Wondering if anyone else is having an issue logging on and downloading apps from Haikuware?
Been trying all day and either I don’t connect or it takes about a minute or more just to have the homepage appear. Makes it unusable.
Or maybe it is just my crappy satellite internet I am on having an odd issue with that site.
TJ
You know, I’ve been thinking the same thing. Yesterday or the day before I received a “down for maintenance” message when I tried to log in. Maybe the main system is under maintenance, and this one is slower? Dunno…
I was on the site earlier and able to download a couple of programs, but it was running rather slowly. I checked, and other sites seemed to be loading at normal speeds, so yes, I think the site itself is having some kind of problem.
Definitely an issue there. I don’t think Karl is minding the store like he used to.
In any case, the site needs a rethink. I set up a new Haiku box and since I have a weakness for eye candy, I downloaded all the screensavers on HW. About a third of them crashed. How would that come across to a newbie?
What do you mean with they crashed? Please elaborate.
And BTW, I don’t think Karl isn’t “minding the store like he used to”. I’d like to think that his server(s) is(are) simply undergoing maintenance.
– louisdem
I hope you are right. But the opening paragraph in this blog post doesn’t fill me with confidence: http://haikuware.com/20131018619/package-management-breaks-3000-apps-on-haikuware
As for the screensavers crashing, they did that in many and varied ways. Some caused the screenblanker module to crash the moment you clicked to select them in the Screensaver applet. Others waited until the ss became active to crash and a few crashed only upon exiting (I kept those. One (brainwash) worked but ignored all keystrokes and mousetaps and just kept on going, requiring a reboot.
I’m not a BeOS-compatibility purist. That ⅔ of apps written 20 years ago and compiled on a different OS still work is a miracle. and I’m writing this on Christmas Day ;-).
But there is one site where newbies go for 3rd party Haiku software. We all send people there. A newbie goes there and downloads an app. It doesn’t work. He doesn’t have the historical background to know that this thing still comes from the R3 era and you were trying to run the PPC version. All he knows is that it doesn’t work.
It’s not an immediate priority, but if HW is to be an integral part of this community then it’s going to need a major weeding exercise. Get rid of everything that is there just because of BeOS nostalgia and just keep the stuff that actually runs NOW. And Karl can’t be expected to do that all by himself. We’d somehow have to crowdsource it.
Or does the PM initiative not see a place for HW?
Well, first things first. 
As for the post you mentioned, you might want to read and ponder on PulkoMandy’s comments… You might find yourself agreeing with him. Also, Giovanni’s comments are helpful too. I think that Karl was only pissed because he thought the software submitted by the many people that did, wouldn’t work anymore.
For the screensavers issue, you might want to look at existing tickets… If I recall correctly there are still some open ones.
And BTW, R3 apps (the “20 year old” ones you seem to mention) don’t work on Haiku anyway :). If you look closely Haiku is aiming to Be R5 compatible. Try those apps instead… and file bug reports for the ones that don’t work.
Lastly, I don’t think that that the PM initiative doesn’t see a place for HW. Some days ago, I downloaded Lazarus, not from HW, but which expects to be placed on the common folder. I unzipped the file, made the necessary symlinks to the FPC folder and voila. I had Lazarus working, without the need for a HPKG. So, I don’t really see your point on that one…
– louisdem
[quote=Michel]
In any case, the site needs a rethink. I set up a new Haiku box and since I have a weakness for eye candy, I downloaded all the screensavers on HW. About a third of them crashed. How would that come across to a newbie?[/quote]
Well, I hope my Circles screensaver isn’t one of the ones that crashes on you. I wrote and compiled it on BeOS R5, and it’s worked with every version of Haiku that I’ve installed so far. It’s not a fancy screensaver, but I feel rather nostalgic about it anyway. 
Circles runs like a champ!