Unfortunately, the truth is that Dreambox has laid the foundations for today's set top box boxes.
Sadly, that's not entirely true.
What do you mean by "foundations"? You mean Enigma2, right? That's only one of the components that make up such a machine. What about the Linux kernel? Or how about TuxBox? These two components are much more important I think, they are more foundational/fundamental than Enigma2. To put it differently: you can have a Linux STB that works without Enigma2, but you can't have an Enigma2 STB that works without the Linux kernel or the TuxBox component.
You know, Enigma2 is only the front-end, and it's not the only one out there. But it has been influential, thanks to the widespread use of the original Dreambox STBs. So everyone started to copy them. But where did Dreambox get their ideas from?...
DBox predates Dreambox...
"The hardware was developed and produced by Nokia though later also produced by Philips and Sagem under license."
"For the DBox2, an effort was created to port the Linux operating system."
"The combination of third-party developers and network connectivity which facilitates card sharing, makes DBox2 (and the DBox2 based Dreambox) use particularly common among enthusiasts and those who intend to obtain services without payment."
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DBox2
So you see Sherlock, good ideas are worth stea... spreading!
But today there are much better and cheaper Linux set top boxes than Dreambox. And they're quality set top boxes.
The argument was not that Draembox is better than other Linux/Enigma2 STB brands. The argument was that official Dreambox firmwares/images are better suited to genuine Dreambox devices. We are not even talking about clones. We are talking about Dreambox software running best on Dreambox hardware. Just like Mac OS X runs best on a genuine Apple Mac, rather than a clone or a hackintosh.
It's hard to beat that argument you see. The only way you can do that is by producing a software that works better than the original software on the original hardware. And that's a very tall order to match up to. Given that all these different alternative software/images like OpenATV need to keep a more generalist profile in order to be able to run on all the different brands and models out there, rather then being a specialist and showing its best on one single device. You can't have it both ways, you either take the highly optimized specialist approach or give your software a more sloppy/loose generalist design that works everywhere but with potentially a higher number of errors and lower performance.
I have nothing against alternative firmware or their makers. I just think that they are less optimized for Dreambox devices, compared to original Dreambox firmware. That's all.
I personally also use OpenATV for many years, but I think OpenPLi is better. There is better support in the English language, while OpenATV unfortunately is mainly supported in German. OpenATV has very poor support in English (few users, few topics, and few forum moderators - in the "English" thread).
So OpenPLi is beter than OpenATV because there are more English speakers in the community? Is that what you're saying?
I have also noticed that most of the forum sections for OpenATV are in German. This whole Linux/Enigma2 STB scene in general is flooded with German speakers. That's normal! Because Dreambox originates from Germany, and so does DBox, and so does DBox2, and so does the old Kirch Media – a "German provider of digital television that later merged with Premiere" (source above) – that commissioned the creation of DBox.
Also, given how many German FTA channels you have at your disposal it should be clear that satellite reception was and still is a popular hobby in this country. Availability of FTA channels also has to do with culture and politics. It should come as no surprise that the first Linux based STB was made in Germany.
Do I think it's frustrating to get help from a community that only speaks German? Sometimes, yes. Why do you think I hang out in this part of the forum on this board? Take a guess. But there are surprisingly many Germans that understand English well enough that they can help out when needed. Now... I know this is not true at all for the general population in Germany... last year I was in Germany for the first time and hardly anyone knew a single word of English, and those that did only knew the basics. Believe it or not, it was easier to communicate with them in Russian than in English. Yes, I was in the eastern part of the country, not too far from Berlin. But I hear that western Germany is not much different when it comes to their knowledge of English (and their willingness to speak it). Younger generations are usually the ones that excel at English and they are brave enough to speak it.
So what's the solution then? Simple! Learn German! Or use Google Translator.
Hey whatever happened to Dr. Dish TV? I learned a lot about satellites by watching that show... apart from learning some basics of the German language.
Seriously, English doesn't help you much in this community. It's a very small tech/sat community. English is not my first language. And neither is German. The only reason I know English in fact is because I was once exposed to computers and had to seek help, either by talking to people or reading documentation which was all in English. But try asking for help with Dreambox, or OpenATV, or Enigma2, or OpenPLi on IRC or on an English forum for Linux. You will get zero responses, or you will end up educating them about everything you know about the Dreambox, before they can begin to answer your first question. It's just the way it is. Every community has its own rules and characteristics. One characteristic about the "Dreambox community" if we can call it so, is that German language dominates in these circles. Try to get used to it, don't resist it.