Taken from a very old blog post from last year… (back when Wiivie was called Motion JWii)
*Stands up* – “I’m James Madley and just a week ago I had barely a clue on how to write a UNIX shell script.”
Yes, that’s correct, before I decided I’d make a free Wii video converter for those without the tech knowledge or the money to buy one of the few shareware programs. I don’t know what came over me when I did just say to myself, “I’ll do it”, because I had know idea how I would do it.
The first step was figuring out what encoder to use. My first choice was, of course, QuickTime since everyone has it. It’s too bad there is no free way to use all the Export options that QuickTime Pro offers. On the plus side I did find a few Automator plugins that allow for a very limited set of options but in the end it requires Pro.
I turned next to ffmpeg. Like QuickTime, it’s relatively easy to expect people will have it or be willing to have it. I went and learnt the very basics of ffmpeg but then I learnt that ffmpeg’s MJPEG codec isn’t Wii compatible.
So then off to MEncoder. After learning a bit of ffmpeg, MEncoder had a bit of a learning curve. It’s works differently but I think I picked it up much quicker. I count my self very lucky I found this page which not only gives a perfect example of a MEncoder script, it also gives an almost exact line on what a user should put into the Terminal when converting with the Wii in mind.
Now I had a perfectly good string, the only problem was I had no idea how to get it to the end user. Sure, I could just put it up on the internet but then who would see it? Just reploidof20xx? So I tried a large variety of ways I integrating it into Automator and AppleScript. No go.
Oh! What about that funny A/V someone on Mac Rumors made which was really just a cleverly timed and crafted shell script? I’d heard and known that such scripts could also be used for real purposes if done the right way so I jumped onto Google and found as much stuff on shell scripts as I could. I chose to do a sh script (which I later find out is the Bourne shell) and I begun to write it.
From the fake A/V program I had learned about the echo command and that variables could be included and used. I was thinking “PERFECT!”
So after writing a very long Readme file to cushion the all text interface blow to the general Mac/Wii user and writing the first 0.1 release of Motion JWii, I released it. Then I realised the interface was very hard to read because I forgot to add coded spaces…
It’s really really strange. Whenever I try to learn a new language I also fall flat on my face because there is no drive, but the prospect of being the developer of the first free Wii video converter was just too strong. I was reaching for a goal and it has been reached. You really know when you’ve put in the effort to learn when you can stand up and actually do something based on what you’ve learnt, like today I wrote an option into the next version that will give advanced users full control over the resolution of the converted file.
Wow that was a long post. I haven’t done that in a while. And no images! Ahhhhh!…..!!…!!…
