Why are we in beta hell here?

[mightyt]

Gee ... (tongue in cheek) I miss the ol'2.x days where things were stable and all people talked about was; "Where is that new version with Studio they promised us?" ... yes … day after day, week after week, month after month ...

Now we have 4.x, yep with Studio ... Yippie!!! I'm personally happy to have it and love all the new imports coming out because of it ...

But, I guess this also validates the old saying ... be careful what you wish for ...

Hey ... With all the hardware problems I've had (and I really did try so hard to blame Sage) ... I'm ecstatic to have been stable the whole day now!!! You see, it's all relative ...

I also agree with others here about the realities of all software and hardware ... I even tried running Sage over XP MCE and found that I couldn't even get basic drivers to work that worked in XP Pro! So … SW / HW ... this is what it's all about ... Frustrating at times, yep ... I just step away, blow off some steam ... and then can't resist and go right back until I conquer the problem (many times with the help of right folks here) ...

Bottom-line ... if I didn't like geekdom, I would get a Tivo ... and live with the limitations there as well ...

And I do agree with the flip side ... All my neverending tweaking can get on my family's neurves ... But I can do that well with other things also ...

......... So, moving along … Nielm ... got my fix for IMDB ? Hmmmmm?

[Dekard]

Originally Posted by mightyt

Gee ... (tongue in cheek) I miss the ol'2.x days where things were stable and all people talked about was; "Where is that new version with Studio they promised us?" ... yes … day after day, week after week, month after month ...

Now we have 4.x, yep with Studio ... Yippie!!! I'm personally happy to have it and love all the new imports coming out because of it ...

But, I guess this also validates the old saying ... be careful what you wish for ...

Hey ... With all the hardware problems I've had (and I really did try so hard to blame Sage) ... I'm ecstatic to have been stable the whole day now!!! You see, it's all relative ...

I also agree with others here about the realities of all software and hardware ... I even tried running Sage over XP MCE and found that I couldn't even get basic drivers to work that worked in XP Pro! So … SW / HW ... this is what it's all about ... Frustrating at times, yep ... I just step away, blow off some steam ... and then can't resist and go right back until I conquer the problem (many times with the help of right folks here) ...

Bottom-line ... if I didn't like geekdom, I would get a Tivo ... and live with the limitations there as well ...

And I do agree with the flip side ... All my neverending tweaking can get on my family's neurves ... But I can do that well with other things also ...

......... So, moving along … Nielm ... got my fix for IMDB ? Hmmmmm?

Well, as last words go, this one isn't too bad.

Peace, out....







(mods, lock this one, pls...

[aperry]

I don't think there's any need to lock the thread. It'll just drop down as time goes by, assuming folks like me stop posting in it...

[zz5]

Yeah, I hope this thread doesn't get shut down. I just started reading it. I hope it still has some life left in it. As far as I know, the Beta discussion still hasn't been resolved. Let's just let it wind down of its own volition.

[Narflex]

Dekard,

I don't see what you're complaining about. You've submitted a support request on Thursday related to a DNS issue setting up a NEW system. In that message you acknowledge that you're old system had hardware problems.

So...if the first Linux system you tried to setup didn't work right because of hardware problems you had and the second system isn't even setup yet...why do you think there is any validity to the points you're trying to make?

You also acknowledge you're a Linux noobie and the new system you're trying to set it up on is a dual processor PIII. Not standard hardware by any means.

Thanks to all of our users who are helpful with the issues they have. Let the truth be told.

[fastoy]

Originally Posted by sleonard

No one is twisting your arm and forcing you to use beta versions. Just because the company releases the betas for those here that are willing to install and test them doesn't mean you have to d/l and install them. It's your choice, simple as that.

If you are thinking of the reply that the latest beta has a neat new feature that you want or need then, well, wait till that neat new feature makes release status.

I had been running for 18+ months on V2.x with no problems (other than the persistent PVR-350 end of file problems).
Late in 2005, I upgraded to 4.0. All seemed well until I realized that SageTV wasn't honoring the system default resolution on some of my favorites. I opened a support issue with Sage and got this response:

Ben,

I want you to upgrade to the current beta since many things have been fixed
since 4.0's release.

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15809

Let me know if it still happens.

Thanks,

George Oms
SageTV, LLC
support@sagetv.com
http://www.sagetv.com/

I upgraded to V4.1.6. SageTV has run fine for me since but it didn't fix my problem.

[Dekard]

Originally Posted by Narflex

Dekard,

I don't see what you're complaining about. You've submitted a support request on Thursday related to a DNS issue setting up a NEW system. In that message you acknowledge that you're old system had hardware problems.

So...if the first Linux system you tried to setup didn't work right because of hardware problems you had and the second system isn't even setup yet...why do you think there is any validity to the points you're trying to make?

You also acknowledge you're a Linux noobie and the new system you're trying to set it up on is a dual processor PIII. Not standard hardware by any means.

Thanks to all of our users who are helpful with the issues they have. Let the truth be told.

I wish it was that simple. How about the fact that dvd playback is still broken on my primary client? EPG data that would download on my last install with no changes to the router now won't download unless I swap the router out? Activation that worked under the previous router\install doesn't work under the same router with a new install? How about the countless posts on here from other users complaining about 4.x being significantly less stable?

I suppose if I was the CTO I'd be able to casually dismiss customer's complaints like this. Never mind then.

ps: Narflex, in case you don't buy this, I'll just let the truth be told be the post under yours. Seems he's also having 4.x problems.

[dbfresh23]

Dekard, I agree with you. This thread has worn out it's usefulness, it seems to have just become you bashing SageTV.

If you truely are a Linux noobie then you really shouldn't be messing around with an advanced thing like a PVR app - or at least complaining about it when you can't get it working right. Nobody ever said that Linux was easy, certainly not like Windows. If you don't know the Linux command line I think you'll find this to be a very fruitless adventure.

I did notice another thread that you started in the linux forum about moving SageTV to another distro, are you still trying to do this or are you just trying to get their ISO working?

[Dekard]

Originally Posted by dbfresh23

Dekard, I agree with you. This thread has worn out it's usefulness, it seems to have just become you bashing SageTV.

If you truely are a Linux noobie then you really shouldn't be messing around with an advanced thing like a PVR app - or at least complaining about it when you can't get it working right. Nobody ever said that Linux was easy, certainly not like Windows. If you don't know the Linux command line I think you'll find this to be a very fruitless adventure.

I did notice another thread that you started in the linux forum about moving SageTV to another distro, are you still trying to do this or are you just trying to get their ISO working?

I should have clarified this earlier, in my last post I listed a number of problems I and others are having. None of them are related to the linux server. I've beaten those issues. What I listed are my current issues and I referred to others issues as well.

[Dekard]

Originally Posted by dbfresh23

I did notice another thread that you started in the linux forum about moving SageTV to another distro, are you still trying to do this or are you just trying to get their ISO working?

No, after the responses I got I decided to simply setup another system for my PVR server. That's running the ISO from Sage currently.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by Dekard

I wish it was that simple. How about the fact that dvd playback is still broken on my primary client?

I didn't think DVD playback was supported (officially) at all on linux (since there are no "legal" CSS decoders on linux).

[Dekard]

Originally Posted by stanger89

I didn't think DVD playback was supported (officially) at all on linux (since there are no "legal" CSS decoders on linux).

Again, I'm talking about dvd decoding on the windows platform.

[Bohica]

Originally Posted by Bohica

You know -- I have a fairly complex installation -- with ~ 7 clients, and a fairly large server. It was stable for more than a year on sage 2.x. I did not play in the version 3 beta. I decided I did not want to use a 'production' setup -- if you will -- for beta testing. So I waited for the official release. Sucker. Now I occasionally miss airings because of spinning sage icons, have had to reload sage server FAR more than I have ever had to in the past, and am waiting for the next beta release to see if it improves HD playback and other bugs. WAF quotient is raising by the day. With every new beta release -- I have to run around the house like some wacko helpdesk engineer upgrading clients.... sort of upsetting...

Wierd to quote your own post -- but haven't been on the forum since I fired this little tidbit off a couple of days ago. I really did not mean to bash SageTV -- it is one of my hobbies and I really do like the company and the software. I actually dont think my original post comes off like I am bashing -- more just pointing out that I was opted in to the beta program because of some stability issues... meaning once I was up and running on 4.0 for a week or two -- regression was not an option. Did not mean to start some bash sage thread -- just point out that I (like I am sure MANY people on the forums) are now installing betas for stability other reasons when before we may have chosen not to. Caio.

[Crashless]

Dekard, you still haven't given very many details.

You haven't posted anywhere about your DVD playback problem.

Your epg/activation issues sound h/w related by your own description of having to switch routers.

Countless posts on here from other users complaining about 4.x being significantly less stable? Hardly. Check out SnapStream's forums:

http://forums.snapstream.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=5

Doesn't that look like fun? No! It looks like Hell. That's what a forum dedicated to unstable software looks like. Sage's forums don't have anywhere near the number of technical problem related posts. Most the ones around here are "I want to do this extra cool thing, help me."

I think you need to take a step back and survey your issues, then come back here, start some new threads, submit some support requests, then have a beer.

PS. In case you ask, no, I really don't have any issues with my system. Just to give you an idea, it's currently running:

3 tuners
1.5tb storage
Web server
ORB
JRMC server
NOIP
SageTV
MVP (sage client)

and I still only have to reboot the 2nd tuesday of every month to patch the thing. So don't give me this crap about 4.x being unstable. If it were Sage's code that was at fault, I wouldn't be able to do this. Something else is going on with your system, and it's just a matter of troubleshooting.

Good day.

PPS, look at me, I have a new title! Sage Fanatic sounds about right, especially after re-reading the post I just made.

[ToxMox]

FWIW every single release and beta I've tried of Sage since and including 1.4 has been amazingly stable. Only times I ever had problems always turned out to be faulty or failing hardware. I'm running a server with around 1TB of storage and 6 tuners and up to 2 clients.

[samgreco]

I have to jump in here to say that I have been running Sage since mid 2004. I have NEVER had to reboot my server because of Sage. I had a hard drive go weird on me. That's the only time I've had problems.

I rebuilt the system 6 months ago because I wanted to clean it up because of problems I was having with other software. I transferred Sage "whole" and it picked up where it left off. I didn't loose a favorite, watched data or a show.

Not bad.

So I agree with Crashless. I can't beleive that there is anything inherently wrong with the code.

[cmaffia]

I have experienced some very minor problems with Sage but HARDLY enough to call unstable. Sage rules.

Originally Posted by samgreco

I have to jump in here to say that I have been running Sage since mid 2004. I have NEVER had to reboot my server because of Sage. I had a hard drive go weird on me. That's the only time I've had problems.

I rebuilt the system 6 months ago because I wanted to clean it up because of problems I was having with other software. I transferred Sage "whole" and it picked up where it left off. I didn't loose a favorite, watched data or a show.

Not bad.

So I agree with Crashless. I can't beleive that there is anything inherently wrong with the code.