[r0nin ar1es]

Ive been looking and looking and it seems like most threads are for an older version of Ubuntu or XBMC, but nothing matches with what everyone is saying.

I am using:

XBMC 10.1
on
Ubuntu 10.10

The XMBC.org Add-on I have says 1.0.0, so Im guessing its old, but when I update it, it stays the same and updates the add-ons in there.

When I try to look for a new version, noe of them say whether there for Linux, Windows, Live... Just that some are for Mac?

Also they keep stating to install in ~/.xbmc/plugins/programs/ <This does not exist on my machine and I do have other plugins but the system installed them in ~/.xbmc/addons/

I'm a little confused on the whole Dharma version, which Im starting to believe I have, but I would think that most Devs would be trying to get their stuff out to all builds.

[PatK]

Strange stuff... you're even getting me confused thinking about it. For starters Ver 10.1 XBMC is Dharma. Plugins.. are add-ons, and installed within XBMC>Settings>addons>install from zip or get more. Once you do that.. the plugin file will reside in \XBMC\addons in it's own folder. It should be accessible from add-ons. If it's a program plugin, then it will be in programs (you might have to toggle an access in your skin). Don't forget to look at the configuration of the plug-in/add-on and set it up if needed.

You didn't mention what skin, or plugin or add-on.. Some older stuff no longer works with Dharma, and if it's not in the officially supported repository, you might have to load up a non official repository and trouble shoot through that specific add-on's forum.

[natethomas]

PatK answered most of your questions. All that I see missing is that most addons should work cross platform. The only time they won't is when they specifically say they are for a particular platform (e.g. XBMC Flicks).

Also, you should always see if you can install the addon from our built in addon repository first, following the path PatK pointed you towards. That's the most working/up-to-date addon area.

[r0nin ar1es]

Sorry I don't mean to confuse anyone, but I do realize I type the way I talk and things can get confusing coming across through text and not voice.

Plugins.. are add-ons, and installed within XBMC>Settings>addons>install from zip or get more. Once you do that.. the plugin file will reside in \XBMC\addons in it's own folder.

That makes since, and you clarified what I had hoped that from the old version to the new, they changed from plugins/progams to addons. TYVM

You didn't mention what skin, or plugin or add-on.. Some older stuff no longer works with Dharma, and if it's not in the officially supported repository, you might have to load up a non official repository and trouble shoot through that specific add-on's forum.

I use Project Mayhem III (PM3) for the most part, but anytime I troubleshoot I use Confluence, seemed reasonable since thats the skin that comes standard.

PatK answered most of your questions. All that I see missing is that most addons should work cross platform. The only time they won't is when they specifically say they are for a particular platform (e.g. XBMC Flicks).

Also, you should always see if you can install the addon from our built in addon repository first, following the path PatK pointed you towards. That's the most working/up-to-date addon area.

That place I know, I have the XBMC.org Add-Ons 1.0 that came with the build, so I guess I was wondering if there is anything above 1.0?

Also I checked out XBMC Flicks and the only similarities of that and one of the add-ons I wanted, that I think should work like the CBS (even though I hate CBS) are that they both appear in this Plugin/Script (Python) Addons Help and Support. So is it because its this Python? that I wont be able to get it to work. Otherwise I'm still over hear confused, but still loving my XBMC otherwise.

[r0nin ar1es]

Well I thought I replied but it didnt take so that sucks, so Ill try again...

lol, I didn't mean to confuse you, and after reading what I wrote, I found it kind of doubly confusing.

~Plugins.. are add-ons, and installed within XBMC>Settings>addons>install from zip or get more. Once you do that.. the plugin file will reside in \XBMC\addons in it's own folder. It should be accessible from add-ons. If it's a program plugin, then it will be in programs (you might have to toggle an access in your skin). Don't forget to look at the configuration of the plug-in/add-on and set it up if needed.

I figured as much, but I wanted someone more in the know to note that. I just wish more threads would state that, but they all state that everything is installed in the ~/.xbmc/plugins/programs/ and not ~/.xbmc/addons/, which seems to be the new directory for plugins/addons.

You didn't mention what skin, or plugin or add-on.. Some older stuff no longer works with Dharma,...

I didn't know that the skin mattered (thank you for that knowledge), when viewing as XMBC, I use PM3 but when troubleshooting I use Confluence.

~All that I see missing is that most addons should work cross platform. The only time they won't is when they specifically say they are for a particular platform (e.g. XBMC Flicks).

I checked out the XMBC Flicks and it says it works under Dharma, but since I'm on Linux theres no playback support. I wish all the plugins let you know the specifics in this way, but they dont, So besides the fact that they are both in the Plugin/Script (Python) Addons Help and Support thread I see no major differences. I did think that maybe the "Python" (which I dont understand, but am learning), may be the problem, but XMBC Flicks says that it works in Dharma and Ubuntu just w/o the playback.

THIS IS WHERE I GET CONFUSED, take the NBC Video plugin, it tells you to go HERE for install instructions. Then this thread is one of many where I got confused with the installing of plugin/addons and which directory.

Thanks for the help thus far, and anything else you can do to get me through this maze of madness in my mind.

Moderator Message: Occasionally the forum will prevent a post from showing when a new person includes several links. Both posts should show now.

[natethomas]

Alright, I'm gonna try to explain.

First off, if you are running XBMC 10.1, you are running the most recent version of the addon manager.

Second, all official addons are hosted on a server by Team XBMC in the team's own addon repository. You can get them all directly through XBMC. No need to download them from some other source.

Some addons are NOT official for some reason. Typically, this is because the team feels uncomfortable keeping them in the official repository. These addons have to either be downloaded manually and individually installed from zip, or you have to find the repository that they are coming from and install that repository, and then you can install them from within XBMC again.

For the most part, all addons are supposed to be platform agnostic, meaning they'll run in Windows, Linux, OSX, or iOS. A limited few are not for very specific reasons. Usually, because they require something XBMC can't provide. For example, XBMC Flicks requires Silverlight, a Microsoft plugin that can only be found in Windows and OSX.

As default, you should look for the addon from within XBMC. If you see it, then you are done. That will be the most recent version. If it isn't there, you should try to figure out if the addon developer has put the addon into an unofficial repository, install the repository, and then install the addon from within XBMC. Only as a last resort should you install the addon from a zip file, as that is the least likely method to ensure addon stability.

Make sense?

[r0nin ar1es]