mplayer vs. xine

[Eric S. Raymond]

seth vidal <skvidal at phy.duke.edu>:
> It's funny, I've never liked the default xine or mplayer skins b/c I can
> never figure out what the damn buttons do.

<rant>

I like xine, but not for its UI.  My previous gripe about not playing
well with 100dpi displays was only the beginning of my discontent
with it.

The default xine front end is a classic case of bad design, an
interface that is all glossy surfaces and no substance.  It's cramped,
cluttered, chronically difficult to understand, and subordinates every
usability consideration to the purely visual objective of looking like
a piece of glossy stereo equipment.

*ptui*

I grant that it's an attempt to be "friendly" for the non-technical user,
but it's a clumsy, hamfisted, *stupid* attempt.  Not anything to be emulated.

</rant>
-- 
		<a href="http://www.catb.org/~esr/">Eric S. Raymond</a>