ZETA 1.0 Review
Issues
I have quite a number of gripes with ZETA 1.0, and have had most of them since ZETA RC1, and even before that time. Most of the issues I point out are perhaps quite nit-picky but I still feel they add to the sum total that makes up the ZETA 1.0 user experience. To be thorough I am going to list them point style, and provide a short explanation and my thoughts on each.
Here we go.
- FireFox and SampleStudio are installed as using Japanese menus.
I emailed Frans van Nispen (author of SampleStudio) and he indicated yellowTAB went with an older version of SampleStudio because of time constraints, and there is most likely a Japanese language file still installed in the application folder which SampleStudio is using. Someone at yellowTAB missed removing the file before creating this 1.0 disc after creating the Japanese distribution disc, is my guess.
- No xvid, divx, mp3, or mpeg4 support with the Media Player.
This is just ridiculous. I was astonished when the Media Player application said, "unsupported format". I then downloaded VLC and they all played fine, albeit I had no sound due to other issues with my soundcard. Media Player is also quite easy to crash by dragging multiple items onto it. I think this app has potential but it needs more work.
- Deskbar bug when trying to vulcan grip an application
Deskbar locks up and must be restarted manually. I suspect this is a long-standing bug from openDeskbar code that just never got fixed. I suggest someone spend a few hours to clean up Deskbar and contribute back the changes to openDeskbar so all may benefit.
- Menu layout is still too complicated.
There are simply too many menu choices that in my opinion waste time searching for applications to run. Remove the Radio stations menu, move most of the application submenus up to the main level and make their names slightly shorter. Example: Apps, Utils, Prefs.
- Devices Preference Panel.
This one had me looking for a few minutes before finding it. Why it is out of the main preferences menu? I wanted to see my hardware when diagnosing the soundcard. Devices is a basic but core component of the system! It is not a standard application!
- Appearance Preference Panel.
Choosing an item to change its color subsequently locks the menu into showing just that menu item. Definately a repeatable event and one that should not happen in the first place.
- No Java. pjava is "installed".
I was led to believe ZETA would have Java, if eventually. I guess they're waiting for Haiku to finish the hard work.
- The setgcc utility is gone.
Nowhere to be found. Not only that, but the version of gcc installed is 2.9-beos-000224. Yes, from February 24, 2000. Pretty sad when the compiler is older than ZETA! Of course knowledgeable developers can download and compile (ha!) a more recent version, courtesy of Oliver Tappe and BeBits.
- My Cursed Soundcard! :=)
The Creative Audigy2 Platinum is detected but no sound comes out. I've found no solution other than using another soundcard. It's a shame since this is a fairly common card and works in BeOS R5.
- Software Valet.
This is a bit strange. It shows BeOS R4.5 as being installed, which is how it was in ZETA RC1 too. Software Valet is pretty much defunct nowadays but still. Weird man.
- The trialware Boom application
Why oh why is this here? It's no longer supported and should never have been included. It just makes ZETA look like a poor mans software repository.
- SoundPlay beos_mime files.
Just for kicks I searched for SoundPlay. It wasn't installed but I know it -had- been. Did someone install it on the ZETA master disc and forget to remove these files? I think so.
- Presence of Jukebox.svg file.
Yet again. It appears the ZETA 1.0 disc is a "copy" of the master distribution, one that still has remnants of previous applications. Clean it up!
- TimeZLiner application.
... is horrible, horrible software. Should be removed immediately. I can understand if this was 1985, but come on! Craptastic software. Get rid of it.
- Games folder
... take up an astounding 179 MB of space, with over 6500 files. Must I say more?
- The Installer
... is missing the screenshots of the following: BeIDE, LibPak, MeTOS, Nasm, ncurses, Pe, php401, winrc2be, StampTV (both description and screenshot missing in this case.) The people in Quality Control need more coffee.
- Font Overlap.
Several cases of font overlap on buttons and widgets throughout the entire system. I have no suggestions other than to possibly add more fonts or adjust some global kerning value. Oh wait, that requires access to the sourcecode.
- "Activation"
ZETA now requires activaton by internet (or manual phonecall) before allowing extended use. What!? If you pay for software why should you be forced to activate it. Just ridiculous.
- Logitech QuickCam Messenger Webcam.
Shows up in the USB info application but no joy. It might just be a case of the webcam driver not recognizing usb types. yellowTAB needs to make USB "just work" with any device, or it will be painful for technical support later.