Difference between revisions of "Windows/Console"

Jump to navigation Jump to search
524 bytes added ,  15:24, 25 October 2010
→‎Pros (Arguments For Hiding The Console Window): Differentiate between arguments for hiding the console, and for logging.
(→‎Pros (Arguments For Hiding The Console Window): Differentiate between arguments for hiding the console, and for logging.)
Line 16: Line 16:
Independently of how this is resolved, log files should be introduced, which could be erased (or rotated) every time ScummVM starts. Console messages which the user really should see should be modified to use other means (this is also important for the many ports that have no way to show a DOS console). Typically by showing a GUI dialog. For the specific case of unknown MD5 checksums, we ideally would even have a "Submit feeback" dialog which could semi-automate submissions of unknown checksums (e.g. by sending an email, or opening a pre-filled email in the user's email client, etc.), at least on desktop operating systems.
Independently of how this is resolved, log files should be introduced, which could be erased (or rotated) every time ScummVM starts. Console messages which the user really should see should be modified to use other means (this is also important for the many ports that have no way to show a DOS console). Typically by showing a GUI dialog. For the specific case of unknown MD5 checksums, we ideally would even have a "Submit feeback" dialog which could semi-automate submissions of unknown checksums (e.g. by sending an email, or opening a pre-filled email in the user's email client, etc.), at least on desktop operating systems.


== Pros (Arguments For Hiding The Console Window) ==
== Pros (Arguments for "Hiding The Console Window) ==


* Most Windows applications do not display a console window.
* Most Windows applications do not display a console window. It is hence confusing for users.
* Unknown games can be reported with a nice popup GUI window, and the game checksums in question can be exported to a file, which the user can copy and paste to a bug report
* Many users requested this over the years
: My guess in fact is that many more want this than have reported it, simply because the threshold to reporting this nuisance is relatively high. --[[User:Fingolfin|Fingolfin]] 15:24, 25 October 2010 (UTC)
* No vital or important messages for the user should be displayed on the console alone anyway; if the user needs to know about something, we must show this via e.g. a GUI dialog or an overlay message. Hence there should be no need to show it by default (any cases where important information is only visible on the console are BUGS and should be reported and fixed).
 
== Pros (Arguments for logging to a file) ==
 
* Users need to restart ScummVM, to get more feedback, when bugs or issues occur and they haven't copied/pasted the relevant information from the console, and might not even be able to reproduce the bug/issue.
* Sometimes, when ScummVM crashes unexpectedly, the program exits completely, and the user loses the error in question. This doesn't happen with a log file.
* Sometimes, when ScummVM crashes unexpectedly, the program exits completely, and the user loses the error in question. This doesn't happen with a log file.
* Users need to restart ScummVM, to get more feedback, when bugs or issues occur and they haven't copied/pasted the relevant information from the console, and might not even be able to reproduce the bug/issue.


== Cons (Arguments Against Hiding The Console Window ==
== Cons (Arguments Against Hiding The Console Window ==
1,079

edits

Navigation menu