out what this all means, and it won't be an issue.

    My interpretation is that these are the folders that are shared with MediaPortal. You don't normally have your entire hard disk accessible to MP.

    The developers are working on a lot of interesting new features - TV engine, music engine, animations, skin engine. Let's not bog them down with minutiae. After all, calling these folders "shares" is exactly what was intended, so it cannot be called a bug.

    Mark
     

    pbb

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    Hmmm...

    Firstly I don't really agree that if something is by design, it cannot be a bug. The design can be wrong also.

    Secondly, the use of the term "shares" in MediaPortal is not consistent. Take, for example, the "Music Database" page from the setup. It talks about "Scan Music Folders" and "Treat tracks in a individual folder as an album", but also about "Monitor shares for changes" and "Update database from selected shares". Apart from being confusing, this can also be seen as a certain level of nonchalance from the developers.
     

    Taipan

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    I think that this is so trivial to be irrelevant. Someone new to MediaPortal will quickly figure out what this all means, and it won't be an issue.

    I don't think that this issue is trivial at all - I have been using MediaPortal for about 18 months now and I still find this concept of "Shares" as it is used in MediaPortal very confusing. Then again, maybe I am just a bit thick ... ;)

    I agree with pbb - the terminology needs to be consistent and it needs to be what is generally understood by "normal PC users". I actually thought that this concept of folders being called "shares" was a "European thing", so I have just accepted it. But it seems that is not the case ... :confused:
     

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