The alternate feature I suggested would ensure the rating and any other information related to the viewing of the movie gets recorded at the same time.
It is obvious to me that my suggestion was heading to this.
I always tend to look at the things "out of the box", and I don't imply anyone here does it "from within". I highlight it because to me, the very basic answer on a very basic question:
"Who will be the (first) users of a software I developed, while there were tons of it's kind out there already developed and established?"
is:
The users that already used such a software, but not the users that started to collect movies yesterday, or even worst, the users that started to watch movies yesterday, i.e. - from the scratch.
So, any subsequent question, dilemma, suggestion is an excerpt (derivation, abstract) of that basic one. Having this in mind, the very basic question for me on this issue is:
Were there, is there, or will it be more collection of movies with the "seen date" known, or with the "seen date" unknown?
The answer is obvious to me.
So,
Is it a greater chance that someone would forget to set "seen date" or to forget to set "seen..." whatever at all?
Again pretty obvious to me.
So,
Is it a bigger damage if someone miss SOME seen dates, or if someone miss some movies are seen?
Having in mind that I watched at least 5.000 movies in my life so far (yes, that's true, although it 's more likely it is 10.000, but I couldn't swear, and I have a written record that in 1992 I watched 936 movies), seen date is totally irrelevant to me comparing to "seen" flag, and the answer is again - obvious to me.
So,
Why am I a good sample, and why my opinion on this issue would be important?
Because we all increase the number of seen movies, and at some point it becomes extremely hard to remember if you watched some movie, and I have that problem, and it's likely that we all will have it.
I mean, seen date is more important to you, so you'll always start from entering data for it, than you'll likely rate it. So, it's likely you won't miss seen date. But, why not letting others to start from rating while seen date isn't that of importance to them, but seen flag is extremely important, too?
I'll try to explain this to you, and that would be my final attempt.
Why it is better to start from rating, than from "seen"?
I'll start from the opposite.
Case #1.
Today I flagged movie as seen, and forgot to rate it with 3 stars (because in these circumstances I'm forced to start from seen flag). In five years someone asks me if I watched that movie, and if I did would I recommend it to him? I can't remember if I watched it, so I open PVD, confirm that I watched it that day, five years ago ("Hey, I don't care when did you watch it, would you recommend it to me, or not?"), but can't tell "no, don't waste your time", because I don't have rating.
Case #2
Since -damus didn't implement my suggestion, I rated movie with 3 stars but forgot to flag it as seen. I can't remember if I watched it, so I open PVD. Filter-Seen-> "My friend, I didn't watch it"->"Waste your time".
Case #3
Nostra didn't implement my suggestion, but I set rating and seen flags. My friend happy he won't waste his time, nostra happy because he hadn't extra work, I'm happy made my friend happy, but - I'm not happy because had to be extremely cautious while entering data for such a large bunch of movies.
Case #4
Nostra implemented my suggestion, upon Rick's positive opinion in addition. My friend happy he won't waste his time, I'm happy made him happy, nostra and rick happy made all of us happy.
When you're dead, and you have your PVD endowed, your descendants will create an image of you based on how many movies you watched, what movies you watched, but the most, how you rated them. Not on a dates you watched them. Let me go that "far out of the box".
![Grin ;D](http://www.videodb.info/forum_en/Smileys/classic/grin.gif)
I don't know why he would do so if users can't be bothered to develop the idea.
Finally, I'll explain why I (will) sometimes end discussion after a couple of posts. That's because if I can't recognize joint baseline at least at the lowest level, I recognize that it'll be impossible to reconcile issue premises (maybe the most appropriate term here is - standpoint, in terms of not willing, not capable to move forward to meet the other one), no matter how great idea I had. I mean, Tesla (he was a Serbian, btw
![Grin ;D](http://www.videodb.info/forum_en/Smileys/classic/grin.gif)
) invented wireless transmission of electricity a hundred years ago, but J.P.Morgan as his maecenas didn't support him. And, the life is too short, so let's spend it on premises that could be reconciled, to reach as much as possible win-win combinations, so to many more of us could feel happy for as long as possible. And I mean this seriously.
![Smiley :)](http://www.videodb.info/forum_en/Smileys/classic/smiley.gif)
Cheers