[Soulstorm]

I have decided to rewrite the whole Launcher on a new code base. So far, I have implemented only the basic functionality, but this time, the source is so clear that the whole process of updating/maintaining/adding things will be MUCH easier.

The GUI will also be something new, making it easier to search arguments based on their functionality.

So, I would like to hear from the people who used the old Launcher what features would they like to see implemented. What were your problems with the old Launcher, and what do you think it was missing?

EDIT: Also, I have something to ask about additional command line arguments. The FS2_Open application has a flag file that contains only most of the options available for FS2_Open. I take the rest of them are those found here under the "Others" category? I was thinking of including those arguments in the Launcher. Are they included in the Windows Launcher as well? Or the Launcher forses you to enter them manually as custom arguments? What would you like to see in FS2_Launcher 4?

[Sushi]

I have decided to rewrite the whole Launcher on a new code base. So far, I have implemented only the basic functionality, but this time, the source is so clear that the whole process of updating/maintaining/adding things will be MUCH easier.

The GUI will also be something new, making it easier to search arguments based on their functionality.

So, I would like to hear from the people who used the old Launcher what features would they like to see implemented. What were your problems with the old Launcher, and what do you think it was missing?

If you're going to redo the old launcher, make it cross-platform.

And aren't there already about 4 launcher projects?

[Soulstorm]

If you're going to redo the old launcher, make it cross-platform.

And aren't there already about 4 launcher projects?

Aren't there already 2 cross-platform projects on the Launcher? I thought about doing it cross-platform, but my experience with Qt is minimal, and I also wanted to be able to use some technologies that are platform specific.

In addition, there are other people messing with cross-platforming on the Launcher. Trying to reinvent the wheel and competing with them instead of helping while not having something better to show in terms of usability would be something... "unethical", don't you think?

I will mess with Qt and cross-platform frameworks at some point. I just don't have the time to learn an entirely new framework from the ground up.

[Sushi]

If you're going to redo the old launcher, make it cross-platform.

And aren't there already about 4 launcher projects?

Aren't there already 2 cross-platform projects on the Launcher?

Yeah, I realized that after I posted. My bad.

Still, it does leave me wondering... since there is one native windows launcher and 2+ cross-platform projects, why are you starting yet another one? Just curious why you want to start from scratch instead of contributing to one of the other launcher projects... less work for everyone, greater likelihood of a superior product in the end.

[Mongoose]

From a non-coder end-user standpoint, I've kind of been left wondering why everyone working on these separate launcher projects hasn't attempted to combine resources and create One Launcher to Rule Them All, so to speak, so that we can direct anyone on any platform to one single resource.  It'd probably wind up being less work for everyone in the long run.

[Soulstorm]

Yeah, I realized that after I posted. My bad.

Still, it does leave me wondering... since there is one native windows launcher and 2+ cross-platform projects, why are you starting yet another one? Just curious why you want to start from scratch instead of contributing to one of the other launcher projects... less work for everyone, greater likelihood of a superior product in the end.

Although you are perfectly right, the other projects want the Qt framework, which I haven't got the time to learn right now from the ground up. I would like to get involved, though. Very much.

Oh, and I am not starting another one, I am just gathering requests to make a Launcher that will replace the native one.

So your posts leave me thinking... Perhaps it would be best to ask the others to let me in in order to make the OS X part of their Launcher. In any case, I would like to have more feature requests in here.

[Iss Mneur]

From a non-coder end-user standpoint, I've kind of been left wondering why everyone working on these separate launcher projects hasn't attempted to combine resources and create One Launcher to Rule Them All, so to speak, so that we can direct anyone on any platform to one single resource.  It'd probably wind up being less work for everyone in the long run.

The multi-platform launcher issue has been discussed recently in this badly off-topic thread <http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=65567.0>.  In summary Goober5000 is working on cleaning up/porting the installer and the win32 launcher so that they both run on all platforms.  There is also a plan (which I am not sure has actually gone anywhere, because the OP of the thread has not responded yet) to make a "basic, polished, and shiny" launcher for all platforms as well.

Regarding GUI toolkit I think the consensus is to use wxWidgets for all SCP related tools because that is what the rest of the tools are in and there are no dlls required because of the license, unlike for QT (see the wxFred discussion <http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=63215.msg1297617#msg1297617>).or may be not.

EDIT: Grammar and italicized comment.

[Goober5000]

Although you are perfectly right, the other projects want the Qt framework, which I haven't got the time to learn right now from the ground up. I would like to get involved, though. Very much.

Not me; I'm cleaning up the standard launcher and will eventually hand it to portej05 to manage the wxWidgets-ification.  You're welcome to help out, but I must warn you that I hadn't planned on anyone else joining in just yet and therefore the code is a bit of a mess.