Re: [Fsfe-uk] Re: lessig.org site supporting Adobe's proprietary Flash format

[Chris Croughton]

On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 05:30:58PM +0000, Lee Braiden wrote:

> On Wednesday 27 February 2008 16:07:38 Richard Stallman wrote:
> >     Links to the mpeg4 and Theora files are immediately below the flash
> >     version. they both immediately download the file.
> >
> > How about putting the Theora version first?
> > That is the way to show you are really in favor of it.
> 
> This was my thinking too.  If one format has advantages for users, and others 
> have disadvantages or is associated with an old or ill-conceived way of doing 
> things, I think it's only right that the better format should be promoted, 
> and the lesser formats should be demoted to a "backwards compatibility" 
> or "legacy" page.  And I think that'd be nice terminology to use too, to 
> convey the message to the average user clearly.

It depends whether you are preaching to the converted or trying to get
ordinary people interested.  I don't know (personally) anyone with a
Theora player installed (I assume some of the people on this list have),
and few of them who would even know of what one is, but almost everyone
I know has a Flash player installed (except me, I have neither).
(Correction, I have VLC installed which apparently plays Theora files.
I didn't know that, however, until I looked up the Wikipedia article on
the format.)

If you want ordinary people to look at what you produce, do it in the
format they are most likely to be able to use.  Doing it in some weird
new format they've never heard of with the material you want htem to see
being in a 'legacy' area will only annoy them.

Chris C