Trying to get rid of everything above the playback bar

[kibmikey1]

Is there any way to close the side and playlist from above the playback bar? I find it, frankly, unnecessary, and distracting. Also, if I try to hide all of the options (i.e. My Computer, Library, etc.) it crashes. I have sent a crash report detailing this. However, since most people click on their music files directly to open them, or go to 'file' and then open them from there, and possibly sometime later create a playlist, having that functionality, directly above the playback bar, AND having no way to remove it if we wish, seems to be a major flaw in this release. "If it isn't broke, don't fix it", guys...

So that this:




Becomes this:

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

"If it isn't broke, don't fix it", guys...

"VLC is ugly on OSX", "VLC does not look like QTX", "VLC does not integrate with Lion"...

We change to fix that, and then, complaints again.

As long as you do not contribute, those kinds of remarks are out of place.

[sillyrat]

I've been wrestling with the exact same issue. The last version could easily be reduced to a "compact" version that was simple, elegant, and out-of-the-way on my desktop. The first thing I did when running version 2 for the first time was spend a fair amount of time trying to close the playlist - it looks like the top and bottom of the window should slide together to hide the playlist and make a compact player with track info in the top bar and the controls directly beneath (as shown below in an edited version of the image posted by kibmikey1). When running the last beta version, I noticed that the "show/hide playlist" button wasn't hiding the playlist (as it did in version 1), and figured it was obviously a bug... but now that the official release version is here, and after reading Mr. Kempf's rude and immature reply to kibmikey1's well-written post, I'm dismayed that this bug is apparently the way things are "supposed to be" and that the developers don't really care about or welcome user feedback after all. Mr. Kempf: I too have been assisting in the development of VNC for a long time by submitting crash reports with carefully-written comments, and I too find the removal of this basic window functionality to be a serious regression. I hope that others will also add their voices so that the developers may be persuaded to adopt a more civil tone and restore this very useful functionality to VLC.

[robg]

Hello,

I have registered here on this forum to add my voice to this thread, and I second the request to give the user an option to have a compact view. I don't feel that VLC necessarily needs to take on the characteristics of iTunes, and prefer the minimalistic and uncluttered view. I also launch VLC by double-clicking files directly and have no real use for the "media finder."

While the way it is now can be the default, even iTunes is fully collapsable to a compact form. Otherwise, great work on this release.

Thanks for your time and attention.

[bernhagen]

I agree with the two posters who would like to be able to have just the media player and not the browser window. For my application, I have windows open on my screen and this new version overlaps, which interferes with my work. As I listen to music while I work, this is a problem. Sillyrat expressed my feelings better than I could, and I don't think it's necessary to repeat his excellent post. However, I would like to reiterate a couple of things:

I spend a fair amount of time submitting reports as well, I also feel that we are the customers of VLC, and our opinions of the product we are using is very valuable. Being in the customer service field, I felt Mr. Kempf's response was inappropriate, especially given that he had time to compose his answer and it was not live.

I am reverting back to v1.1.11 and hope that what I also consider a serious regression will be addressed in a later update.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

I spend a fair amount of time submitting reports as well, I also feel that we are the customers of VLC, and our opinions of the product we are using is very valuable. Being in the customer service field, I felt Mr. Kempf's response was inappropriate, especially given that he had time to compose his answer and it was not live.

I am still waiting for your money to pay for customer service... Oh, wait...

And then, read my post and read the quote.

[mnhockey69]

I am still waiting for your money to pay for customer service... Oh, wait...

And then, read my post and read the quote.

Wow, I don't know what kind of customer service you are used too, but the way to get people to support your product isn't to shut their questions and comments down. If you want money first, perhaps make this forum pay only. Why let people register if you won't answer or take suggestions from anyone else?

I personally pay for all the software I use regularly and donate toward others. However, I will try and buy before I decide to do this. If its not to my liking I uninstall and use something else. I guess what I'm saying is don't assume people coming here complaining a little or requesting different features are freeloading. We're potential customers, and if 2.0 gets just a few tweaks like whats been suggested here I'll be the first to donate toward the effort.

The playlist is a nice feature but I don't see why it has to be forced in the window. I don't want people seeing what i"ve done last and don't want to have to clear the list every time I use it. I agree that the UI should have a feature thats more minimal. I like how it was with the small controller, its what brought me to VLC in the first place.

We all appreciate your efforts on what has historically been a great product.

[kdean]

I don't want people seeing what i"ve done last and don't want to have to clear the list every time I use it.

The playlist adds items as you play and automatically clears on restart just like previous versions did.

[sillyrat]

Thanks for all the supportive comments from other users who feel as I do about this issue. I have submitted this as a bug: https://trac.videolan.org/vlc/ticket/6122

The responses that I have so far received on that page have been far more appropriate and supportive than Mr. Kempf's temper-tantrums. Mr. Kempf: I humbly suggest that if you don't want to listen to and respect the suggestions of VLC's users, then you should turn over your administrative responsibilities on this forum to another VLC developer who is willing to deal with this responsibility properly - your flippant remarks are an embarrassment to the VLC project as a whole, a project for which I have tremendous appreciation and respect.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

I am still waiting for your money to pay for customer service... Oh, wait...

And then, read my post and read the quote.

Wow, I don't know what kind of customer service you are used too, but the way to get people to support your product isn't to shut their questions and comments down. If you want money first, perhaps make this forum pay only. Why let people register if you won't answer or take suggestions from anyone else?

VLC is free and volunteer based.

People insulting developers, using sneaky remarks or demanding that their will is done are getting their questions shut down. We do our best, in our free time, but users are not our customers. And insulting person can go away.

People giving polite feedback get their question answered and their bug fixed.

How is that hard to understand?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Mr. Kempf: I humbly suggest that if you don't want to listen to and respect the suggestions of VLC's users, then you should turn over your administrative responsibilities on this forum to another VLC developer who is willing to deal with this responsibility properly - your flippant remarks are an embarrassment to the VLC project as a whole, a project for which I have tremendous appreciation and respect.

Right, and if you guys continue to not be polite, I will shut down this forum. When VLC will be dead because of people like you, what will you do?

VLC is free and volunteer based.

People insulting developers, using sneaky remarks or demanding that their will is done are getting their questions shut down. We do our best, in our free time, but users are not our customers. And insulting person can go away.

People giving polite feedback get their question answered and their bug fixed.
The issue is not feedback of the first post, but the way the feedback is done, that is unacceptable.

How is that hard to understand?

How is my request to not have sneaky remarks out of place?

[sillyrat]

Thanks to all those who posted their concern with this issue (and if others are having the same problem, please take a minute to post and add your voice to the chorus). After I posted it as a bug, other developers quickly took an interest and the ticket status is now listed as "almost finished"!

https://trac.videolan.org/vlc/ticket/6122

Apparently our willingness to make an effort to speak out about this issue - even in the face of "official" discouragement - will end up improving VLC after all, rather than bringing about its demise as Mr. Kempf has suggested.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Apparently our willingness to make an effort to speak out about this issue - even in the face of "official" discouragement - will end up improving VLC after all, rather than bringing about its demise as Mr. Kempf has suggested.

I never said I was against it, nor I demise the idea. I complained about the way the kibmikey1 talked to us.
You do not read the posts, you refuse to understand, even after multiple posts, you are insulting people and you are, of course, banned from here.

[silly-rat]

This bug has now been fixed by Felix Paul Kühne - many thanks to him, from all of us I'm sure - and the fix should be included in the 2.0.1 release!

Apparently the most effective way to bring issues like this to the attention of interested developers is to file a ticket - but please have the courtesy to check existing tickets first to see if your issue is already being addressed so that you do not create a duplicate: https://trac.videolan.org/vlc/report And be sure to review the bug-reporting guidelines: http://wiki.videolan.org/Report_bugs