Don't get me wrong I really like your product but you have made a major boo-boo..

NEVER alter the user's records (music files) without prompting the user!!!!!!!!

SHAME SHAME

I recently moved all my mp3's to a new computer.. guess what all ratings and play counts remained with the files. Every time I play a music file you alter it???????????????????(mod date is changed)

I've have been a software architect & programmer for 20 years and I never ASSUMED the user would want thier files altered on the fly..


Again.... shame shame

Sorry I may seem to be ranting, but now all my mp3 files are now eJukebox mp3 files.

Can you provide me with a tool that removes your information and leaves my music files "vanilla"?

I agree with you on the issue: never alter files behind the users back. It can be both frustrating and painful. In general it seems like computers are not ready to think for themselves, just yet

I've turned off the automatic lookup feature from options --> other-->'disable Automatic Album Cover Lookups'. As this implies, you'll lose the ability to get albumimages automatically into ejukebox, but you'll gain full control over your musicfiles. When this feature is turned off the behaviour you're describing should disappear, at a slight cost..

You could try a tool named tag & rename or another mp3 tag editor to bake images and tags systematically into your mp3's before adding them to ejukebox (us the rebuild database feature in ejukebox). It's a little hazzle, but if you like to be in total control that's the way to go . And if you turn off the auto lookup, the information added from tag and rename should remain intact. Ejukebox also got an internal tag editor (rightclick a song or album and choose edit), which I think is nice for general "housekeeping.

I think audiosoft has plans of improving upon the autolookup feature in a future version.

Hope my ramblings helps

Other than the autolookup all Ejukebox puts in the tags are your playcount and ratings information. Those would be things I'd think you'd want saved.

i did turn off auto lookup.. I manage my own mp3 files AND covers... thank-you-very-much :-)

and YES i Do want ratings and play counts saved.. but NOT inside my mp3 files

Maybe I'm just strange and I think of the auto saving of the ratings in the tag then? I'm not a big fan of having my computer crash and having to rerate everything, had enough of that crap with winamp.

In the underpinnings of beer I will try to build upon the short exellent comments of Spazz (Couldn't help my self)


The play and/or popularity count will get saved inside your mp3's and personally I think that's terrific.. The homeview will get updated due to the songs you pick and ej will behave in the way you want with point of departure in the popularity modes.. You have not really tried ej before you've fooled a lot around with this feature.. Check it out from the playlist options (maybe this feature should be made more visable in some way and get improved for compilations?) Play a little around with the autoplay modes and you'll understand that popularity is your friend.. And since these are only text information it will not change the size of your music files at a noticable level.

The popularity mode is really the main reason why I use Ej in the first place. Show me another playback interface that can play your favorite music in the way ej does it and I'll buy that program right away.. Play your favorite songs by genre, artist, album,whatever I think Audiosoft, Pirk, Junk, Demnos etc. can argument for this better than I do. This feature was developed way before the time I started to use this software...

From my point of view autoplay is the feature that makes this software 'jukebox alike'. I know that Pirk got a crazy suggestion for improvements on this feature which I sure hope that audiosoft will pay attention to when developing the next version..

Tsudduth24: Sorry a little drunk, but check out the popularity modes and you'll never look back They're already darn cool and they sure will get even better

Sorry if this sounded like it a message from Homer Simpson after his last visit at "Moe's" pr something , but I just had to point out that the autoplay features of ej rules..

I appreciate the replies but please let me make myself a little more clearer. I am a very seasoned sw architect with alot of experience. I am very well aware of every "published" feature of eJukebox.

The ratings and subsequent playlist/playmode options are about the best thing this software has going.

I never said storing additional (ratings) info within the tag was a bad idea. I said ANY program that ASSUMES users are ALL entry-level and the app s/w knows whats best for them is foolish. If I had an option box that said "Store ejukebox info in file", I may have checked it. What I am complaining about is not having the choice.

I put ALOT of effort into creating/updating each and every mp3 file. I ran eJukbox ONLY in evaluation mode.. now it's altered my original files. No warning except the cover update checkbox( which I disabled prior). BTW, yes I do have backups.


Lastly, this is the only error I am taking the time out to complain about. There are many other bugs, quircks and idiosyncrasies that are indicative of poor software lifecycle development, particularly testing.

Again, let me state I am a fan of the software, I would take the time to write this otherwise. It WILL someday be an excellent piece.

If any ejukebox managers/developers read this, may I suggest they investigate the Rational Unified Process.

Regards

I think Audiosoft.net would need an ISO 9000 certification...