XMMS2

XMMS2 (X-plateform Music Multiplexing System 2) is a new generation of the audio Lecteur free XMMS. The software was re-coded since zero. Peter Alm, among the first authors of XMMS, was responsible for the initial development of XMMS2 (at the end of 2002 until the beginning of 2003), but since it gave the responsibility for the project to Tobias Rundström and Anders Gustafsson.

Concept

XMMS2 follows the principal concepts of XMMS, for example, a graphic Environnement personnalisable, a management of the lists of reading, plugins, and adds functionalities which appeared in the multimedia players in 2001 - 2002, namely: a reader based on a model Customer waiter, and a multi-media management of the libraries.

Control reading

Functionalities common to all the readers: reading, pause, following, preceding, etc…

Lists of readings

Very traditional also, XMMS2 supports the management of the lists of reading: several files or flows can be put after. The reading of its flows can be sequential, random, or repetitive.

Extensions

XMMS2 has a modular architecture what makes possible the development of plugins, leaving the responsibility for certain functions to modules located in dynamic Bibliothèque. XMMS supports several types of plugins:

Plugins of entry, for the decoding of the music files and of their format (for example: OGG or MP3);
Plugins of exit, to handle the sound exits (for example ALSA and OSE, under Linux);
Plugins which adds effects to the music before she is played;
Plugins which makes it possible to graphically visualize the played music;
Plugins generals who bring various functionalities such as for example the control of the reader by a joystick;
Plugins which ensures the reception of distant flows;
Plugins which manages the lists of reading.

Configurable graphic environment

The majority of the current readers multi-media support the configuration of their interface by the user, by using topics. That makes it possible to improve appearance of the software.

Multi-media library

One of the major functionality which appeared in the recent readers is the multi-media management of library (for example in Winamp or Amarok). That makes it possible the software to remember the site of the media of the user. The implementation varies according to the readers but the majority use Database. XMMS2 uses SQLite for this treatment.

Model client/server

Rather rare concept in the current readers, his most popular implementation is MPD. It consists of the creation of a waiter which is given the responsability to open and to read the audio streams while the customers deal with the part user interfaceuser interface. The most obvious advantage of such a concept is the modularity.

Design

At the beginning, XMMS2 was judicious to only be a library ensuring the decoding and the reading of audio streams. XMMS2 would then have left the part interfaces with other software. This concept was generalized in model client/server. The main advantages are:

That allows several customers to control the same authority of XMMS2 (demon)
a multitude of customers is possible.
the developers of customers do not have to be concerned with reading of flow any more, they can thus concentrate on the interface.
the use of sockets TCP makes it possible to control remote XMMS2.

Moreover, the multi-media library is very well integrated with the list of reading: each file or flow added to the list of reading is automatically put out of mask in the library, its metadata are safeguarded in the library. In addition to the metadata, the library makes it possible to charge and safeguard quickly lists of readings, allowing the rapid access with all the collection of the user.

XMMS2 and other projects

The name XMMS2 was chosen by Peter Alm and Tobias Rundström when they began the project. However other projects used already this name before the first version of XMMS2 did not leave:

Another project, named XMMS2, by Mohammed Sameer was described like a " port GTK2 of very known XMMS". The project was not continued and was removed of savannah.nongnu.org.
a more known port GTK2 of XMMS is the Beep Media Player which is some time evoked (wrongly) like " XMMS2" .

Notes and references of the article

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