How to sign up for apps.openpandora.org?

[Miner49er]

Hi there,


I noticed that lemmingsSDL was in the apps but it's a really old version. I tried to sign up in order to update it but I just get a blank page. Any ideas on how to do this?


Or can somebody with the power update from the here: http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=detail&app=LemmingsSDL


Thanks in advance!

 

[gruso]

[edit] argh I thought you meant you were having trouble with the Repo, I was trying to update that entry for you and running into all sorts of bother. Then I realised you wanted the one in Apps updated. Not much I can do about that one, sorry. Seems pretty dead there, and I think Craig is the only one who can fix things these days.

 

[Miner49er]

Hmmm, that's a shame. Perhaps Craig should change it to just point at the repo then?


Thanks for your help anyway Gruso.

 

[milkshake]

I was trying to update that entry for you and running into all sorts of bother.

what sort of bother?

 

[gruso]

Just the site doing its job - "this package exists, do you want to overwrite" etc - and me taking way too long to realise that I was trying to 'update' it with the same version that was already there. I didn't end up making any changes. The built in idiot-proofing worked a charm.

 

[milkshake]

it does allow updates but it wont allow you to upload an the same file twice it checks the MD5 file hash and if its identical it points out to the "uploader" that the exact same file exists.

 

[mcobit]

Forget about uploadrights for apps.o.o.


I requested them months ago to update my pnds, but there never was an reaction.

 

[Dark_Link]

what if a few members volunteered to keep it up to date?

 

[sebt3]

what for ? there is no exclusive PNDs there. RIP

 

[gruso]

I've come across one or two things that need to be relocated to the Repo. I'm thinking I should just upload whatever is missing and assign the correct maintainer where I can. I know not all devs like this practice, but at least we can assign rights to them after the fact. Then Apps can be given a dignified burial.


[edit] Ok, I've just scoured the emulator section of Pandora Apps. Out of 59 entries, 29 of them are not in the Repo!


It doesn't necessarily mean there are 29 'missing' emus - some of them now live on author sites (like all zx-81's stuff), and there is probably some dead/irrelevant stuff in there too. But it reinforces the fact that not everything is in the Repo. And I haven't even started scouring the Games section of Pandora Apps yet... 275 entries to check.

 

[DaMummy]

gruso, please dont go that route. while you were away, there was a massive amount of problems between many of the devs/porters and craig becase he was doing the exact same thing, or actually hiring somebody else to do it, with who knows what money.....beyond the point.....anyway the hired updater wasnt following licenses and people were flipping out about it and has caused massive commotion. the one and only way to get these apps to the repo is to contact the devs and let them upload it, or give you rights to become maintainer. and quite a few apps by even the biggest repo supporters arent on repo because they dont have the time to create the pxml and upload them over

 

[mcobit]

Well, if Gruso wants to fix the PXMLs and gives the original authors maintainerrights on the repo for their apps, I see no problems. The poeple who actually care about licensing and updateability of their pnds have moved to the repo already.


I would shut down apps.o.o when this is done, as it is still the kind of official appstore and not maintained in any way for months.


Just redirect the url to repo then.


Other opinions?

 

[gruso]

@DaMummy - I caught the start of that little undertaking, but missed the fallout. I'm definitely aware of the potential issues and would't want a repeat of that.


This question probably should go in milkshake's beta thread, but has there been any talk of having an entry in the Repo link back to an author page (not direct to a PND)? Example: http://zx81.zx81.fre...egories/130-MSX


That would resolve many of the outstanding items without stepping on any toes - in fact without even having to contact anyone. For items not hosted elsewhere, we would contact the dev. In the final case where devs can't be contacted, we use our discretion.

 

[milkshake]

@DaMummy - I caught the start of that little undertaking, but missed the fallout. I'm definitely aware of the potential issues and would't want a repeat of that.

This question probably should go in milkshake's beta thread, but has there been any talk of having an entry in the Repo link back to an author page (not direct to a PND)? Example: http://zx81.zx81.fre...egories/130-MSX


That would resolve many of the outstanding items without stepping on any toes - in fact without even having to contact anyone. For items not hosted elsewhere, we would contact the dev. In the final case where devs can't be contacted, we use our discretion.

Yes it would be highly prefrable not to upload any files to the repo without the express permission of the author (if its a simple port I guess it could just be re-ported by someone else (i.e. mcobit recently did this with znotes) then they would be the maintainer).


I personally disliked the idea of craig getting someone to upload files to the apps site without permission, it caused a lot of tension.


Also I dont really think linking to an external file would be too smart since there would be no way of knowing if that file is still avaialable on the remote website, plus the remote sites PND may not have valid PXML ect and I would hate to be provding borked PND's with rubbish out of date PXML data (there are lots of these kinds of files in the apps.oo) and its easier not to have to have someone trauling though the links to make sure they still exists or is still accessible etc.


anyway ill let other people also have their 2 cents about this.

 

[gruso]

Also I dont really think linking to an external file would be too smart since there would be no way of knowing if that file is still avaialable on the remote website, plus the remote sites PND may not have valid PXML ect and I would hate to be provding borked PND's with rubbish out of date PXML data (there are lots of these kinds of files in the apps.oo) and its easier not to have to have someone trauling though the links to make sure they still exists or is still accessible etc.

Yes, fair points. The repo starts to stray from its purpose if it starts linking to invalid PNDs or even worse, dead pages.


My motivation here is just to make sure we don't lose anything if Pandora Apps disappeared (which it should) but I see that jamming it all into the repo is not the best idea. It's just occurred to me that there's no need to trawl Apps for strays - one can just sort by download location on the wiki and quickly see what would need to be rescued. (Esn and other contributors, your work on these pages is a credit to the scene.) This much shorter list can be addressed case by case.

Daimonin 0.10.1 (B5)
Eat the Whistle


eDuke32SDL (Duke Nukem 3D)


Elemental 0.2


Pushover v0.2


Triplane Classic


Pandora Fractals


Jzintv


PandOricutron


Race (neogeo pocket)


TI-92

 

[milkshake]

I think there might also be 1 or 2 apps @ openhandhelds.org too as geccasoft only releases his software on there.


I have asked gecca previously if he would be willing to upload to the repo, he said he would but I think he may have forgotten, if anyone else wants to ask him that would be cool.

 

[ibisum]

I'll move all my stuff over to the repo, but whats this about OpenPandora apps going away? WTF?!

 

[milkshake]

I'll move all my stuff over to the repo, but whats this about OpenPandora apps going away? WTF?!

I dont think anyone said apps.oo.org was giong away but people suggested it may as well be assigned to the dustbin since its no longer kept up to date.


I take it by the WTF that you would not like this

 

[gruso]

Just opinions, not based on any announcement. But it's broken and embarrassing. People can't sign up, they sure as hell can't get upload rights, the search results pages are broken. It can't really continue like that.

 

[ibisum]

milkshake, my WTF is just because it was obviously a lot of work to put up in the first place, and the only reason I can think of it going away was Craig retracting from the scene. I much, much prefer repo.o.o for my PND needs, however.


Anyway, for my part, anything I've uploaded to apps.o.o will be moved to whatever the community moves to as the standard, which I hope is repo .. its definitely true that we cannot have the shitty situation go on much longer.