Feature request: Children Friendly/Kiosk/Party-Mode Menu

[Funkybunch]

After configurating all the needed cores my plan is to make to make the menu so simple that nobody has a chance to change these settings.

So is there a way to hide the system settings and misc options in boot and systemcores?

[MostroW]

I think you might need to alter the menu utility core with quite possibly menu.cpp from the main_mister repository?

menu.cpp

Menu_MiSTer

Though i am not 100% sure as whether this will achieve what you'd like, i'd recommend studying the code a little bit to see if you could possibly alter it to your needs?

Maybe one of the dev's could possibly step in and point out what needs to be altered to be 100% sure.
But quickly looking over the code from the two links would be my first bet.

[Funkybunch]

That was also my starting point, but if I just comment on the individual lines, I don't know which side effects will be triggered.

The other problem would be that I don't have any more administrative options to make changes. Or only very cumbersome.

Of course, you might have to adjust something at one point or another, maybe you could turn the advanced settings on and off using a small switch?

[AtomicShroom]

I made a similar request not too long ago:

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=2699

It would be an amazing thing to have and be able to just simply enable without having to modify the code ourselves. We're not all programmers.

- Options/settings shouldn't be anywhere near the same menu page as the act of choosing games to launch or switching cores (which is on a completely different page for some reason, sigh)
- Options/settings/scripts/etc. should be hidable.
- "Core" should be changed to "Select System". No one except us MiSTer nerds know what a "core" is. Regular people know these as "systems".
- Game list shouldn't show file extensions.
- Game list shouldn't show ".. <UP-DIR>" at the root level. What's the point? You're not gonna find anything there and a non-power user will probably just get lost.
- Speaking of which, ".. <UP-DIR>" only speaks to computer nerds. Can we have "<BACK>" instead? You know, something normies will understand.
- The Load option, (i.e. “Load *.SMC *.SFC”) should just say “Select Game” for consoles.

I'm really hoping that at some point down the line someone will make the MiSTer UI into something that resembles a clean Nintendo or Apple-like product, and not a computer nerd's wet dream.

[Funkybunch]

I'm really hoping that at some point down the line someone will make the MiSTer UI into something that resembles a clean Nintendo or Apple-like product, and not a computer nerd's wet dream.

I am 100% of your opinion. Apple is a perfect example.

My wish list would be similarly long with such subtleties. As you said, you can certainly reduce a lot without having any restrictions.

Wording is a difficult topic when many people have to come to an agreement. Even if "system" instead of "core" or "back" instead of "up-dir" is the only logical name for us.

[ash2fpga]

If a "children friendly" experience is desired, there are, perhaps, some arcade titles (at least on the alternatives / homebrew side) that are getting included in a default configuration (at least the .mra files, even if not using update_all) that should perhaps be excluded, or at least hidden?

[MiSTer_Kirk]

Perhaps you should teach your children how to use a Mister, rather than demand it be made simpler ?
Or, buy a Pi - that has what you are asking.
And no, we don't want a Nintendo, or Apple-like product. This is, after all, a nerd's homebrew type product, not a full-on commercial product.

[AtomicShroom]

Perhaps you should teach your children how to use a Mister, rather than demand it be made simpler ?
Or, buy a Pi - that has what you are asking.
And no, we don't want a Nintendo, or Apple-like product. This is, after all, a nerd's homebrew type product, not a full-on commercial product.

It shows you don't have kids. Kids mess around with everything, no matter how much you teach them. Despite my stepfather teaching me about how to use computers at a young age, god knows I fucked it up many times by messing around with it in ways which, now I know obviously, were stupid.

And perhaps *you* don't want a Nintendo or Apple-like interface, but many people do. And both can totally coexist. We're not asking for one to supplant the other or to permanently remove any of the amazing configuration possibilities. We're asking for an optional mode where this thing can be left in the hands of total strangers at a party where I will not fear they'll fuck something up, because that possibility is absolutely there at the moment. That's not unreasonable to ask for.

And the point I went for MiSTer was for the low input lag FPGA greatness and insane accuracy. So no, absolutely not going for a Pi.

(And to be clear, when I say Nintendo or Apple-like interface, I don't mean visually. I know the MiSTer ARM side has very little resources. I strictly means in terms of layout, simplicity, usability, foolproofness.)

https://blog.codinghorror.com/this-is-w ... create-ui/

[Mr. Encyclopedia]

I understand the argument that the MiSTer doesn't need a friendly polished UI, but this is still a request I've seen come up many, many times and I don't think it deserves to be dismissed out of hand every time. That said, I also don't think it's the responsibility of Sorgelig or any of the other developers to take up a project they don't believe in just to satisfy folks who want a nicer UI.

I think a good middle ground would be to expand the MiSTer framework/API by adding the ability to load and launch individual ROM files via command, bypassing the OSD entirely. This would both help Super-Attract Mode by eliminating the need for simulated button presses, and also fully absolve anyone currently working on MiSTer to put any further thought into such a thing. Want to make a nice frontend UI? Then go ahead and make something that runs on the Linux side, seamlessly sends commands to the FPGA, and most importantly is entirely optional for folks to install.

[MiSTer_Kirk]

The UI can't get any simpler, it's practically moron proof.
How can it get any simpler ?
Pick system, press button, profit.
Even updating is all done for you, via scripts, you just have to select what type of update you want.
Seriously, I knew Feck all about Mister, or Linux. I now know enough to use this, configure it, and do other stuff which includes Linux.
How can anyone fuck it up ? Short of taking the SDCard out and wiping it, I don't know how you can fuck it up.

but many people do.

Really ? Where are they then ?
Stop being lazy. LEARN things. Tell idiots who know nothing, not to mess with things they don't understand. All my mates have kids, they also have media PCs under the TV - the kids know what they can and can't do, that is what parenting is.

[Mr. Encyclopedia]

Before I got into MiSTer my impression was that it was something suited to tinkerers and was very fiddly and complicated. This was partially because early on this was more true, before update_all and Mr. Fusion and many other features were developed that vastly streamline and improve the experience. I was surprised how quickly and easily I got my MiSTer up and running, but I have decades of experience building and setting up hardware. I'm also empathetic enough to know that just because I found it simple doesn't mean everyone does, or that everyone should. The OSD is filled with cryptic and idiosyncratic options, a lot of important settings are hidden away in an ini file, and no matter how you organize and curate your ROM collection you'll never get past the fact it's always going to be just a list of names.

When I was a kid looking for a game to rent over the weekend, was I looking at a list of titles with no context? No, I was looking at box art and reading the back of the box. Why should I expect my kids to put up with anything less? Are my children idiots because they didn't grow up playing these games, and don't know Aero the Acro-Bat from Zaxxon? I built my MiSTer inside the most inviting form I could imagine and loaded it with literally thousands of games, but it still doesn't hold a candle to the PS4 or Switch because to anyone born after 2000 a text-only menu is as foreign an interface as a rotary telephone. I don't expect my kids to sit down and go through name after meaningless name until they find a game they like. If you don't see how that could be a problem worth solving I don't know what to tell you.

This attitude that dealing with the MiSTer's idiosyncrasies is somehow virtuous and desirable only makes sense if you think of the MiSTer as a tomb, meant to hold treasured memories but built to discourage all but the most determined pilgrims. A UI that looks like it was made in the last 20 years isn't too much to ask. Somehow, people seem to put up with MegaAGS, which makes a platform a lot of people have no experience with as easy to use as possible. It's one thing to argue it's a waste of resources and unnecessary, but to call people lazy and idiots for even suggesting the idea? Give me a break.

[mhartman]

The UI can't get any simpler, it's practically moron proof.
How can it get any simpler ?
Pick system, press button, profit.
Even updating is all done for you, via scripts, you just have to select what type of update you want.
Seriously, I knew Feck all about Mister, or Linux. I now know enough to use this, configure it, and do other stuff which includes Linux.
How can anyone fuck it up ? Short of taking the SDCard out and wiping it, I don't know how you can fuck it up.

but many people do.

Really ? Where are they then ?
Stop being lazy. LEARN things. Tell idiots who know nothing, not to mess with things they don't understand. All my mates have kids, they also have media PCs under the TV - the kids know what they can and can't do, that is what parenting is.

So you’re open to it?

[MostroW]

People realise you can download the project and alter it to the point of your liking right?

Sorgelig made this project open source so you could potentially add this polish yourself?

Heck, i even think if you did a good enough job he might even consider implementing it in main?

So come on, pick up the coding utilities download the source and get to it!

[MiSTer_Kirk]

built my MiSTer inside the most inviting form I could imagine and loaded it with literally thousands of games, but it still doesn't hold a candle to the PS4 or Switch because to anyone born after 2000 a text-only menu is as foreign an interface as a rotary telephone. I don't expect my kids to sit down and go through name after meaningless name until they find a game they like. If you don't see how that could be a problem worth solving I don't know what to tell you.

The Mister isn't a PS4, or Switch, or Xbox, or Raspberry Pi running Retropie. You should have done some research BEFORE buying it, then you wouldn't have to moan on the forum.
Box art, videos, intros, music, all the crap that the Pi has on it's front-ends, and PC front-ends like Launchbox. Crap that just gets in the way of trying to use the damn system. If you want all that crap just get a Pi for feck sake - then your kds can marvel at really annoying front-ends.
If you don't know what the game you are looking for is, then Google it before you run it. Print out a list of each system's games you want to try, or play.

Lately, this forum has been getting new posters, all with their own ideas of what the Mister should be like, what the hardware should be doing, and what the UI should be like. It's always, I want it to be MY way. ME, me, me, me, me.Just like today's me me me me society. Selfish, only focused on what "me" wants. Thankfully, the Mister doesn't have a GPU, so no fancy front-ends, and box art hell.

[Funkybunch]

Please don't take it personally, but I can't hear the saying “buy yourself a pi” anymore.
That hat nothing to do with a animated ui with video previews based on linux like retropie.
The structure, wording and the possibilities of the frontend has nothing to do with what happens in the background. I'm a friend of the fact that the mister stays minimal as possible.

The MiSTer is not a nerd toy. A real nerd toy has no front end or a script which install and update everything automatically. The front end is for the consumer and in my opinion it should only have the options that he understands.

A frontend has should always be as simple as possible, otherwise we would all still be working with an Altair 8800 today.

Child-friendly may be a little misunderstood. My daughter is less than 2 weeks old and can't even hold a controller, but my wife or friends who come to visit also don't know what a gamma curve is, various scripts may cause or what is the difference between a core or a romfile. And that’s totally ok. They are consumer. It is not exactly my wish. It should make life easier for those who just want the gaming experience without the disadvantages of „retropie".

So i thought several times about what my wish would be before I put it in the forum. To hide the System Settings and misc. options wouldn’t be the perfect solution in many cases (e.g. the core selection will also disabled if a core is loaded, but the old real systems has always been switched So resetting the MiSTer is acceptable). I think it could help a lot users with less coding. Anyone who knows what he’s doing can still display the advanced options.

Of course the code is open source and anyone can compile it himself, but that would also cause problems with the update. In addition, I am not a friend of the fact that different developers work at the same code in order to rule out side effects as far as possible.

[AtomicShroom]

built my MiSTer inside the most inviting form I could imagine and loaded it with literally thousands of games, but it still doesn't hold a candle to the PS4 or Switch because to anyone born after 2000 a text-only menu is as foreign an interface as a rotary telephone. I don't expect my kids to sit down and go through name after meaningless name until they find a game they like. If you don't see how that could be a problem worth solving I don't know what to tell you.

The Mister isn't a PS4, or Switch, or Xbox, or Raspberry Pi running Retropie. You should have done some research BEFORE buying it, then you wouldn't have to moan on the forum.
Box art, videos, intros, music, all the crap that the Pi has on it's front-ends, and PC front-ends like Launchbox. Crap that just gets in the way of trying to use the damn system. If you want all that crap just get a Pi for feck sake - then your kds can marvel at really annoying front-ends.
If you don't know what the game you are looking for is, then Google it before you run it. Print out a list of each system's games you want to try, or play.

Lately, this forum has been getting new posters, all with their own ideas of what the Mister should be like, what the hardware should be doing, and what the UI should be like. It's always, I want it to be MY way. ME, me, me, me, me.Just like today's me me me me society. Selfish, only focused on what "me" wants. Thankfully, the Mister doesn't have a GPU, so no fancy front-ends, and box art hell.

Man the level of arrogance and elitism in here is just... sheesh. It reeks.

I get it then. We'll refrain from making any sort of suggestions that could possibly make MiSTer a more streamlined, enjoyable, welcoming, user friendly project capable of reaching a much wider audience, because you've decided that it should instead reach the lowest amount of users possible by remaining a niche project for exclusively the most elite of niche users. Gotcha.

[aberu]

The Mister isn't a PS4, or Switch, or Xbox, or Raspberry Pi running Retropie. You should have done some research BEFORE buying it, then you wouldn't have to moan on the forum.
Box art, videos, intros, music, all the crap that the Pi has on it's front-ends, and PC front-ends like Launchbox. Crap that just gets in the way of trying to use the damn system. If you want all that crap just get a Pi for feck sake - then your kds can marvel at really annoying front-ends.
If you don't know what the game you are looking for is, then Google it before you run it. Print out a list of each system's games you want to try, or play.

Lately, this forum has been getting new posters, all with their own ideas of what the Mister should be like, what the hardware should be doing, and what the UI should be like. It's always, I want it to be MY way. ME, me, me, me, me.Just like today's me me me me society. Selfish, only focused on what "me" wants. Thankfully, the Mister doesn't have a GPU, so no fancy front-ends, and box art hell.

You really could have worded this in a way that wasn't insulting and so aggressive. People are just mentioning their preferences and discussing it. It's a forum.

Man the level of arrogance and elitism in here is just... sheesh. It reeks.

I get it then. We'll refrain from making any sort of suggestions that could possibly make MiSTer a more streamlined, enjoyable, welcoming, user friendly project capable of reaching a much wider audience, because you've decided that it should instead reach the lowest amount of users possible by remaining a niche project for exclusively the most elite of niche users. Gotcha.

Most people aren't as aggro as the person you are replying to. Don't let them taint your impression of the whole community.

Personally I may disagree with people wanting this, but it's just my personal opinion and you are free to have yours. To give you a different perspective, my personal reasons as to why I don't really want a fancy GUI is as follows:

* The ARM processor in the DE10-Nano is like a slightly faster Raspberry Pi 2 ARM but with no GPU. So a fancy GUI will probably be a big disappointment to a lot of people.
* The MiSTer devs really do have limited time and resources, like all human beings, and they probably have bigger fish to fry. Maybe there would be some justification for it after more cores are ported and perfected and bugs are weeded out. Device support is far more difficult to add to this than most x86/arm linux devices as well, so more device support is something I personally care more about than a fancy GUI at the moment.
* The MiSTer devs do this out of passion and I personally don't want to pressure them uncomfortably into doing things they don't want to do.

All of this being said, the child-friendly mode idea is fine personally, I would like something like this to be added. Children who would play this can probably read and figure out a simple OSD. The main thing with the child-friendly mode that I see as an advantage is just keeping them from altering any settings.

[MiSTer_Kirk]

You really could have worded this in a way that wasn't insulting and so aggressive. People are just mentioning their preferences and discussing it. It's a forum.

I'm not being aggressive. You think that is aggressive, then go to Reddit and have a read, or social media - that makes my posts look like a kid's party.

The main thing with the child-friendly mode that I see as an advantage is just keeping them from altering any settings.

But then, that would mean TWO UI's to maintain, unless you propose we are all forced onto a child-friendly crap UI ?

Please don't take it personally, but I can't hear the saying “buy yourself a pi” anymore.

The reason I keep mentioning the Pi is because it has EVERYTHING you ask for, and without much needed to do to get an easy UI. Your kids won't know the difference, they've probably never heard of 90% of the systems it supports, let alone know the difference between software emulators, and an FPGA.
The Mister isn't for kids, sorry to say that, but it just isn't. This is a tinkering device that allows those of us that grew up with the original hardware, to now enjoy it all again without having to fork out hundreds on eBay. Kids are welcome to experience the same, but that doesn't mean the device should be made to accommodate them, they should learn to use it, not have it served on a plate. I learnt it, I spent months reading everything about it before I committed to buy one.
With a Pi, you can connect it directly to any modern TV, or an old LCD you might have lying around, or spare PC monitor. Get them a joystick, joypad, download retropie, your roms, then they have a great system, easy to use, not much to mess up, and lots of friendly UI's, including child-friendly ones - just read the following.

https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Child-frie ... onStation/

Easy.

A real nerd toy has no front end or a script which install and update everything automatically.

Update all, does it all for you, automatically.

A frontend has should always be as simple as possible,

How can it get any simpler ? The thing is soooo damn easy to use, it can't get any easier. Every setting is self-explanatory, and does what it says on the tim. Try using the REAL thing, that would make your head explode. Try an Amiga with a Harddrive, unless you have one of the WHLoad installs done for you, then you will have to learn it all yourself. Same with most 8-bit, and 16-bit computers, they don't have front-ends, or UI's, they expect you to know what you are doing.

[Tacoguy125]

Another vote for Kiosk mode. There was some changes made by Sorg recently. Are we able to create/run a script that would help with some of this?
That dude needs to relax.

[AtomicShroom]

I'm not being aggressive. You think that is aggressive, then go to Reddit and have a read, or social media - that makes my posts look like a kid's party.

Just because you point out to worse doesn't mean that you aren't being aggressive. You are.

But then, that would mean TWO UI's to maintain, unless you propose we are all forced onto a child-friendly crap UI ?

We're not asking for two UIs. The main thing we're asking for is a variant of the current UI where all the configuration options are hidden/grayed out.

The reason I keep mentioning the Pi is because it has EVERYTHING you ask for, and without much needed to do to get an easy UI. Your kids won't know the difference, they've probably never heard of 90% of the systems it supports, let alone know the difference between software emulators, and an FPGA.

Input lag alone makes this a big no-no. It's just horrible on the Pi and everyone can feel that.

How can it get any simpler ? The thing is soooo damn easy to use, it can't get any easier. Every setting is self-explanatory, and does what it says on the tim. Try using the REAL thing, that would make your head explode. Try an Amiga with a Harddrive, unless you have one of the WHLoad installs done for you, then you will have to learn it all yourself. Same with most 8-bit, and 16-bit computers, they don't have front-ends, or UI's, they expect you to know what you are doing.

That's why I stick to NES/SNES/Genesis/etc.

Let's take a look and see if we can apply basic User Experience (UX) concepts:



What are the most common functions you'd expect people to do when here?

We could run a poll but I'm fairly confident they are:

1. Load a game.
2. Save/Load Save State (if supported).
3. Reset the game/console.
4. Switch to another core.

So then:
- Why aren't these the first 3-4 options at the top of the menu?
- Why are they separated by a bunch of configuration options?
- Why do I have to press right to reach the "Core" menu. Why is it on a separate page?
- Why is the "Reset" function lost at the complete bottom after a bunch of meaningless options (wtf does Scandoubler fx even do?)?

[MiSTer_Kirk]

Input lag alone makes this a big no-no. It's just horrible on the Pi and everyone can feel that.

Your kids, and friends won't know the difference.

Let's take a look and see if we can apply basic User Experience (UX) concepts:

Yeah, and ? Looks good to me, and each line does what it says.

What are the most common functions you'd expect people to do when here?

Everything on that page is as simple as it gets.

Why aren't these the first 3-4 options at the top of the menu?

Not all roms/games will run from the same region, and an auto region without header, and priority won't necessarily get it right.

2. Save/Load Save State (if supported).

Original hardware didn't have this, and only cores that support this will have that option - this isn't in many cores, so I would not expect this to be there.

Why do I have to press right to reach the "Core" menu. Why is it on a separate page?

Oh dear, that must be so hard. Imagine the work the devs put into getting you all those free cores, but poor old you can't press right because that would be too much for poor old you. Must suck to be you.

Why is the "Reset" function lost at the complete bottom after a bunch of meaningless options

They're only meaningless to those who don't bother to understand them.

wtf does Scandoubler fx even do?

10 seconds on Google, or Duckduckgo, will give you that answer. It really isn't hard.
Perhaps, when you switch it on, you would like an Amazon Alexa-type voice asking you what you would like ? You then only have to tell it what you want, then difficult things, like using your hands, wouldn't be needed any more. Heck, lets have games complete themselves, then you wouldn't have to even lift a finger.

[Flandango]

The first screen/page of the in-core OSD is core specific, i.e. it's specified in each individual core.
The second page is, for lack of better words, the main/common options such as configuring the controllers for that specific core or choosing another core. The core developer has limited configuration/control over this screen.
Options like changing between cores is a main/static function that no developer is going to waste precious space on the first screen to reproduce.

If you would like a particular core's settings page to be "cleaner" or rearranged differently then you'll have to request a change to that core or, check it out and play with it. That's what I do.
There are a lot of core specific settings that to a lot of users, won't make sense until they play with them and most will probably never touch them.
But get rid of one of those settings/features and I guarantee you that somebody will come and post a "features" request for that setting.

As for the main menu, there's always room for improvement and/or enhancements, but don't forget resources are limited and it's not like writing a Unity3D game or a Python script where you can just import libraries. And most importantly, you have to make sure you don't break any of the cores that rely on it.

Mister is a tinker's toy and not a production product like say Analogue's products so most, if not all, developers who work on it do it out of passion and on their free time. So when people start getting uncivilized between each other on the forums and bad mouth each other or mister or it's users, it definitely looses the developer(s) interests.

[mhartman]

I vehemently agree with the opposition. In fact, I take my view further and hereby support eliminating all backgrounds, menus, update scripts and other niceties. We need to move everything to command line only for the specific purpose of keeping the non-nerds at bay. I oppose all further non-core improvements.

[bazza_12]

Great thread this. Very entertaining. Nice one. Kirk is right though, those 8bit computers were not user friendly, we just had a flashing cursor and massive manual to wade through. We were forced to learn and we did. Now everything is done for you and if it isn't people complain. Don't get me wrong, I'm just as bad, sometimes I ask the most silly of questions. I happen to love the MiSTers UI, it's clear, concise and utilitarian; it doesn't need fancy graphics or box art. The core is what's important not the menu - IMO The problem with people today is they have no attention span. if it takes longer than 2 minutes to figure something out people can't be bothered with it. Hell! I'm struggling to maintain interest in typing this comme........ ZZZzzzzzzzzzz

[akeley]

This thread is not entertaining, but cringeworthy. Alongside the occasional "I hate emulation" jibes, it is the perfect example of why so many people out there consider the FPGA crowd as insufferable elitists, and switch off whenever anybody mentions MiSTer and other boards. That aside from the fact that on most civilized forums continuing to fling insults at a drop of a hat would result in warnings/bans.

I'm happy with the current UI but would have zero objections if an optional alternative/kiosk mode has appeared. Comparing the merits and demerits of both approaches could be interesting, but in current climate any real discussion ITT is impossible, and it doesn't seem that will change soon, so I'll just give it a wide berth.

[Funkybunch]

I believe that my concern is misunderstood, the topic is getting further and further away from my original proposal.

I'm NOT talking about a fancy user interface with graphics and animations. It's really only about deactivating the options with which a console player cannot do anything.

This affects less the settings of the individual cores and primarily the system-settings and misc. options.

Seriously. Which of these functions are still used in the frontend after it has been correctly configured?

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The whole system is minimal and tidy, but it could be still cleaner.
Display of datetime, custom fonts, custom background, volume level and ascii-art star wars movie??? Seriously?

It's a shame that people get excited so quickly about a suggestion that other users could also benefit from. For me, it's not about wanting to prescribe something, but about a suggestion that may be positively received and implemented. Just because the mister is not a commercial product like the analogue’s does not mean that it can even be better

[mhartman]

I believe that my concern is misunderstood, the topic is getting further and further away from my original proposal.

I'm NOT talking about a fancy user interface with graphics and animations. It's really only about deactivating the options with which a console player cannot do anything.

This affects less the settings of the individual cores and primarily the system-settings and misc. options.

Seriously. Which of these functions are still used in the frontend after it has been correctly configured?

The whole system is minimal and tidy, but it could be still cleaner.
Display of datetime, custom fonts, custom background, volume level and ascii-art star wars movie??? Seriously?

It's a shame that people get excited so quickly about a suggestion that other users could also benefit from. For me, it's not about wanting to prescribe something, but about a suggestion that may be positively received and implemented. Just because the mister is not a commercial product like the analogue’s does not mean that it can even be better

I would actually chip in the have someone build this. One of my MiSTers is in a PacMan arcade cab and I would love an easy switching method for visiting users. I can teach my kids anything, but my party guests…

Heck, for my purposes, I would just be up for a button that takes me to the next game in the current folder. That would rock for my setup. Like you, not forcing anything on anyone, but putting a potential non-intrusive feature “wish” out there for a specific (and valid) use case.

Ok, the “no change is good change” zealots can now throw stones.

[bazza_12]

This thread is not entertaining, but cringeworthy. Alongside the occasional "I hate emulation" jibes, it is the perfect example of why so many people out there consider the FPGA crowd as insufferable elitists, and switch off whenever anybody mentions MiSTer and other boards. That aside from the fact that on most civilized forums continuing to fling insults at a drop of a hat would result in warnings/bans.

I'm happy with the current UI but would have zero objections if an optional alternative/kiosk mode has appeared. Comparing the merits and demerits of both approaches could be interesting, but in current climate any real discussion ITT is impossible, and it doesn't seem that will change soon, so I'll just give it a wide berth.

people were making valid points too from the lack of gpu on the de10 to the PI already having a graphic interface, then from the relative complexity of the mister to the fact some people want or expect a plug and play device. if a dev wants to make a graphical front end, that's great.. they should go for it.. personally I'm not sure why someone would bother, but that's my view.

as for elitism, you'll encounter that on any forum.. I don't see it any more or less here.. and i've not heard of anyone switching off when i mention the mister.. they have when i start talking about veganism. which reminds me...

no...
wait.. don't go..
damn it..
i knew i shouldn't have said that..

[MiSTer_Kirk]

then from the relative complexity of the mister to the fact some people want or expect a plug and play device.

You should read some of the comments on that retrocave video of the case. A lot of them genuinely are expecting some sort of plug and play system that will rival things like the mini snes/nes, etc.. I think they are in for a surprise. And also, I bet it won't be that RMC Youtube channel that gets all the newbie type questions that will come from new buyers, it will be here.

Ok, the “no change is good change” zealots can now throw stones.

I'm not going to throw stones, but what is stopping you, and all the others in this thread who want things simpler, to download the sources, and make a front-end for yourselves ?

[MostroW]

I'm not going to throw stones, but what is stopping you, and all the others in this thread who want things simpler, to download the sources, and make a front-end for yourselves ?

I've tossed that stone a few times, but it doesn't seem to respond to it.