[FR] Make all features optional

[dcook 274]

I would like to make all features optional and have them as add-ons or plugins

There are too many to list but a few come to mind recently:

 

play next episode overlay

camera uploading

server messaging

 

These should be created as plugins or add-ons and users that wish to have these features can install them.  

Make them require premiere also if you like.

 

 

Besides the core function of playing content anything else that people are requesting should be added as add-ons or plugins.

 

That way the emby server itself will be stable and fast and not have all this un-needed code and the users that want these features can install them

 

 

 

 

[anderbytes 140]

I understand that like you some people don't use a lot of features, so they think that everything else should be removed to optimize their experience.

 

Fortunately, that's not how it works.

 

Some features as camera upload, reports, Subtitle downloading, yes, could be optional.

 

But aspects as server messaging, play next, and others MUST stay in code to assure people won't remove them and later complain that important things don't work, or can't ben properly diagnosed.

 

I suggest a pool where people can vote what they really use, and with that devs can think what the should make optional or not.

 

Sent from my ASUS_Z017DA using Tapatalk

[dcook 274]

I disagree that they MUST stay in the code, if someone wants server messaging they can install the plugin, why would they expect it to work if they have not installed it?  That does not make sense.

 

We went through his with Windows OS, years ago Microsoft had everything bundled and over time they realized that best design is to make as much as possible optional and if you want to enable a feature you choose to do so.

If you look at Server 2016 for example, its minimal install and you only enable and install the features you want.

 

By keep adding things to the Emby Server its getting bigger and bigger and more complex and slower.  It should be stripped out of everything that it does not need to stream a video, all those things can be made optional and installed as plugins or add-ons.

[Jdiesel 1199]

Is there any evidence that these features are negatively affecting performance or stability? I personally do not have any performance or stability issues but I also have a fairly powerful server.

 

It is also worth noting that the plugins can not be accessed from the Android/Apple store apps which can limit how some plugins can be used. This is one of the reason that I now use the built in messaging support rather than Chef's plugin.

Edited July 26, 2017 by Jdiesel

[Luke 38491]

For one auto organize will be moving to a plugin

[dcook 274]

Another great example, I forgot about that one.

 

 

For one auto organize will be moving to a plugin

[dcook 274]

Another example that should be moved out is the background color cards for posters and thumbs, adding rainbow skittle colors to the background has nothing to do with playback of media and should be removed and made a plugin or addon.

[Jdiesel 1199]

Another example that should be moved out is the background color cards for posters and thumbs, adding rainbow skittle colors to the background has nothing to do with playback of media and should be removed and made a plugin or addon.

 

This has been addressed a long time ago by changing the view type from poster or thumb card to poster or thumb.

 

[dcook 274]

I know how to unselect it, but the point is the feature is still there, its still loaded into memory, the code still exists.

 

Just like server messaging, auto organize, camera upload are all installed but not being used, they still are there.

 

 

This should be a plugin or addon and only installed if you want it.

 

The more and more stuff you stuff into the emby code, the more bloated and complicated it gets and the more resources it uses.

 

 

 

This has been addressed a long time ago by changing the view type from poster or thumb card to poster or thumb.

 

[ebr 15331]

But, what you seem to be missing is the more things you put into features and add-ons the more complicated Emby becomes to use.  That is a much more important consideration.  Most users do not want to have to install and configure 20 different things to get the system into what they would consider a usable state.  Many studies have been done that show that most users never use an application beyond its default installation and settings.  Therefore, we need to make it as simple as possible and hit the largest band of user base we can with those defaults.

 

Your basic premise of this request is simply not practical for a number of reasons but one of them is that every single user would have a different list of features they believed to be "essential" vs. "frills".

 

Can there be options - absolutely, and we have a lot of them.  But "everything" cannot be an option.

[Luke 38491]

The colored cards are off by default and actually just to correct you for a moment, the resources required to do the work are not loaded until they are needed.

[dcook 274]

@@ebr, how is it more complicated to use?

 

You install Emby, click on the plugins tab in the dashboard, if you want camera upload or server messaging you click on them and click install?  Seems pretty simple to me??

 

The system is in a usable state without any of those, those are extra things that some people might want, but they are not required for Emby to serve its purpose which is to serve media.

I am not sure how you can say Emby is not usable without them?

 

Because every user case is different, is EXACTLY why all these things should be plugins so that people can pick and choose what they want.

 

Since Emby Server is running on our hardware we should be able to install a minimal stable version of Emby Server and then add the additional features we want via plugins.

 

If you were building a cloud service and selling monthly memberships then for sure I agree with you, stuff as many features as you can for all your users to see and use.  

 

But since its our hardware, our bandwidth, we should have the choice of deciding what features we want running on our server.

 

 

 

 

But, what you seem to be missing is the more things you put into features and add-ons the more complicated Emby becomes to use.  That is a much more important consideration.  Most users do not want to have to install and configure 20 different things to get the system into what they would consider a usable state.  Many studies have been done that show that most users never use an application beyond its default installation and settings.  Therefore, we need to make it as simple as possible and hit the largest band of user base we can with those defaults.

 

Your basic premise of this request is simply not practical for a number of reasons but one of them is that every single user would have a different list of features they believed to be "essential" vs. "frills".

 

Can there be options - absolutely, and we have a lot of them.  But "everything" simply cannot be an option.

Edited July 26, 2017 by dcook

[dcook 274]

Its still in the code, and the code is loaded into memory once you start the Emby Application.  Obviously in this example its going to use more resource once you toggle it to on, but it still exists even in its un-toggled state.

 

 

The colored cards are off by default and actually just to correct you for a moment, the resources required to do the work are not loaded until they are needed.

[Luke 38491]

It's not loaded into memory. It's all a client-side effect in the browser, and the browser doesn't load the code until needed.

[dcook 274]

The browser is displaying a page based on what its getting from the server, so the code is located into the server memory, otherwise if you toggle it, it would not know what to do.

But yes, I understand its client side effect, and probably not the best example in this case.

 

The point is the more you keep adding to Emby Server code the bigger it gets and more resources it needs.

 

Anything that is not required to stream a video should be removed and made a plugin

 

 

 

 

It's not loaded into memory. It's all a client-side effect in the browser, and the browser doesn't load the code until needed.

[mastrmind11 717]

Pretty sure you're on your own with this one.

[ebr 15331]

Closing as non-productive.  See post above why this broad of a request is simply not practical.

 

If you would like to make individual requests for features or options (after researching whether or not they are already available).  Please do.