[AbRASiON]

Can someone explain to me in plain terms what ACTUAL logical reason there is for this?

New features and database improvements require the database to be converted into a few version. Before v11 (Eden) was release, it was actually possible to mix clients that needed two different database versions, and the result was that it destroyed the video database and people lost their libraries. The fact that XBMC makes a new database version is a safety feature to prevent losing all your stuff.

Is there a way we can make multiple versions compatible with each other? Yes, by never adding new features or making improvements to the video library. I don't really like that option, though.

So is it storing some extra meta data for the library? I mean I don't know here, obviously I'm dense but one would think by now there's an incredible amount of stuff being captured.
I (foolishly) am assuming here that the majority of improvements for XBMC at this point are user interface, codecs, multi platforms, performance - the actual storage of the data for each item, one would think is already incredibly detailed. Are we going to see a point where this isn't required.

Alternatively, since XBMC is a very popular app, is there plans for an advanced user options section or some kind of nice dev console mode I can enable where the lower right, or SOMEWHERE on the screen I'm warned / informed "working out of table XYZ in database Y" - right now, I had no idea I was working out of a different database until I realised some stuff was missing (I'm assuming the newer builds upon install copy the existing DB)

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Also please don't take swearing as an insult, I'm expressing frustration here at the application not anyone specific. This is how a 'dumb end user feels' the question should be, how can we address this, can anything be improved?

I desperately want to assist contributing to the application, I've already donated in the past and I've dropped multiple suggestions regarding the user interface filtering options, fortunately the features I proposed have pretty much been implimented almost exactly as I suggested (mind you I believe the features being added were not due to my suggestions, it simply seems we came up with very similar ideas)

I look forward to extensive UI suggestions over the ongoing development of the app but as a 'heavy user' it can be quite (very) frustrating to have my database suddenly .. well messed up.

[Martijn]

Alternatively, since XBMC is a very popular app, is there plans for an advanced user options section or some kind of nice dev console mode I can enable where the lower right, or SOMEWHERE on the screen I'm warned / informed "working out of table XYZ in database Y" - right now, I had no idea I was working out of a different database until I realised some stuff was missing (I'm assuming the newer builds upon install copy the existing DB)

No there won't be. In general we don't like mysql syncing and rather see it go away and use a different and better way for syncing.

The reason for db bumps is because of internal changes that need a different db layout. Up until feature freeze or even just before the final release this can happen.

It has been stated time and time again

For those of you who would prefer a stable version of XBMC, we will always recommend the most recent stable release (XBMC 11.0), but for the brave, you are welcome to try the end of the month build.

So you can't expect that it will always work.

[AbRASiON]

So what is the alternative to MySQL if you'd like to see it go away? I don't like the database bumps but beyond that and the initial setup difficulty, it's quite snappy and reliable to be honest.

[Martijn]

So what is the alternative to MySQL if you'd like to see it go away? I don't like the database bumps but beyond that and the initial setup difficulty, it's quite snappy and reliable to be honest.

UPnP

alcoheca is working on a massive improvement that will give almost the same capabilities to it as mysql between XBMC installations

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=127949

This should be ready before Frodo release

[AbRASiON]

Well I'll be happy to test it out, would this address the issues I'm having with different versions? Would it also sync thumbnails (right now, I use a Microsoft SyncToy script which runs daily for "sync mode" to do my thumbnails)

Thanks for the replie(s)

[jmarshall]

With UPnP everything you don't need to sync anything, as you are literally browsing whatever XBMC client 1 has in it's library from XBMC client 2.

It's possible now to completely replace the local library on a client with the upnp library from another XBMC instance - and unless you go looking, you don't know the difference.

[AbRASiON]

What about the performance over Wifi? I had real issues with the MySQL option and having my laptop try to pull the thousands of thumbnail files over a mapped network drive - it works but was just slow and clunky?

[jmarshall]

All art is cached on the local client for just that reason. I dunno what performance is like for the rest of it, but it's way less data to transfer than all the art all the time.

[un1versal]

Wrong topic, ignore this.