Ann: New Mac P2 offload software. Beta testers needed....
- Thread starter Anders Holck
- Start date
Paul Nordin
Active member
Anders, this little program rocks! Downloaded 11 volumes off my P2 Store with just a couple of clicks, no problems. Major timesaver at the end of long shooting days.
Anders Holck
Well-known member
Ok Beta 2 is out and sent to everyone who sent me a PM.
The main feature in this release is emptying of P2 cards.
I haven't tested it with a P2 store yet, as I don't have one...But I would guess you would still have to format that independently.
Send me a PM if you did not receive this new release...
The main feature in this release is emptying of P2 cards.
I haven't tested it with a P2 store yet, as I don't have one...But I would guess you would still have to format that independently.
Send me a PM if you did not receive this new release...
tlorenzo
Well-known member
Great idea, Anders. Wish I had an HVX to test your software (maybe this is an excuse to buy one) 
. How about a setting that will automatically unload all files when you insert a P2 card and delete them on the card afterwards? Isn't that basically what the P2 Store does? A small laptop with a big harddrive and a USB2/Firewire PCMCIA reader would do the job, wouldn't it?
Tony
. How about a setting that will automatically unload all files when you insert a P2 card and delete them on the card afterwards? Isn't that basically what the P2 Store does? A small laptop with a big harddrive and a USB2/Firewire PCMCIA reader would do the job, wouldn't it?Tony
Anders Holck
Well-known member
tlorenzo said:
On the P2 store you have to mount the cards and press the start button for 2 secs. to offload
Then when done you have to eject the card, reinsert it, press the erase card button for 2 secs.and then press the start button for 2 secs to erase the card.
With my software (beta 2) you:
Insert the card and hit enter (when it is mounted) to offload.
When done hit escape to empty the card and eject it.
tlorenzo said:
A P2 card is a Cardbus device not a PCMCIA device, so you need a Cardbus slot.
There are currently no USB/Firewire cardbus readers except panasonics expesive 5 slot device.
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tlorenzo
Well-known member
Anders Holck said:
Damn - that sounds cumbersome. I guess that's what camera assistants are for ;-)
Anders Holck said:
Pretty simple. My idea was just to simplify the workflow even more - if possible. Good work, Anders!
Anders Holck said:
I see - thanks for clearing that up for me, Anders. The Cardbus interface is "just" a 32-bit version of the PCMCIA interface, right?
Tony
Anders Holck
Well-known member
The cardbus slot is a full PCI bus implementation with hotswap, that is backwards compatible with PCMCIA cards (so you can still mount PCMCIA cards in the slot). The
Anders Holck
Well-known member
Here is a screenshot of the current beta build:
Anders Holck
Well-known member
Beta 3 is away:
New autoloader mode
New splashscreen. What a nice guy
New features are:
- New Autoloader mode as suggested by mr. lorenzo. It allows you to offload P2 cards automatically. Just insert a P2 card, and P2 Genie will automatically detect, offload, empty and eject the card. Pretty neat and works great.
- Folders are now created with leading zeros. So reel "7" is now "007" when created.
- The "empty cards" drawer setting is now remembered between launches. The new autoloader mode is also sticky between launches.
New autoloader mode
New splashscreen. What a nice guy
New features are:
- New Autoloader mode as suggested by mr. lorenzo. It allows you to offload P2 cards automatically. Just insert a P2 card, and P2 Genie will automatically detect, offload, empty and eject the card. Pretty neat and works great.
- Folders are now created with leading zeros. So reel "7" is now "007" when created.
- The "empty cards" drawer setting is now remembered between launches. The new autoloader mode is also sticky between launches.
Anders Holck
Well-known member
Yes, i'm working on that. I use unix commands for the copy operation, and I think there must be a copy tool that verifies....
I use "ditto" at the moment.
I use "ditto" at the moment.
Illya Friedman
Well-known member
Anders,
I think what you're doing is awesome. This is the first fan-coded P2 mac app of which I'm aware.
What you're doing is equivalent to composing a sonnet to a true love, and will surely encourage others to adapt more innovations.
Congrats!
I.
I think what you're doing is awesome. This is the first fan-coded P2 mac app of which I'm aware.
What you're doing is equivalent to composing a sonnet to a true love, and will surely encourage others to adapt more innovations.
Congrats!
I.
filmstox
Well-known member
Anders,
Congrats on getting Genie off the ground. An idea, have you played with including multiple destinations? My workflow is to copy to two drives and having Genie do it would be wonderful!
Unfortunately I am running 10.3.9 and haven't yet tried the app but am eager to break it in.
Keep it up!
-filmstox
Congrats on getting Genie off the ground. An idea, have you played with including multiple destinations? My workflow is to copy to two drives and having Genie do it would be wonderful!
Unfortunately I am running 10.3.9 and haven't yet tried the app but am eager to break it in.
Keep it up!
-filmstox
Anders Holck
Well-known member
Yes I'm looking into multiple destinations.
The dilemma i'm facing is that there are two ways to do it:
A. The easy one: Use the code I already have and simple do the same copyoperation twice to to different destinations. Very easy to do, but it now takes 2x the amount of time before you can pull the P2 card.
B. The hard one: First copy to Destination A, then erase the card contents, eject the card, and then copy from destination A to Destination B. At first it sounds pretty easy, but what it you connect a P2 store or multiple cards. In that case I have to copy all the artitions first, keep track of the destination folders, erase and eject the originals before making a backup of the backup.
I could do the first option pretty fast as I just have to repeat the copy operation twice in my code, but the last option is best for "on set" shooting or when using the autoloader mode.
PS. Now do that upgrade!!!!
The dilemma i'm facing is that there are two ways to do it:
A. The easy one: Use the code I already have and simple do the same copyoperation twice to to different destinations. Very easy to do, but it now takes 2x the amount of time before you can pull the P2 card.
B. The hard one: First copy to Destination A, then erase the card contents, eject the card, and then copy from destination A to Destination B. At first it sounds pretty easy, but what it you connect a P2 store or multiple cards. In that case I have to copy all the artitions first, keep track of the destination folders, erase and eject the originals before making a backup of the backup.
I could do the first option pretty fast as I just have to repeat the copy operation twice in my code, but the last option is best for "on set" shooting or when using the autoloader mode.
PS. Now do that upgrade!!!!
Anders Holck
Well-known member
BTW. I'm working on a licensing scheme at the moment. The easiest way for me is to make builds that are tied to a specific machine. So you send me the machine serial number from the system profiler and I deliver the software in an email. How does that sound, that the software is locked to a specific machine?
tlorenzo
Well-known member
I guess you're right - tying the app to the machine would be a pretty straightforward way to solve the licensing problem, but that would require two licenses if the customer wants to install your app onto both a desktop machine and a laptop - and it would give you a lot of continuous support when people get new machines because they would need an updated application from you every time.
Another way to solve this issue would be to program some sort of encryption algorithm that takes the user's name and e-mail address and makes a registration key/serial that they'd enter when the program starts up for the first time. It would require you to store this information in the preferences so the user wouldn't have to enter this information every time he or she opens the application. It's not a bulletproof way to do it - but then again... there's no such thing as software that can't be cracked ;-)
Tony
Another way to solve this issue would be to program some sort of encryption algorithm that takes the user's name and e-mail address and makes a registration key/serial that they'd enter when the program starts up for the first time. It would require you to store this information in the preferences so the user wouldn't have to enter this information every time he or she opens the application. It's not a bulletproof way to do it - but then again... there's no such thing as software that can't be cracked ;-)
Tony