The new VLC

[bananaboy]

So VLC took a big step forward on the version number… and it instantly became unuseable.

First of all this awful drop-area. Exactly what I needed most. Now I can open files very easily. Drop them there and… BOOM. Or I can drop them onto the VLC Dock-icon. Or the VLC in my sidebar. Or the VLC in my Menu-bar. Or instant-open them with Quicksilver, Launchbar, Alfred, etc. Or use command & o.

So… why not implement multiple drop-areas? Maybe one in every screen, for multiple screen users? Cluttered everywhere and always on top. Just for convenient's sake? Please? Oh, and make the drop-area bigger, 500x500 pixels at least, with no option to get rid of it or changing it.

Next comes the sidebar. Oh, my. Look at all those locations! Never going to use them all, but good thing that I can personalize them… OK, I cannot. Close them, maybe? Yes, we can! But after a VLC restart they are there again. Boy, oh, boy, this sidebar is realy annoying when watching movies or listening to music or at all! And why is the movie-window now integrated not separated… ah, there is a preference to that. Still the other interface-window eats up screen-estate.

Oh, look! A dark skin theme! Joy, oh, joy! Now I can pretend I am using QuickTime X instead of VLC! Sneaky me! But the downside is that this interface is not OSX native. The lights on the top-left of the window often get highlighted with a blue halo… better not press the space bar for funny side-effects! At least the separated movie-window has got a gray bar. Talking of a unified look.

The sound-control acts a bit funny. It delays about one to two seconds. Now that is a realy good implemented new feature. Realized it when setting the sound-volume with AppleScript.

AppleScript, by the way, is still there. It's a nice feature and THANK GOD nobody messed that up. I even thought that it would have disappeared after opening VLC 2.0 for the first time.

Realy, guys, why did you repair what wasn't broken? Why the new horrible interface? The not easy to use and static sidebar? The dark wannabe skin-theme? What happened?

I can only assume that you tried to implement a lot of new look and feel to a media-player that as such was perfect, uncluttered and easy to use. When you updated the interface in a previous version (cannot remember which it was, too lazy to look it up) VLC was a modern looking powerhorse media-player. But that new "look and feel"? It looks disgusting and feels wrong on so many levels…

So, what's next? Sure, there are users that will love this new VLC. But there also will be a lot of users complaining, some won't upgrade, others will change to another player. You, the developers, are going to defend your new VLC. Maybe you will listen to some complaints. You are going to answer some raging users in the forums in a snotty way. But you will keep these changes, this new VLC… hey, you put a lot of work in it. But that does not mean that it has to be appreciated by everyone. Every single user is a individual with own beliefs, likings, etc. It is difficult to please everyone. But, please, there will be raging, there will be shitstorms, and offends, please, keep your competence in dealing with such users.

I know that you are not going to change anything about the new VLC. Your way, you think, is the right one, no matter how many users disagree. A lot of coding has been done and there is no turning back, you think. Time passes and the complaints will get fewer as users are going to leave VLC. This strategy of disregard is a golden standard among everyone who produces and creates new things.

I will keep my old 1.1.12 VLC. I will check out newer versions as they appear, but I will also look for a VLC replacement. Because someday the old 1.1.12 will not work anymore and the new VLC is a no-go and I want a media-player that is kept up-to-date. One that I like and that does what I want it to do.

It is a pity.

[str3tmonk]

Dude, check out SMplayer or another open-source player. You know, VLC is not the only player out there.