I started work on the jukebox in May 2004 and it was fully operational by August 2004. Since then it has been gradually improved.
This site was launched in February 2005. Every now and then I update the site to reflect recent improvements. Updates so far are as follows:
Many improvements, some major and some minor, have been made.
The improvements listed above can all be seen and explored in the Remote Control simulator. To start the simulator in a new window, so that you can easily refer back to the list, click here.
Also (not visible in the simulator):
The Jukebox running in the Firefox browser, showing the watermark, selective scrolling, and music symbolsThis site has been given a new look. I hope you like it. If the site doesn't look right to you, it might be a compatibility problem with your browser. I'd like to hear about it — please e-mail me.
The main remote control is now a Psion Netbook Pro instead of a Mobinote (see The Minimal Jukebox: Remote Control). I've had to redesign the screen layouts to cater for landscape format rather than portrait. At the same time I've improved the overall appearance and cross-browser compatibility.Other improvements include:
The improvements listed above can all be seen and explored in the Remote Control simulator. To start the simulator in a new window, so that you can easily refer back to the list, click here.
Also (not visible in the simulator, but illustrated below):
Confirmation message displayed when 'Play Now' is clickedBoth remote controls are now Psion Netbook Pro instead of Mobinote (see The Minimal Jukebox: Remote Control).
Other improvements include:
The KAT5 distribution units have been replaced with CAT5 Blaster QC units, which have the advantage of not needing power supplies.
I've added Monitor Screens to show the details of the track currently playing in large letters so that they can be read throughout the room.
The "Newcomers" tab now has a "covers" view as well as a list view. You can it in the Remote Control Simulator.
No changes to the jukebox itself, but I've been taking a good look at SlimServer, and that caused me to rewrite the Jukebox Lite page.
The arrival of the Asus eee PC on the market earlier this year is very welcome news. This looks to me like the perfect platform to replace the Psion Netbook Pro as a remote control. The eee PC and other similar "netbooks" that have appeared on the scene are cheap and easily obtained. They are also much faster than the Psion, have a "proper" operating system, and have higher resolution (1024x600) displays. The only thing I haven't found (yet) is one with a touch-screen display.
The software that I use for the Psion works perfectly on the eee PC. However I'm rewriting the user interface to take advantage of the improved screen resolution and the experience gained using the existing software. Life is busy at the moment so I don't expect the rewrite to be finished for a while yet, but here's a preview:
Snapshot of the new remote control display