Linn Kinsky and Minimserver, etc

[swansatspree]

First of all, I want to thank Simon for this great server.

I say this, even though I haven't heard a sound that it has served.

But I've read a lot in the forums and read his writings on the main website; his support is wonderful, simply wonderful. His writings on the website for installing, etc, is as clear as one can get using the English language.

I found this server in an effort to deal with the frustration in trying to find a stand-alone UPNP software player to use on my mac. This has been a four year pursuit. I have a Dlink DNS-323, with Alt-F, another great project by another wonderful guy.

By the way, Simon, I think you and the sole creator of Alt-F, found here, https://code.google.com/p/alt-f/, should get together and between you two would meet the needs of a ton of people out there.

I've spent a considerable amount of time investigating reliable, energy efficient, affordable hardware and software methods to serve music in multiple rooms in a house. Whereas there are options out there, most of them are cost prohibitive. For example, network players from LINN.

And so I have resolved to get things done on the cheap side. I have the DNS 323, and think your server, Simon, should be ported to Alt-F, as it's already in similar smaller energy efficient units. Please see about contacting João Cardoso, the owner of that project.

Previous and current setup: installed minidlna on Alt-F. I think your server is much better than minidlna. But to find a free UPNP client player on OSX to listen to music from the server is a pain. And please, anyone reading this, don't send me to that wikipage that has them listed there: none of them work. I've tried them all. And so, as I write this, there is no reliable free UPNP stand alone software that can be used to play music off a server such as minidlna. Well, VLC, does not what a load of trouble. You will read later.

But my Roku does work. Later, you will see why I want to replace the Roku hardware player, M1001, I think it is.

I then I found your server, which is wonderful. I must say again, simply wonderful. In its seeming ease of use, and configuration. I'd suggest, however, that you allow folks to browse and select the music directory, instead of typing it in, which accounts for errors and in the case of OSX, you have to find a way to enable the folder path to display in the Finder and then type it in the server. By the way, the command for that, I just found out is this to be entered in the Terminal.
defaults write com.apple.finder _FXShowPosixPathInTitle -bool YES
And then this: killall Finder

Having installed and configured your sever, I thought, well let me find a software to play music off it. By the way, installing your sever took all but 10 minutes, if that, including configuration. To find a software that works with it, I ended up with Linn Kinsky. And here I can't proceed. I'm not sure if I don't know how to use the software or not, but I don't see the server and can't even play the BBC streams it shows, nor can I play the iTunes tracks is picked up from my library. I suppose I could direct all this to the Linn Kinsky forum, but since the service here by you, Simon, is so great, I reckoned I'd ask you.

I read in a thread that you were considering buying a product, hardware player, from Linn. Did you do this, which one did you get. I'm after something that plays virtually all formats, common and uncommon, such as .shn, has great output sound (and I know that's relative, but common sense dictates) and equally importantly, can show me the album artwork as songs are played. And I think finally, will allow me to create playlists using its remote, with a lot of ease. If you, Simon, or anyone knows of such a player, please say. If I can't afford it now, I will keep the idea.

Simon, sorry for the long, long post. And oh, by the way, VLC did pull up the list of songs from your server and I'm now listening to music served by Minimserver, using VLC, Version 2.0.8 Twoflower (Intel 64bit). Newer versions of VLC won't work as a UPNP software player. And if someone is reading this and wants to try it, depending on the size of your music library, you will have to wait a very long time for VLC to pull up the folder listing of your music off the server, and that's long after it has showed the server, with a yellow triangle on it.

It will be nice to have a dedicated UPNP software player that sports everything that Clementine, a great player, has. It's unfortunate that the developers no longer support OSX 10.7. And a software that uses a lot less resource. VLC currently, even with far less of those features Clementine has, is "eating" 1.37 GB ram, according to Activity Monitor. Your server, by the way, is using a measly 248k. Oh, how I wish, I could find a software application that will "play" with your server and uses that less, or close to it. Simon, you're a genius. I have great respect for developers such as yourself who write programs that use lot less resources.

The solution to efficient computing is not faster processing power. Please, let me say again: The solution to efficient computing is not faster processing power.That's an abyss; the dog chasing its tail. The solution is sensible code that uses far less processing power. But I suppose that won't bring more money to the deep pockets of.....(fill in the blank) A sleuth of Apple computers cannot be used online today, not without a great deal of effort on the side of the user, for example.

I can't believe, after all these years, I'm only finding out about your server today. It's on my list of 10 best things found online in 2014. And to anyone who won't listen, I will sing Minimserver, until it sounds like a broken record.

Another thing again, why can't we all settle for standard names. I'd suggest we say hardware player of software player. You did not list VLC as a "control point" on your list, or what I will call a software player. But glad to know it's working. Linn Kinsky that you listed as 100 per cent, well, I can't get it to work at all with your server.

Anyway, for now, the software part is partly sorted. I have a great server that I can install on a machine, even a PPC, and install this older version of VLC on another computer and be able to listen to music around the house. It will be great to have your server on ALT-F, this way, I meet the energy efficient requirement.

Anyway, I should stop here.

Thanks for your time.