Hey lads and lassies,

to wet your appetite a bit, here's the current ChangeLog from CVS HEAD. If you can't wait to try these features, check out a CVS-Snapshot


VERSION 1.2-CVS:

ADD: OSD text is now configurable.
FIX: Remote folders are read recursively when dropped on the playlist.
FIX: Audiocd protocol in filebrowser had empty folders.
ADD: Cache system for current-track animation in playlist. Reduces
CPU load when the playlist is visible.
ADD: 10-band IIR equalizer for GStreamer-engine.
FIX: The background gradient effect in Context-Browser is now much
faster. The gradient also looks nicer. (BR 91276)
FIX: Password-protected streams did not work correctly. (BR 91184).
Patch by .
ADD: NMM-engine was rewritten and updated for the latest NMM release.
Supports audio and video playback.
ADD: Cover-Manager supports drag-and-drop.
ADD: Tags are now read from the Collection database if they are already
stored. This speeds up adding items to the playlist. (BR 90137)
ADD: Context-browser shows "Suggested Tracks", utilizing audioscrobbler.
FIX: Configure does no longer print "Good - Configure has finished" when
a dependency is missing.
ADD: Shaded current-track marker in playlist.
CHG: Internal SQLite upgraded to 3.0.8.

Post edited by: markey, at: 2004/10/27 17:21

I yesterday installed the newest CVS Snapshot, and I must say that the best new thing isn't even in the list: lyrics displaying in the context browser

I already love that function even though it doesn't seem to be that tolerant when searching for a song (it hardly ever finds songs with multiple artists), but I am very confident that the great amaroK developers will improve that too..

So amaroK developers: go on with your great work and thank you for the best audio player that was ever created for a PC!

jniklast wrote:

I yesterday installed the newest CVS Snapshot, and I must say that the best new thing isn't even in the list: lyrics displaying in the context browser

It's not in the list for a reason. Thing is, it's not likely that this feature can stay, at least not in this form. To my knowledge lyrics are copyright protected, and the download from the net is more or less illegal.

ADD: cover album display in OSD B)

markey wrote:

jniklast wrote:

I yesterday installed the newest CVS Snapshot, and I must say that the best new thing isn't even in the list: lyrics displaying in the context browser

It's not in the list for a reason. Thing is, it's not likely that this feature can stay, at least not in this form. To my knowledge lyrics are copyright protected, and the download from the net is more or less illegal.

Well if it won't stay it would be very sad.....
But then there are many free and independant lyric sites on the net, why can they do it? And downloading lyrics from one of those sites can't be illegal as long as the site doesn't forbid it, can it?

jniklast wrote:

But then there are many free and independant lyric sites on the net, why can they do it? And downloading lyrics from one of those sites can't be illegal as long as the site doesn't forbid it, can it?

That makes no difference. Putting the lyrics on the web itself is illegal, and downloading probably as well. It's just the same as downloading ripped music from some website.

Now we could argue that the lyrics display is basically just a webbrowser. I do not know whether the process of simply browsing such a site is legal or not. Any lawyer here?

I've read the disclaimers of some lyrics pages, and I found one with quite a strict one: http://www.top-lyrics.de/disclaimer.html (german)
If they really do what they say in this disclaimer, all the left lyrics on that page (which are most I think) are given free by the author, and so the upload and consequently the download shouldn't be illegal.

im sure theres a loophole there. Just put in a disclaimer saying that any lyrics that are viewed in the browser must be owned by the user or they must have permission to have them. then its up the user. something like that.
Doesnt windows media player have a lyrics feature?

Make it a compile time option and woo to the person who distributes it in binary form with the option turned on.

I think the better way would be to use the lyrics from the tag.
This would at least solve any legal issues.
And for convinience there could be an option to fetch the lyrics from a site into the tag.
(Something like the "Cover Manager" .. "1000 songs without lyrics" )

brk3 wrote:

im sure theres a loophole there. Just put in a disclaimer saying that any lyrics that are viewed in the browser must be owned by the user or they must have permission to have them. then its up the user. something like that.
Doesnt windows media player have a lyrics feature?

I'm not sure about Windows Media, but I thought it was kind of funny when I saw my sister using Yahoo!'s radio thing, it gives a direct link to a search for lyrics. Which brings up a lot of dubious looking sites as you can imagine. Of course, big corporations don't have to be as careful, they can afford some legal risk.