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Topic: 'standalone' ocx control (Read 1670 times) |
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madMixx
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MIDI-OX Rules! <- no need to change default text..
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'standalone' ocx control
« on: Sep 17th, 2002, 12:41am » |
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Dear Jamie & Jerry,
first off I got to tell you that your program is absolutely excellent for its purposes and truly unique in its functionality.  I started using it as mapping utility, but with later versions I got into the com programing interface, where its usefulness is expanding once again.
Now, as I wrote my own little sysex dump utility which communicates with the e-mu sp-12 drummachine in its pre-sds sysex commands to send and receive bank dumps (it is actually about 10 times faster than floppy, still taking about one and a half minutes..  ) i found that your com interface support is the only available smart solution for programing midi in vb.
I took notice that there is no commercial (no share-/freeware either) midi control available. As everything which would be needed is already implemented in your program it would just mean a 'slim' version without the gui which could be used as a control from development solutions. To my knowledge you would be the only softwarecompany offering such a product. (I searched for alternatives for about two weeks..)
If licenses for distribution of midi-ox control could be obtained in reasonable small volumes or even on a single license basis per sold software unit which uses the control there would be great demand for such a control in my oppinion.
Thanks for taking the time to read trough the suggestions.
And please excuse my awful english 
Best Regards,
chris
btw. you can view a screenshot of my app under http://www.beatotakus.com/projects/sp120/img/screenshot02.jpg
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Jamie OConnell
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Re: 'standalone' ocx control
« Reply #1 on: Sep 17th, 2002, 2:18am » |
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One of the problems with doing a MIDI COM server as an OCX or DLL is that they are just dead code -- there is no active process running in them. This means that there would have to be a very different architecture and API designed, and the COM component couldn't be more than a wrapper around the existing Multimedia API's (which are also implemented as DLL's). A DLL cannot really own resources such as MIDI devices, so the caller would have to hold onto the devices.
It could be done, but would require redesigning from the ground up.
Very slick looking app you have there! Nice Job.
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--Jamie
Music is its own reward.
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madMixx
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MIDI-OX Rules! <- no need to change default text..
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Re: 'standalone' ocx control
« Reply #2 on: Sep 17th, 2002, 1:30pm » |
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Thx for replying so quickly!
A sort of Midi 'wrapper' w/ Com interface seems to be what i'm looking for, since there are no midi controls available from softwarepublishers. DX8.1 sdk is also crap when it comes to 'real' midi. (afaik from reading documentation). The MME interface remains the only one beeing capable of sending/receiving midi in a way that fits a musicians needs 
I tried direct API calls to Win-MME interface but apparently I am not smart enough to implement it on a event-based model.
All I wanted to say is that Midiox is brilliant for programing slim (or even very mighty) midi apps. So maybe an option to run Midiox as a com server without showing the gui would do the job. (combined with some reasonable licensing models for people who want to sell registrations for their own sharewareapps relying on midiox)
I i.e. would'nt want to charge anything for my program relying on midiox when there is no licensing model which provides payment for your work as mine is crap compared to yours ;-D
Thx for your comments on the look of my program!
Regards,
chris
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Jamie OConnell
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Re: 'standalone' ocx control
« Reply #3 on: Sep 18th, 2002, 2:45am » |
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You can always cause MIDI-OX to launch minimized in the tray if you use a profile (set to put it in the tray) and tell Windows to launch it minimized (using a shortcut).
Regarding licensing: what we've done in the past is just require the author to register a single copy. After that you can charge customers whatever you need to for your stuff, and have them pickup MIDI-OX for free from here.
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--Jamie
Music is its own reward.
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madMixx
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MIDI-OX Rules! <- no need to change default text..
Gender:
Posts: 5
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Re: 'standalone' ocx control
« Reply #4 on: Sep 18th, 2002, 12:56pm » |
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thx again, board support here is a breeze
> Regarding licensing: what we've done in the past is just
> require the author to register a single copy. After that you
> can charge customers whatever you need to for your stuff,
> and have them pickup MIDI-OX for free from here.
Yeah, I think that's what I'm gonna do. Although I personally tend to think that you'd deserve more money for your excellent effort. I plan to sell like 25-x licenses of my app for a 10$ reg. fee. So in case that I'd sell 25 I would've paid ~2 $ in midiox license fees per sold unit which would be absolutely ok for me (if not too less). Given the case there would be demand for a minimum of 1000 licenses of my program I'd still only pay the one time reg fee of 49$ which would result in 0,049$ of midiox licensing cost per sold unit. (I hope you still can follow my bad english ) 0,049$ is much too less in my personal oppinion! So maybe a volume based licensing model would fit better. (it's just suggestion)
Another question which came to my mind is distribution. When I'm gonna start shipping my little app I know there'll be people without internet connection complaining on how to get midiox. So does the commercial license allow distribution of midiox along with the program which uses it as a com server? (don't think so..) If so, are people allowed to include the .msi package into their own installers? I'm just thinking about ways to make the setup of my stuff not too complicated for some old-skool analog heads.
Best Regards,
chris
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| « Last Edit: Sep 18th, 2002, 12:57pm by madMixx » |
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