Kodi 17 Released With New Default Skin, Better Live TV Support

[milhouse]

What surprises me is that there's no web browser by default. Maybe for security reasons?
Who doesn't want to read something on the web sometimes when sitting on the couch by using the big screen rather than the smart phone/tablet?

Kodi is a media-center application, not a general purpose operating system.

If you want a web browser for your TV, you can try something like LibreELEC on x86_64 which includes Chrome as an addon. Or use Android, and install Kodi as an app.

[milhouse]

Well, that was a pretty... jarring... upgrade.
If they're going to change the default skin, they shouldn't shove it down your throat on an update. This is especially important on platforms like ANDROID, where typically, the software will automatically be updated in the background. Launched the thing on Friday, and WHAT THE HELL???

Well, you are using the *default* skin so when that changes it changes for you too. If you still want to use the old Confluence skin then you should find it in the Kodi repository. If Kodi made the new skin an opt-in item it would become a support nightmare.

[bug77]

Since no one is asking, i'll take one for the team...

When can we expect a Vulkan port of KODI?

Leia doesn't mention Vulkan and Leia will take about one year to release. Add another year for the release after Leia, that's when you can start expecting Vulkan.

But really, Kodi is not using OpenGL so intensively as to become CPU bottlenecked, Vulkan will do nothing for Kodi. And to add Vulkan, logic from the OpenGL drivers will have to move to Kodi, multiple code paths will have to be implemented together... A lot of work and little to show for it.

[horizonbrave]

xbmc doesn't support cast.

I think he/she probably mean to use a chromacast device plugged in the TV for casting the phone screen there.
Which is a good solution.. but with a few downsides, one of which is you can't browse the desktop version of the website (rather then the mobile one) at a proper resolution.
Casting the phone screen as such and few more limitations. I guess all those smart TVs provide a built-in browser.. but I never tried them, so I wonder if support stuff like flash.
Cheers

PS
the mobile version of phoronix is pretty unusable (as in writing a post, reading is ok) on some android screens (I have a 5" one.. I struggle to call it small