FAQ

What do you need to run Remedie?

You need Perl 5.8.1 or over and a web browser that can run jQuery (We recommend Safari 4 or Firefox 3.5).

If your CPAN shell is properly setup, check out the git repository then run perl Makefile.PL && make installdeps in remedie directory to install CPAN dependencies.

Or try the binary builds if you’re on Mac OS X Leopard. Remedie-Server.zip are .app files, handy for most users who don’t want to bother installing CPAN dependencies.

Does Remedie run only on Mac OS X?

No, we built binary builds only for OS X, but users on any other platforms (Win32, Linux and old Mac OS X) are also supported. It’s just you need to check out the code, and build and install CPAN dependencies manually.

OK, I installed CPAN modules. How can I run Remedie?

Run the script ./bin/remedie-server.pl (or double click Remedie Server.app if you installed the binary). The application is a background process, so you need to launch your browser (Safari 4 or Chrome recommended) to open http://localhost:10010/. You’ll see almost blank screen, but you can start adding sites by clicking “New” on the top menu or “N” shortcut key (type “H” for the list of available hot keys).

Do I need a database or a web server to run Remedie?

No. Remedie comes with its standalone web server and builds SQLite database internally, so you don’t need to install or setup them.

Do I need a separate box (server) to run Remedie?

No. I develop Remedie on my MacBook and run it locally. That’s actually the recommended way to use the app. If you use Windows though, it might be easier to install Remedie on a separate Linux box or VMware. But runninng Remedie on Windows using ActivePerl or StrawberryPerl should be possible too.

I installed Remedie and all I see is the header and blank screen.

That is the expected behavior, at least as of now. Click ‘New’ (or ‘shift+N’ shortcut key) to open the new channel dialog and enter the URL of Video channels you want to subscribe to. It could be YouTube channel URL, Video podcast RSS feeds or anything that contains links to video items. See Supported Sites for the details.

How can I backup or synchronize the database?

Remedie database is stored in ~/.remedie/remedie.db. You can backup this file, or sync using tools like Dropbox.

Can Remedie download videos?

Remedie supports downloading video podcasts and some of WMV streaming (using mplayer) but the way downloads are organized is not pretty and not complete.

Can I use (Apple) Remote to control the UI?

If you’re on OS X, there are several options. One thing you can do is to use Fluid to build the custom application, then use Remote Buddy or Sofa Control to bind keyboard shortcuts. Alternatively you can try out drikin’s Remedie Player that supports Apple Remote.

Other platform users (Win32 etc.) can probably make use of Mozilla Prism

Why is it so hard to install Remedie?

If you know how to get stuff over git and install Perl modules, it’s easy :)

Seriously though, Remedie is under a heavy development and it’s marked as a “Developer only testing release”. So I want this app used by smart people who can figure out how to use it and give me feedbacks whenever they have ideas or want to fix things that are broken.

For the moment, I made a pre-built binary for Mac OS X Leopard available at Downloads

Why did you fork Plagger instead of keeping it better and compatible?

There are many Plagger users out there who is using the app in a way that I can’t even think of. There’s also a bunch of plugins that need to be updated if Plagger core is updated like the way it was in Remedie dev, and I just didn’t want that to happen.

Why is it called Remedie?

It’s a semi anagram of “Media RSS” and “Re-media”. It also means “remedy” in some latin languages like Spanish.