[4220] in comp.os.os2.announce archive
FREEWARE: Alternative Movie Database 1.2.1 released
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Steffen Siebert)
Thu Jul 16 02:59:13 1998
To: os2ann.DISCUSS@bloom-picayune.mit.edu
Date: 08 Jul 1998 16:06:00 -0400
From: siebert@logware.de (Steffen Siebert)
Reply-To: siebert@logware.de (Steffen Siebert)
Reply-to: siebert@logware.de (Steffen Siebert)
[Followups directed to comp.os.os2.apps]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Re leased: Alternative Movie Database 1.2.1 for OS/2
===================================================
I'm proud to announce the availability of the Alternative Movie Database
Version 1.2.1 for OS/2.
The Alternative Movie Database is a front-end for the Internet Movie
Database (IMDb) and provides fast and easy local access to the IMDb. It
consists of several command-line tools for creating and querying the
database. A more comfortable way to query the database is the also supplied
graphical user interface for OS/2 Presentation Manager.
There is also a version of the Alternative Movie Database available for
Win32 (Windows95 and Windows NT), which contains the same commandline-tools
but (currently) no graphical user interface.
The whole package is free software and released under the GNU General Public
License.
I've uploaded the Alternative Movie Database 1.2.1 as amd1_21.zip to hobbes.
The most recent version of the Alternative Movie Database can always
be found on it's home page:
http://www.cs.tu-berlin.de/~siebert/imdb.html
It is also available at the following IMDb ftp-servers:
OS/2:
ftp://uiarchive.cso.uiuc.edu/pub/info/imdb/tools/os2/ (USA, main site)
ftp://gatekeeper.digital.com.au/pub/imdb/tools/os2/ (Australia)
ftp://ftp.fu-berlin.de/pub/misc/movies/database/tools/os2/ (Germany)
ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/culture/tv+film/database/tools/os2/ (Finland)
ftp://ftp.sunet.se/pub/tv+movies/imdb/tools/os2/ (Sweden)
Win32:
ftp://uiarchive.cso.uiuc.edu/pub/info/imdb/tools/w32/ (USA, main site)
ftp://gatekeeper.digital.com.au/pub/imdb/tools/w32/ (Australia)
ftp://ftp.fu-berlin.de/pub/misc/movies/database/tools/w32/ (Germany)
ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/culture/tv+film/database/tools/w32/ (Finland)
ftp://ftp.sunet.se/pub/tv+movies/imdb/tools/w32/ (Sweden)
The IMDb Movie-Lists, which are needed for the Alternative Movie Database
to create the database, are located on these ftp-servers, too.
For more information on the IMDb, look at it's home page: http://www.imdb.com
Visit my home page at http://www.cs.tu-berlin.de/~siebert for information
about other OS/2 programs written by me.
What's New?
==========
Version 1.2.1:
- There is a new version of gendb (called gendb_lm), which consumes
less memory than the original one, but spends more time writing to
the hard disk.
On systems with 64MB and more, the normal gendb should be faster,
but if it fails to create the database and it is not possible to
add some space on the swap device, gendb_lm should be tried.
On systems with less than 64MB gendb_lm should be used, since it is
probably faster here.
- New Biography tag "PT:" supported.
- PM_AMD: Guest Appearances listed in a persons biography are now linked
to the corresponding series.
- Better error messages if files are missing or directories not found.
- Sometimes gendb didn't include the Guest Appearances, fixed.
- Some other bugs fixed.
Version 1.2:
- The cast list is now sorted by credit order if available.
- The output of title and name in batchmode is redirected from stout to
a file, if "-o <filename>" is supplied as the last option.
WARNING: this file will be overwritten if it already exists!
- Support for Video Games (VG) added.
- PM_AMD: New Button "Vote!" creates a file which contains a vote for
the displayed movie. Send this file as email to vote@imdb.com to
submit your vote.
PM_AMD logs your votes in the file "myvotes.log" and refuses new
votes for movies you already voted for.
This feature is based on and uses code from the vote.cmd Rexx-Script
written by Oliver Heidelbach <oheiabbd@zedat.fu-berlin.de>
- AMD_REXX: New function AMDGetName()
- (OS/2 only) vote.cmd and correct.cmd: These two scripts are contributions
from Oliver Heidelbach <oheiabbd@zedat.fu-berlin.de>.
Version 1.1.2:
- New Business tag "WG:" supported.
- PM_AMD: The listbox didn't allow multiple selections, fixed.
- Some small changes in the documentation.
[Mod. Note excessive version history trimmed.]
If you have no idea, what the IMDb is, here some facts about it:
The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an international organization whose
objective is to provide useful and up to date movie information *freely*
available on-line, across as many systems and platforms as possible. It
currently covers over 100,000 movies with nearly 1,500,000 filmography entries
and is expanding continuously. The service is financed by advertising and
sponsorship. The Internet Movie Database is a Limited Company registered
in the UK.
The database includes filmographies for actors, directors, writers, composers,
cinematographers, editors, production designers, costume designers, producers
and a miscellaneous catch all section; plot summaries; character names; movie
ratings; year of release; running times; movie trivia; quotes; goofs;
soundtracks; personal trivia; alternative names; certificates; color
information; country of production; genres; production companies; sound mix;
reference literature; filming locations; sequel/remake information; release
dates; advertising tag lines; detailed technical data; alternative versions;
laserdisc availability; language; special effects; distributors; box office
grosses; and Academy Award information.
The database aims to capture any and all information associated with movies
from across the world, starting with the earliest cinema, going through to the
very latest releases and even movies still in production. Many thousands of
movies are covered completely from the major actors to the minor bit players
and crew members. The database is updated weekly and is available over the
world wide web, an e-mail interface or for local installation on Unix, Amiga
OS/2 and MS-DOS machines.
In its seven year history the IMDb has grown from a small informal project to
a major Internet resource. The WWW interface to the database is one of the most
popular and well-known sites of any class on the web. It is frequently cited
as a model for how to create and organise a major web site and has received
numerous awards and honours over the years.
--
Steffen Siebert <siebert@logware.de>
_____________________________________________________________________
| NOTE: Please EMAIL submissions to comp-os-os2-announce@moderators.isc.org
| Correspondence to the COOA Moderator: lfirrantello@bix.com .
| Please see: http://www.bix.com/pub/os2ann/pindex.htm for posting guidelines
