[EXT] XMLTV Guide and Search

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Benjamin Markson
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Re: [EXT] XMLTV Guide and Search

Post by Benjamin Markson »

Yup, CITV is back.

I raised a ticket last Tuesday that simply said that CITV was missing from all Freeview lineups (I'd checked about 3 of them while looking for more useful BBC and ITV regions). I got a quick response that the issue had been passed 'upstream' ... I wish the tickets were viewable by everyone.

I'm still hoping that someone will put the Oxford transmitter back into its proper regions.

The claim that: "The new lineup options will have greater granularity for regional variations" hasn't proven to be the case for me.

Ben.
XUL is dead. Long live the Google Chrome Clones.
colin1951uk
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Re: [EXT] XMLTV Guide and Search

Post by colin1951uk »

Ben,

I notice that support for Firefox 52.9.0 esr runs out at the end of next week meaning an upgrade to version 60x which doesn't support your add on.

I know you weren't too keen to develop the add on further and wondered if that is still the case.

If it is I think what I'll do is run a portable 52x version of Firefox just for using your add on (I renewed my subs with Schedules Direct at the beginning of the month) and use 60x as my default browser.

I can't say I think much of 60x, it's supposed to be faster but I don't notice it but I have noticed even more telemetry spying options (which of course can be disabled.) Other than that it might be a bit leaner but I would hardly call it a significant upgrade.

I've taken another look at Pale Moon which does run the add on but I'm still not happy with it (too many sites I use it still doesn't seem to like) and Waterfox being the only other option I can find for compatibility is pretty poor (though useable) as far as I'm concerned (I hope you're not friendly with the author :) )

Might you come up with something workable with 60x or should I prepare for running two versions of Firefox?

Cheers...Colin
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Benjamin Markson
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Re: [EXT] XMLTV Guide and Search

Post by Benjamin Markson »

colin1951uk wrote:...version 60x which doesn't support your add on.
Sorry, I have no good news.

Besides having to redo a complex interface from XUL code into HTML code the real blocker for me is that Firefox no longer supports SQLite - that's a local database engine on your PC. Manipulating that much data that quickly really does need a properly capable database. On a web site that does something similar that task would happen 'server side', i.e. the back-end server (quite likely using an SQL database engine) would fetch and prepare the data that then gets squirted to the web page. Even then such sites are often grindingly slow.

Web-Extensions are a bit like the name suggests, they extend web pages. As far as I can see they are not very capable when it comes to writing novel applications that are simply using the browser as a delivery environment. It seems that those days are gone. What was once a Swiss Army knife is now little more than a bog-standard pocket knife.
colin1951uk wrote:...it's supposed to be faster...
I'm thinking of building a stripped down car. It will have a huge engine with all its comforts stripped out, right down to just a single box to sit on. It should go really fast. I mean, really, really fast. On a perfectly flat, straight stretch of road it should beat anything out there. On any other kind of road is will be totally useless. I'm going to call the car Firefox. :lol: :lol:
colin1951uk wrote:I've taken another look at Pale Moon which does run the add on but I'm still not happy with it
The only other contender I'm aware of is Seamonkey - its latest version is based on Firefox 52.9 ESR and where it goes next is not clear to me.
colin1951uk wrote:...should I prepare for running two versions of Firefox?
I can see zero risk in using Firefox 52.9 ESR pretty much forever if you only use it with local files. I do observe that Schedule Direct feels very moribund and I sometimes wonder how much longer that will last too.

Oh well,
Ben.
XUL is dead. Long live the Google Chrome Clones.
colin1951uk
Posts: 69
Joined: November 17th, 2014, 4:52 am

Re: [EXT] XMLTV Guide and Search

Post by colin1951uk »

Ben, after a lot of searching I found this: https://www.basilisk-browser.org/ it's developed my the Pale Moon organization.

I don't know why it works but it does (you will understand more than me.)

It's still in early life but is blazingly fast and renders everything I've tried perfectly. No spying as far as I can tell.

Looks like a perfect Firefox replacement to me.

I did look at Seamonkey but your add on doesn't work with it, when I tried to add it I was told to download Firefox (first) which is loopy!

Anyway I'll keep trying this newbie for the time being, it's too good to be true.

Cheers...Colin
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Benjamin Markson
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Re: [EXT] XMLTV Guide and Search

Post by Benjamin Markson »

It's sad to see little more than tumbleweed in this once vibrant forum... :(

I have no idea if anyone is still using this (legacy) add-on but something is up with mc2xml.exe, it seems that it has a (silent) expiry date of 30\09\2020. Mine stopped working on the 1st October. The mc2xml website seems to be no more (instead it redirects to the Wayback Machine).

Anywho, by using Nirsoft's RunAsDate I can still get mc2xml.exe to run.

Alongside my mc2xml.exe I've put a mc2xml.bat (which can be executed from an XMLTV Guide and Search's Sources entry). The bat file is something like this:

Code: Select all

C:\Nirsoft\RunAsDate\RunAsDate.exe 30\09\2020 "C:\mc2xml\mc2xml.exe" 
...this executes mc2xml.exe as before having first changed the date to 30\09\2020.

The date change only tricks mc2xml.exe, it in no way effects the system date.

Ben.
XUL is dead. Long live the Google Chrome Clones.
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Yoss1960
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Re: [EXT] XMLTV Guide and Search

Post by Yoss1960 »

Same applies in Linux, Ben.

I've been unable to find something that helps for Linux users.
DateFudge should work, but I can't get it to. Could be just me, of course.
Regards,
¥ø$$1960
"The blindingly obvious is never immediately apparent"
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Yoss1960
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Re: [EXT] XMLTV Guide and Search

Post by Yoss1960 »

Okay.

{...time passes...}

Just went to the mc2xml page at the Way Back Machine and took a punt downloading the Linux version.
Dropped it in place of the old version (a difference in size [1.7MB vs 1.2MB] indicated 'something' has changed) and lo-and-behold, it works!

Maybe, if you're lucky, the same will apply to the Windows version.
Regards,
¥ø$$1960
"The blindingly obvious is never immediately apparent"
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Benjamin Markson
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Re: [EXT] XMLTV Guide and Search

Post by Benjamin Markson »

Yoss1960 wrote:Maybe, if you're lucky, the same will apply to the Windows version.
I already tried that and it made no difference. The latest Windows one is v1.7 (I have been/am using v1.6). Having never been able to find any kind of change log I've never really understood its development pathway.

Still, curious that the later Linux version either has no expiry date or it is set further into the future.

Ben.
XUL is dead. Long live the Google Chrome Clones.
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Yoss1960
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Re: [EXT] XMLTV Guide and Search

Post by Yoss1960 »

Bummer.

Version v1.7.2 in Linux. Like you, no idea whether it'll expire at some point in the future.
I even went as far as examining the executable with a hex editor to see if that shed any light.
No such luck. :-(

OTOH, you know that there's at least one other person using your add on still.

Cheers.
Regards,
¥ø$$1960
"The blindingly obvious is never immediately apparent"
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Yoss1960
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Re: [EXT] XMLTV Guide and Search

Post by Yoss1960 »

Two years. That's how far in the future the Linux version expiry was set. Just stopped working yesterday. Expiry date of 30 Sept 2022, it seems. I even tried getting a newer via the wayback machine again. No luck this time. :cry:

TV listings will end here in about a week. I'll have to resort to {shudder} TVGuide.co.uk :x

Well, it's been a blast.

So long, and thanks to all, especially Ben.
Regards,
¥ø$$1960
"The blindingly obvious is never immediately apparent"
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Benjamin Markson
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Re: [EXT] XMLTV Guide and Search

Post by Benjamin Markson »

It is strange that mc2xml was abandoned in that state.

The RunAsDate.exe workaround still works. If you have access to a Windows machine you could create the xmltv.xml file there and then drop it onto your Linux box.

I believe there are other ways to create the xmltv.xml file but I've never seen anything nearly as light-weight and simple as mc2xml.

Ben.
XUL is dead. Long live the Google Chrome Clones.
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Benjamin Markson
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Re: [EXT] XMLTV Guide and Search

Post by Benjamin Markson »

Turns out it has been updated.

If you go to the archive page http://mc2xml.awardspace.info/ and download mc2xml.exe it has been updated – it may not look like it has, but it has. Try it. :)

Ben.
XUL is dead. Long live the Google Chrome Clones.
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Yoss1960
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Re: [EXT] XMLTV Guide and Search

Post by Yoss1960 »

Well! IDK where I ended up the other day (somewhere else on wayback, obvs), but that version didn't work.

As you say, the one you link to does.

Thanks, Ben. I can be happy with my listings again. :D
Regards,
¥ø$$1960
"The blindingly obvious is never immediately apparent"
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