WWWWolf:

However, it uses Windows Multimedia API and the Windows Media Player to do the actual heavy lifting. Implementing a media player shell is a relatively simple and straightforward matter using the Windows APIs in question, and it is unlikely this feature alone is a selling point.

I've said it before, SSDS uses the Media Control Interface, which is part of the Windows Multimedia API, but is not related to Windows Media Player.

WWWWolf:

While this is apparently a practices of VB5 (StrCmp() function is discouraged because it needs to do some very slow memory allocation),

Hmm, what's this StrCmp() you're talking about? What about just using =, <>, <= etc.?

You also forgot to mention that SS doesn't like booleans, preferring to use strings like "YES" and "NO" (or sometimes "Y" and "N").

Spectre:

WWWWolf:

However, it uses Windows Multimedia API and the Windows Media Player to do the actual heavy lifting. Implementing a media player shell is a relatively simple and straightforward matter using the Windows APIs in question, and it is unlikely this feature alone is a selling point.

I've said it before, SSDS uses the Media Control Interface, which is part of the Windows Multimedia API, but is not related to Windows Media Player

 

And don't legitimate third-party media players like the excellent Media Player Classic also use MCI?  If that's true, it seems a bit silly to single out SSDS for condemnation (on the grounds that it "simply uses MCI"), unless we say all 3rd-party media players that use MCI suck.

CodeSimian:

And don't legitimate third-party media players like the excellent Media Player Classic also use MCI?  If that's true, it seems a bit silly to single out SSDS for condemnation (on the grounds that it "simply uses MCI"), unless we say all 3rd-party media players that use MCI suck.

 

You miss the point though.

We criticize SS for boasting about his cutting edge multimedia capabilities. This is based on the fact that since he has actually not done anything but obfuscate the interface to MCISendString with his ridiculous control files and commands.

I am actually glad he didn't reinvent the wheel there. But he did it in the most retarded way possible.

Saying you created gods gift to multimedia is a whole different level to be made fun of. Especially when in the background it simply calls MCISendString, and in the UI it is retardedly complex.

MasterPlanSoftware:

You miss the point though.

We criticize SS for boasting about his cutting edge multimedia capabilities. This is based on the fact that since he has actually not done anything but obfuscate the interface to MCISendString with his ridiculous control files and commands.

 

Spectate boasts about a lot of unimpressive things.   

MasterPlanSoftware:

Saying you created gods gift to multimedia is a whole different level to be made fun of. Especially when in the background it simply calls MCISendString, and in the UI it is retardedly complex.

 

Oh, but from Spectate's point of view, the UI is wonderful.  It allows him to share with the Internet the control files needed to view the aliens captured in his home videos. 

I just thought the whole "you're just using MCISendString!" argument was a bit of a red herring, that's all. Guess it's just me.

CodeSimian:

I just thought the whole "you're just using MCISendString!" argument was a bit of a red herring, that's all. Guess it's just me.

 

Yeah I don't know. I think it is really the way he says it. Boasting about making a media player that does nothing but call MCISendString is just stupid. 

Other vendors tend to use the API, but wrap it with cool features, etc.

 

All in all, it doesn't really matter. No one even has to make any sense. SS doesn't, and he wouldn't listen to you anyway.

CodeSimian:

And don't legitimate third-party media players like the excellent Media Player Classic also use MCI? 

Judging from the import table, MPC doesn't use MCI functions, but most likely DirectDraw/Direct3D (and DirectShow). MCI is a really lightweight interface, not something to make your own media player with.

Spectre:

CodeSimian:

And don't legitimate third-party media players like the excellent Media Player Classic also use MCI? 

Judging from the import table, MPC doesn't use MCI functions, but most likely DirectDraw/Direct3D (and DirectShow). MCI is a really lightweight interface, not something to make your own media player with.

 

Fair enough.  I guess there is a good case against Swampy for using MCI.  I noticed before that MPC allows you to choose what version of DirectX to render your video with (e.g. DirectX  9 is supposed to give you better video quality, at the cost of performance on slower machines).  Depending on which mode you pick, you may or may not get support for subtitles, frame grabs, etc.

MasterPlanSoftware:

Yeah I don't know. I think it is really the way he says it. Boasting about making a media player that does nothing but call MCISendString is just stupid. 

It's stupid, but I've found many stupid things in this code.  For example, this line is stupid:

If InStr(UCase(Line_Search), ".MPx") <> 0 Then

bstorer:

If InStr(UCase(Line_Search), ".MPx") <> 0 Then

 

HAHAHAHA

That is why I didn't spend too long reading through that pile of crap. I would have gone insane.

bstorer:

If InStr(UCase(Line_Search), ".MPx") <> 0 Then

That made my day, thanks :) 

bstorer:

MasterPlanSoftware:

Yeah I don't know. I think it is really the way he says it. Boasting about making a media player that does nothing but call MCISendString is just stupid. 

It's stupid, but I've found many stupid things in this code.  For example, this line is stupid:

If InStr(UCase(Line_Search), ".MPx") <> 0 Then

 

It's the ConText, stupid! 

 '16 July 2003 (why just mp3 do both) -deactivated- If InStr(UCase(Line_Search), ".MP3") <> 0 Then 

 If InStr(UCase(Line_Search), ".MPx") <> 0 Then
    i = mciSendString("set mp3 time format trnsf", 0&, 0, 0)

CodeSimian:

It's the ConText, stupid! 

Oh, I'm well aware.  It's still stupid.  Hell, it'd be stupid even if Option Compare were set to text.

bstorer:

Oh, I'm well aware.  It's still stupid.  Hell, it'd be stupid even if Option Compare were set to text.

 

So how in the name of all that's good and holy is SSDS supposed to play .MP3 files, as Spectate claims?  Luckily Spectate is not a music lover, so there is no reason for this "useless" feature to work at all.

Or maybe he renames all his music files to ".MPx"? 

Some disturbing comments in the SSDS source:

'dougdoughere       maybe comment out below

'dougheredoughere

'dougheredoughere

It is like watching full-blown psychosis in motion...

 

Another code WTF: I wonder if SS actually wanted Format(Now, "dddd mmmm dd") ? 

ooo = Format(Now, "dddd, mmmm dd, yyyy")    'test another date format

            II = InStr(1, UCase(ooo), ", 20")
        
            If II <> 0 Then
                ooo = Left(ooo, II - 1) 'strip off ", 2003" year info (as with seconds) not needed
                                'logic should work till 2100, then the year will show
            End If
         
            II = InStr(1, ooo, ",")     'remove the comma ie Saturday, March 29
            If II <> 0 Then
                ooo = Left(ooo, II - 1) + Right(ooo, Len(ooo) - II)
            End If                      '29 march 2003

 

aleph:

'logic should work till 2100, then the year will show

 

 Somehow I don't think Spectate needs to worry about that particular edge case.

CodeSimian:

So how in the name of all that's good and holy is SSDS supposed to play .MP3 files, as Spectate claims?  Luckily Spectate is not a music lover, so there is no reason for this "useless" feature to work at all.

Or maybe he renames all his music files to ".MPx"? 

MCI doesn't, to my limited knowledge, have an MP3 device.  But more than likely, the video device can handle MP3s.  I'll test this later.  For now, I haven't dug far enough through it to confirm whether it'll actually play MP3s, but it does pull the ID3 v1 tags out of them.

bstorer:

CodeSimian:

So how in the name of all that's good and holy is SSDS supposed to play .MP3 files, as Spectate claims?  Luckily Spectate is not a music lover, so there is no reason for this "useless" feature to work at all.

Or maybe he renames all his music files to ".MPx"? 

MCI doesn't, to my limited knowledge, have an MP3 device.  But more than likely, the video device can handle MP3s.  I'll test this later.  For now, I haven't dug far enough through it to confirm whether it'll actually play MP3s, but it does pull the ID3 v1 tags out of them.

 

Found this example on CodeProject:

http://www.codeproject.com/KB/audio-video/MP3Example.aspx

I guess his broken "MPx" code is just for setting the time format for MCI, so it doesn't really matter if it works or not, as far as playback goes?

Still a tremendous WTF.  He is like those neophyte programmers who think the computer will read their mind:

1st-year comp. sci. student: I heard computers are good for drawing neat pictures and stuff!

C:\> DRAW DOG

'draw' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

 1st-year comp. sci. student: Stupid computer!

(Based on a true story) 

CodeSimian:

 

Found this example on CodeProject:

http://www.codeproject.com/KB/audio-video/MP3Example.aspx

So I was right, then.  The mpegvideo player can handle MP3s.

CodeSimian:

I guess his broken "MPx" code is just for setting the time format for MCI, so it doesn't really matter if it works or not, as far as playback goes?

Actually, it's supposed to play the music, too.  But it doesn't matter, because there's about elenty quajillion different paths down below that code, most (if not all) ending in an mci command of "play".  I haven't traced them all yet.  Once I get this thing working in .Net, I can start tracing it, and I'm sure the WTFs will cascade out.

Now, since we're here, look at this line which I find hideous:

aaa = VB.Left(aaa, II - 1) & cript2(tt) & VB.Right(aaa, JJ + 1 - II - cript3(tt))

Also, this is still one of my favorite parts of the program:

        If (tt = 0 Or tt > crop_len + over_lap) And Mid(aaa, crop_len - 1, 1) = " " Then tt = crop_len - 1
        If (tt = 0 Or tt > crop_len + over_lap) And Mid(aaa, crop_len - 2, 1) = " " Then tt = crop_len - 2
        If (tt = 0 Or tt > crop_len + over_lap) And Mid(aaa, crop_len - 3, 1) = " " Then tt = crop_len - 3
        If (tt = 0 Or tt > crop_len + over_lap) And Mid(aaa, crop_len - 4, 1) = " " Then tt = crop_len - 4 

And I actually know what that part does.

bstorer:

[snip detailed analysis of SSDS source code]

Somewhere in Alberta, a Bearded YellowHead is jumping for joy.  "The Power of the Stones never Fails," he thinks (*) to himself.

 

 

(*) I use the term very loosely.

bstorer:

MCI doesn't, to my limited knowledge, have an MP3 device.  But more than likely, the video device can handle MP3s.  I'll test this later.  For now, I haven't dug far enough through it to confirm whether it'll actually play MP3s

I can't say if SSDS will play it, but MCI will play pretty much anything that Windows Media Player can play (with the possible exception of DRM'ed stuff - I've never tried that). Basically, you just need to set the MCI_OPEN_ELEMENT flag and use NULL as the device type, and it'll figure out the rest. With that, all you need is the right codec.

Full doc at http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms710950(vs.85).aspx.

Another idea for the site: there could be a Swamp Sources section, with a list of links (possibly also with archived copies - I'd hate to see some of these threads go offline and be lost to humanity forever) to important Swamp threads with a short sentence on what happens in each one (desktop search and video / video editing only / magic stones, aliens, search / etc.).  You know, so people don't think we're making this all up, and it'll be nice to have it in one place.

burntfuse:

Another idea for the site: there could be a Swamp Sources section, with a list of links (possibly also with archived copies - I'd hate to see some of these threads go offline and be lost to humanity forever) to important Swamp threads with a short sentence on what happens in each one (desktop search and video / video editing only / magic stones, aliens, search / etc.).  You know, so people don't think we're making this all up, and it'll be nice to have it in one place.

 

Agreed.

Pidgeot:

I can't say if SSDS will play it, but MCI will play pretty much anything that Windows Media Player can play (with the possible exception of DRM'ed stuff - I've never tried that). Basically, you just need to set the MCI_OPEN_ELEMENT flag and use NULL as the device type, and it'll figure out the rest. With that, all you need is the right codec.

Full doc at http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms710950(vs.85).aspx.

Yup, he just doesn't declare a device.  His open commands are all of the form "open <filename> type <type> alias video1" where <type> is usually MPEGVideo.