Crap on F-Droid - YAACC

Looking for a FOSS alternative for BubbleUPnP I hit on YAACC (https://f-droid.org/de/packages/de.yaacc/ ) new on F-Droid for some weeks.

grafik

Sounds impressive while the provided product is disillusioning. Coming with an outdated Android 4 theme the app crashes all the time, ignores settings (starting of the built-in player though it’s disabled in settings, browsing/showing audio files though they should be excluded), built-in image player doesn’t work, loading of folders and content takes days, missing of any documentation, etc.

So besides a relocation of repo site from SouceForge to GitHub and a new identity of the so called "dev" it seems that development is standing still. Already on SourceForge it was struggling with some issues (https://sourceforge.net/p/yaacc/tickets/122/) that couldn’t be solved:

Now the revival on F-Droid supposed version 2.1.x, obviously hardly tested.

I fail to see how such a crap that is a beta at its best could land there. Actually its an impertinence to offer the useless thing as an app for “end users” like announced as “Intended Audience” on the SF site and I’ m in doubt wether this stuff is an enrichment for the F-Droid repo but rather a damage for its reputation.

1 Like

I don’t think F-Droid generally does or should judge the quality of apps it publishes, unless they fail objective criteria like being free software and lacking known vulnerabilities.

I remember using YAACC in the past, and it was not ideal, but it also filled a niche that wasn’t very full at all, that of DLNA controller apps. I am not sure if better solutions abound now, but I think a dated solution is still better than no solution.

If the app is not actively being maintained, and you would like to pick it up and improve it, I think that even if the original authors don’t want to take improvements (though they seem to indicate otherwise), F-Droid would be glad to accept a fork.

4 Likes

@critdroid , I see we have a volunteer, right? “Talk is cheap, show me your code” (LT). Want to improve the app?

If you CAN NOT then at least file a descent problem report at issue tracker. AFAIK the project is NOT abandoned and developer would help. At don’t operate with “assumptions”, ask first.

1 Like

I couldn’t figure how it works either, it sees local LAN media receivers…

No issue with the looks though, Material design would be nice but whatever.

/LE: couldn’t

Sad to see this one slipped through the cracks. Unfortunately, reviewing every app mentioned in twif is not an option and this author doesn’t have the time to do a background check on every app. It’s a lot more work than you might think, and we need more volunteers.

1 Like

I don’t think F-Droid generally does or should judge the quality of apps it publishe

I agree

@critdroid Please report this upstream, F-Droid builds the app as the dev programmed it, good, bad, nice, ugly…

I could not agree less. Since it is the only FOSS app for its specific task, it very well deserves to be on F-Droid. Even if only to show to potential developers, what it’s still missing.

Since you are talking about carp, I recommend this article about FOSS being a public toilet. You should not just set fire to a dirty toilet but find someone to clean it or clean it yourself.
As mentioned before, you can speed up the improvement of the app by e.g. submitting bug reports.

4 Likes

I have been using YAACC for at least 2 years and I have to agree that it is ugly, slow and prone to crashes and freezes. But you know what? I am grateful for the app. It is the only one offering this functionality, there used to be DroidUPNP (or DroidDLNA?) but that seems to have gone away.
The author has opened issues, responded to issues and committed code within the last 5 days. He has a branch that loads items asynchronously and he opened a bug about a design and UI update. So, I would say it is worthwhile to have it, and perhaps encourage the Dev rather than dismissing his efforts.
Upnp/DLNA servers are a tricky thing with subtle (and not so subtle) bugs and differences in behavior so that problems are bound to happen. I for my part am happy that somebody picked up on the development of this thing again (after a long hiatus).

4 Likes

The app promises things in its description it cannot fulfill. That’s a fact not an assumption.

Of course, it is in general honorable to work on FOSS projects and in particular on a field where apparently nobody is engaged anymore and all for free. No question.

It wouldn’t have been an issue if this app had been tagged as an unstable work-in-progress requesting contribution and asking for indulgence. But what we see instead is blatant advertising, while pretension and reality are light-years apart. This is unfair.

App descriptions are the only way to choose an app since there is no system of user comments, voting, rating available. Then I expect a certain honesty in handling with users just here on F-Droid that claims to be the better way setting a high value on quality and relevant information.
This is the point that I’m really annoyed about, therefore my broadside, nothing else.

Btw a dated UI is really the least I would complain when functionality is given.
And NO, I cannot fork it, I don’t have the capabilities. I’m just a stupid consumer.
Finally YES, I sent my bug reports hoping for improvement. We’ll see how it’s going on.

@critdroid Agreed. Do you think you could write a more accurate description for the app?

(I don’t use this app and don’t have any UPNP/DLNA devices, so wouldn’t know where to begin.)

1 Like

Why should I do that? Most of the issues (I have with the app) are mentioned in the OT.
I own two devices, both dated, rooted, running LOS 14, showing the same behaviour when running the app. But I’m far away from being representative. Even if I doubt, possibly the app is great on other devices or systems.
And one of the first and several times affirmed argument in this thread was that F-Droid should not judge apps regardless how elaborated they are or not.
So, what for a review?

If you don’t do it, who will?

It seems nobody here can do something with your complaint, so it’s just going to waste away. I encourage you to take this up with the app’s new and active developer.

This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.