kJams Web Server

[Nik]

1) Doesn't work on my iphone

As noted on the wiki, unfortunately, we don't have iPhone support at the moment. Mobile Safari doesn't include a couple javascript functions related to the mouse (for obvious reasons)... but an iPhone-specific interface is definitely on the list

2) Singers song selections start at 0 rather than 1, not a big issue but can give the impression of singing 1 less then is obvious

On the list as well; it's a super-minor correction. Expect the fix soon.

3) When a singer changes their order it doesn't appear to change on the KJ Rotation

Hey, you're right... thanks for the heads up.

[Nik]

I've got about 364 singers at the venue, but I've only put passwords in for two them

Right now, kJams won't send playlists (which includes the list of singers) with more than 200 items to the browser (this limitation will be removed in the future). If you only have two passwords set though, it shouldn't be a problem. We'll look into this.

[Paul]

Thanks for your responses Nik, you're definatley complimenting Dave's style and feedback. Regarding the iphone, i am glad it's on the list, I did a straw poll at my gig last night and more than half my singers have iphones.

Keep up the brilliant work

Paul

[lenskaraoke]

obviously a singer can only log into the current venue.

If I want singers to be able to organize their list and they can only log into a venue thats open on my laptop I can see that as a problem for singers when their venue isn't open.
Singers Would, I think like to log in to check a track even on a night when they won't be singing. Would it be possible to make it so that they can choose to open their venue. The ability to lock the venue would be needed to stop venues changing when the venue is being worked at

[dave]

so wait a second. this only makes sense if you're putting your kJams on a public web server, for anyone to access at any time from any location (their home for instance). Is that what you're doing?

Otherwise, if a Singer comes to a physical Venue, then their kJams singer user should be put into or aliased into that kJams Venue. So there will never BE a situation where a singer is trying to log into a DIFFERENT venue than the one that is currently selected in kJams.

[Sedge]

so wait a second. this only makes sense if you're putting your kJams on a public web server, for anyone to access at any time from any location (their home for instance).

Funny, I was just having a conversation about this very idea with a friend of mine, coincidentally named Dave. He thought that would be a great idea, were there a way to sync up your library and playlists XML or however its currently stored on a web server, and allow singers to make modifications to their lists before coming in to sing for the evening (as in earlier in the week, or whatever)

I attempted to explain that most of that would be pretty easy, conceptually, and perhaps even easier still were most of it to be re-written in SQL. He seemed to think it would be rather simple, yet, like an afternoon's work. I then told him to get in contact with you.

The only huge issue I see (and it's not really huge) is getting the playlist edits synced back to the server machine (the one that kJams is actually running on, with the music and whatnot) in a reasonable fashion, and having something on the web side that indicates that no further edits to tonight's lists will be reflected in the rotations.

In a related small stroke of brilliance, my friend Dave also thought it would be a great idea to write (part of) the web side of this as some kind of MySpace/Facebook app. (Most of my regulars use these services, etc)

Here's my kludgy take on the model for this somewhat distributed computing kind of idea.
<blockquote>
Website <===> SQL SERVER <===> MySpace App
||
||
Consoles <===> Kjams on Laptop <===> iPhone
||
||
Data Store (hard drive, ext. hd, NAS device, whatever
</blockquote>
(== meh - vertical lines go down the center, connecting SQL, kJams, Data)

The idea being that while connected to the SQL/web server, the actual control of kJams could be done via the web interface. If this connection is unavailable (no internet in the actual venue), control shifts to the kJams machine, and uses its most recent copy of the SQL database to function. Of course, that DB would be updated by iPhone or network consoles in the venue, and the next sync with the web SQL server could be a bit delicate. However, this model would allow for a lot of different kinds of setups, depending on the physical infrastructure available to the KJ.

I know that it might look like I'm trying to rewrite your perfectly good piece of genius, but I'm really just brainstorming a bit. Baby steps - I have a domain parked and waiting for just such a venture.

>>Sedge

[dave]

i have no idea why you're getting so complicated. everything already works. what is it you're trying to accomplish that kJams doesn't already do?

the only thing missing is allowing a singer to log into a venue that the KJ is not currently at, and you haven't made a case that this is really what you want.

besides that i just totally don't see the point of what you're saying. the server already works. Singer logs in and sets their lists, and it IS reflected in the kJams on the laptop.

[lenskaraoke]

I did think that putting kjams on a public server would the ultimate goal here, so that any singer could log in from anywhere. I've asked some singers what they think, and they all think it would be a fabulous move.
My laptop is nearly always connected on the net as we speak but I suppose I could tell singers that they are allocated a day when their venue is open

[dave]

no, the feature request would be: allow singers to log in regardless of venue. that's not hard.

[Sedge]

i have no idea why you're getting so complicated. everything already works. what is it you're trying to accomplish that kJams doesn't already do?

Step back for a second - it's not about what kJams can do - right now it does a *very* good job at both playing karaoke tracks, and singer management.

My brainstorm was jumping off the deep end of another comment about logging into whichever venue - and you asked why would you ever want to do that?

I'm looking at making kJams the center of a bigger enterprise. A singer can go to the MySpace page of the bar, log in and adjust their playlists on Saturday afternoon. Then, they show up Saturday evening at the bar, I note they have arrived, and they sing from the playlist they created earlier that day (or week). While at the bar, they can make further changes to their playlists via a console or iPhone, or perhaps even while browsing MySpace on their blackberry. The next day, they wake up a bit hungover, and can look at the history of what they sang on MySpace.

(I'm unfairly using MySpace as an example here - were it my preference, it would be Facebook)

[Nik]

If I understand your idea correctly, you're thought is to take the basic functionality of the current kJams web server, combine it with an events calender, and make it so that it can be run on a dedicated server (which you could sync with your laptop) so that people could use it when your laptop isn't on the 'net.

Does that sound right?

[Sedge]

Yes, I suppose that would be right. Perhaps even to the point that if the laptop is online, the kJams program could be controlled (at least as far as playlist editing goes, perhaps even further) from the dedicated server through a web interface.

I'm not sure how necessary an events calendar would be - although it would be nice - perhaps something as simple as a "Next time" playlist, which technically is already what the "Tonight" list is.

The changes to kJams itself would likely be minor, with the possible (and perhaps not necessary) port into SQL being an exception. Most everything on the control side is already there - even "remote" control.

[lenskaraoke]

If I understand your idea correctly, you're thought is to take the basic functionality of the current kJams web server, combine it with an events calender, and make it so that it can be run on a dedicated server (which you could sync with your laptop) so that people could use it when your laptop isn't on the 'net.

Does that sound right?

That sounds cool Nik and would be a great feature, I suppose it depends how much it might cost and how easy it might be to set up, but in the meantime I would be happy to be connected to the net via my laptop or some other means and sync the laptop before going to work

[Nik]

Perhaps even to the point that if the laptop is online, the kJams program could be controlled (at least as far as playlist editing goes, perhaps even further) from the dedicated server through a web interface.

As far as this goes, the kJams web server does this today

[Nik]

That sounds cool Nik and would be a great feature, I suppose it depends how much it might cost and how easy it might be to set up, but in the meantime I would be happy to be connected to the net via my laptop or some other means and sync the laptop before going to work

The final say on such things, of course, is up to Dave. I think it's safe to say though that it would be a far-off goal at this point. Gotta get what we have goin' finished, debugged, and polished first