Integrate access to online user script database, automate user scripts management
Situation: User scripts and themes are currently hardly centralized and in order to even hear about their existence, user needs to do quite some forum browsing, then to try something out, they have to manually download and install the script/theme, then remember where they got it from and every now and then check for updates (or suffer compatibility issues with newer Reaper versions). Obviously uninstallation means finding the folder and manually deleting some files.
Problem: All of that makes it cumbersome, time-consuming, and ultimately discouraging for users to try scripts. In effect, community exposed to user-generated extensions is rather limited, and consequently less developers create/maintain scripts and themes than might have been otherwise.
Suggested solution: Streamlined ways have been invented to manage software extensions (think Firefox, Chrome, or even Ubuntu and Apple Store). I suggest Reaper make the step required to centralize scripts and themes and bring them closer to final users. That would include any (or better every) of the following:
- convenient database access and search
- automated downloading, installation, uninstallation
- automated updates, incl. notifications
- automated compatibility checks against Reaper versions
- easy access to the rating and comment system, so users start to actually report what works and what doesn't and others don't have to test everything on their own skin
Cheers!
Discussion thread is here:
http://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=153115