Zune for all platforms

[vidarh]

I think this is the path to go for AROS - aim for making Zune MUI4 compatible instead of expecting people to go back and satisfy with a MUI3.8 (i.e. MorphOS 1.0 IIRC) level API. There is a reason to why development goes *forward*, and that's because it brings a lot of new goodies to the table! And once you tastes the sweet's, there is no going back!

I don't see anyone arguing for sticking to 3.8. The point of the bounty is to bring Zune *forward* to MUI 3.8 compatibility as a first step. Getting to 3.8 would already be a big step in the right direction and make it a lot easier for app developers to target OS4, AROS and MOS in one application.

Then MUI4 compatibility can be a next step. At that point an OS4 port becomes desirable too.

[vidarh]

No-where did I say otherwise, did I? Of course Zune should be developed forward. What I objected to was the idea of having a more or less incomplete MUI3.8 (or less) "Zune" ported to MorphOS and other OS's, expecting this limited (and perhaps somewhat different and perhaps not always 100% MUI compatible) API to become some kind of standard.

It's not very interesting before it's 3.8 compatible, that's true. But when it is, having a port makes a very big difference:

Anyone wishing to target MOS, AROS and AmigaOS at the same time will need their software to work with Zune to have it work on AROS.

If Zune is available on all three platforms, then they get a choice: They can target Zune on all of them, as the lowest common denominator, without worrying about incompatibilities, or they can target three different libraries with varying capabilities.

As long as the capability gap between Zune and MUI3.8 / MUI4 is big, I'm sure a lot of developers will choose the latter option because restricting themselves to Zune means either extra work or fewer capabilities, but as the gap closes I'm not so sure you won't start seeing some app developers preferring to target Zune instead.

 The only standard is MUI, it's still evolving AFAIK, and Zune has to walk carefully in its footsteps until it catches up, carefully avoiding "branching out".

The only standard in a fragmented market is what application developers choose to support. Zune has the advantage that it is the only one that has any hope at all of becoming available on all the platforms.

As it stands *there is no standard* - app developers have 3 different targets.

In other words: We'll see.

[vidarh]

Money is not the issue. The main problem is that the effort is rather pointless. MUI4 is a closed environment moving target for a close to nonexisting plattform. Why bother with it? In my view, AROS and Zune should ignore whatever goes on in MUI4 and MorphOS and rather dictate its own future on its own merits, this so called "catch up" game doesnt help anyone. The sooner AROS breaks away from MorphOS and AmigaOS4, the better.

While I do agree that AROS would benefit in the long run from going it's own way with Zune, I don't agree it's time yet. Catch up first. Then port, so it's available "everywhere", making it a much more desirable target. Only if/when Zune is there is it really worth talking about extending it and try to make Zune more desirable than the original MUI.

[vidarh]

OMG, not another pointless branch-out just for the sake of it! Haven't we had enough of those...? Is this the true long-term goal of the bounty project? Would be *very* interesting to know that now, because it suddenly feels a lot more pointless and futile...

Who is talking about a "pointless branch-out"? Zune first needs to reach parity. But once Zune reaches parity, a decision needs to be taken: Let MUI dictate the pace, or move forward even if it means adding functionality that's not already there in MUI.

If MUI keeps moving forward at a good pace and delivers what is needed, then great. If not, letting Zune stagnate out of fear of future incompatibilities would be bad. In that case it would certainly not be pointless. I don't think anyone wants Zune to add new incompatible functionality for no good reason.

In any case, that is far down the road. First we need MUI3.8 compatibility and then MUI4 compatibility, which will both be beneficial regardless of where Zune goes next.

But this is another reason why ports of Zune to MOS and AmigaOS are important. If/when Zune reaches that point, *if* the decision is made to evolve Zune without waiting for MUI, then 1) people can opt to use Zune on all the platforms if they wish and/or 2) further enhancements to Zune can be more easily re-used on the other OS's if they would like to copy the improvements.