How SS could encourage plugin development

[cfaslave]

As Snapstream decides internally what they want to do with Beyond Media, I have been thinking of ways they could make the BM and/or BTV product better. Beyond the basic bug fixes and improvements in Beyond Media and beyond Integration (lets leave those discussions for the other threads), having more developers write plugins for the two (or someday one) HTPC SS programs makes the end experience better and makes the two programs more desirable.

It would be nice if SS would offer some sort of monetary incentive or even a promise of a free upgrade to the next version of BTV/BM if they write a workable plugin. Alternatively SS could promote the incentive to the public and offer free or heavily discounted software to those who write a workable plugin. This would not only encourage current users to develop plugins, but also bring in new users and capable developers.

Anyone else have ideas regarding this? A ways back I started this thread with some BM plugin ideas, but this could work for BTV plugins as well.

[MarcP]

Make Beyond Media open-source!

[ClamsTheCat]

Saying a "workable" plugin is subjective. I can write a plugin to translate the titles into pig latin. It would be workable, but none to useful. I think the key is not just plugin development but easy plugin integration. Installation of plugins from the software itself (requiring an application restart after install).

Programs like Azerus do this with great ease making plugins easy for the masses. The key would be not just allowing any plugin to be installed via this method. Only plugins tested strenuously and without bugs should be released this way. It could still be made clear that all plugins are at-your-own-risk during the plugin installation. Use a warning popup "are you sure!?!?!"

That s my two cents. But I agree in principal that the plugin support is a step in the right direction.

[cfaslave]

I agree that it would be difficult to decide what a workable or acceptable plugin would be, but there must be some way to do it fairly. The point is to somehow encourage and reward those who help make the product better and therefore increase market share etc. There is always the happiness knowing you wrote the plugin that others enjoy and appreciate, but it sure would be nice if SS could reward that work in other ways also.

I say this from the perspective of a user who knows enough to tinker, but not enough to really develop a decent plugin. I for one appreciate those who spend their energies writing these plugins and would like to see them stick around. Its the plugins in Beyond Media that keep me around.

It would be nice as you said to make it easier to write plugins, but I fear that would be a more substantial rework of the software to make that possible.