Thanks for your suggestions.
My reaction:
1) well, old story. Known problem. But we cannot fix it, as has been explained endlessly already (it's even in the openMSX FAQ: http://openmsx.sourceforge.net/manual/faq.html#roms
2) We are using SDL to make openMSX platform independent. This is great, but it also means we cannot make use of standard GUI components. The only alternatives are: a) to write an external control program (like Catapult) or b) to make an On-Screen-Display or c) to get rid of SDL for rendering and use for example a canvas of a platform independent GUI toolkit (like Qt). What you have now is an old Catapult and a technology preview of the OSD. We're still working on a brand new Catapult, which will be quite more powerful and updated than the current one, but still a separate application, so still two windows. The OSD will probably be enhanced and extended as well, which will make it quite easy to use. Similar to zsness, I suppose. We currently have no plans to drop SDL for screen rendering, but it's certainly something we could do in the (far) future.
3) The GFX debugger is very interesting, I think. Maybe turbor (who also added a lot of other graphics support to our (still not officially released, but available anyway) openMSX GUI debugger) or someone else would consider porting it to our openMSX GUI debugger? We don't mind features that deviate from standard/realistic MSX behaviour at all, as long as they aren't switched on by default. So, the PSG tune stuff could also be added.... It's a matter of someone feeling in the mood to actually do it :)
Any other suggestions?
My two cents about the legal part:
IT IS PERFECTLY LEGAL TO USE MSX ROMS IN EMULATORS PROVIDED THAT YOU OWN AN MSX MACHINE (EVEN BROKEN AND/OR STORED IN A REMOTE CELLAR)
This is due to the fact, in the EU at least, once you have bought an msx (read any digital device), you have all the rigths to dumpt its roms.
Yes, but this doesn't give the openMSX team the rights to distribute them. It only gives users the rights to use the ROMs (of machines they own) in openMSX. Which is already the common procedure now.
And how would the openMSX team feel if someone made a 3rd party installer which:
- grabs the latest openMSX installer and installs openMSX
- grabs & installs the latest openMSX Catapult
- grabs a rom pack
- copies the roms into openMSX's rom dir
Inclusion of system ROMs: This is not going to happen. Maybe one day people will see the light and reform copyright law to make it apply for only a limited time instead of effectively forever, but until that day we're stuck with it. We want openMSX to be hosted on SourceForge, to be available in Linux distributions, for people to be able to join the project without reservations etc. and that is just not possible if we as a team violate the copyrights of the ROMs.
Integrated GUI: I agree that the old Catapult is not as good as it can be, but I don't think that is because it is an external GUI. We are working on a new Catapult, but the progress is slow. Help would be most welcome.
Graphics and sound enhancements: We like these as well. How could anyone doubt this after looking at all the video enhancements openMSX already supports? As Manuel said, the default will always be something close to what the real MSX does, but there is certainly room for alternative presentations. Support would have to be added to the emulation core, then a TCL command to control it and finally calls to that TCL command from Catapult and/or the OSD menu.
FiXato: I can't speak for the entire team, but I wouldn't be happy about it. If people start installing openMSX from shady sites, the risk of malware infection increases. And it would fuel the idea that emulators are a legally gray area, while in my opinion emulators are fully legal tools that can be used for many legal and illegal purposes, just like for example BitTorrent clients. I would prefer that users who choose to ignore the ROM copyrights do so explicitly by adding the ROMs to the systemroms directory manually.
I am slightly surprised that people who used to have no trouble remembering to boot with CTRL pressed, type "poke -1,170" in BASIC and then start a loader for a game would have difficulty extracting a ZIP file to a directory... Have we really become that lazy?
And how would the openMSX team feel if someone made a 3rd party installer which:
- grabs the latest openMSX installer and installs openMSX
- grabs & installs the latest openMSX Catapult
- grabs a rom pack
- copies the roms into openMSX's rom dir
Well... For Amiga there are several efforts somehow similar to that.
Amikit, for example: (http://amikit.amiga.sk/)
It's a fully configured Amiga, like just a few blessed users had in the past. Fully loaded.
check this image: http://amikit.amiga.sk/image/screenshot/amikit_4.jpg
Who had a 68k OS like that in the 80s/90s???
If someone implements Fixato's idea, it could be a full package loaded with the most common configurations including an extreme version with a TR, GFX9000, Moonsound and a complete hardfile that includes SymbOS.
@Quibus
To most ppl, I don't think having two windows will bother too much. As long as the front is good and the integration is transparent I'm sure ppl would not bother.
I myself did a separate frontend in the past. For the o2em emulator, it was called o2emlauncher and was quite successful.
Regards,
IT IS PERFECTLY LEGAL TO USE MSX ROMS IN EMULATORS PROVIDED THAT YOU OWN AN MSX MACHINE (EVEN BROKEN AND/OR STORED IN A REMOTE CELLAR)
Not necessarily, it's perfectly legal to use MSX ROMs in emulators, provided that you use ONLY the roms of MSX machines you own (even broken ones).
I can legally use Hot-Bit and Expert (Brazilian MSX models) at home, and I can also use a megaram ROM, but I cannot legally use any other MSX ROM. 
Hotbit and Expert had officially licensed roms on them????
What about msx2 kits from acvs and ddx???
Or maybe dmx or ddx disk interfaces???
To everyone who does not know, by the time MSX was born, Brazil was under a military dictatorship.
The government created some very restrictive laws, about importing hardware and software, in order to stimulate the local industry to create it's own technology.
What happened?
The local companies, instead of research and develop, just started to clone well know computers from the rest of the world, like: Apple ][, ZX Spectrum and... yep: MSX.
here's a Brazilian clone of an apple II: http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficheiro:Tk3000iie_2.jpg
A Brazilian clone of zx81: http://www.mci.org.br/micro/prologica/cp200.html
And a Brazilian clone of an MSX1: http://www.mci.org.br/micro/outros/expert.html
Of course piracy was also present in softwares. Check this original game called: "Aventura na Antartida" from the Brazilian company called EPCOM
http://www.msxhistory.msxall.com/image/epcom/J09AventuraNaAntartica.JPG
Pretty much everything was hacked to look like "Made in Brazil".
So, that's a good legal question: Owning a Brazilian MSX makes someone legally able to run it on emulators?
Owning "Aventura na Antartida", makes you legally able to download an play Konami's Antarctic Adventure?
Could it be something like Robin Hood? You're stealing from some BIG and evil company who stole that from another...
Up.
Dont we have a legal expert?
{mod: removed double post}
Hotbit and Expert had officially licensed roms on them????
Sharp was a licensed MSX maker. All the licensed MSX makers are listed on the Switched I/O ports documentation.
Is Gradiente on the list? :)
What about msx2 kits from acvs and ddx???
Are those on the list too?
Or maybe dmx or ddx disk interfaces???
Peripherals had a separate licensing scheme. So I can't say anything about those.