Re: [Fsfe-uk] BBC's DRM Iplayer windows only

[Jon Grant]

Hi, sorry for the late reply, just catching up.

[...]
> > > > I can't think of
> > > > any instances of his damage doing myself, and to be frank the FSF
> > > > sponsoring Adobe's Flash format in their  pure Flash GPLFlash/Gnash
> > > > GNU project (http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/) seems far more worthy
> > > > of a damage claim since they are unwilling to aim for anything better
> > > > for web-multimedia
> > >
> > > I thought we established there isn't anything better for web
> > > multimedia. Show me URLs of better technology :-)
> >
> > You're right. Lack of audio/video integration in a browser makes us
> > not as "popular" as Flash,
>
> Flash is a lot more than A/V transport; you're mixing issues I think
> :-) A/V integration in browsers is something for the W3C/WHATWG and
> browser developers; browser plugins are straightforward to develop and
> ship pre configured in default distributions of browsers.

Not in my experience with RedHat, Mandrake, Debian and Ubuntu...

It is only left to W3C/WHATWG to try define something (and then get
Nokia force to drop) because no one else in the industry will lead an
effort. There is no QuickTime equivalent for browsers on GNU+Linux
distros. Gnash should at the *least* be a capable plugin like
QuickTime is on ms-windows s there is an alternative and websites
don't need to only go with Adobe Flash to do video,

> > and it remains that way while organisations fund pure Flash implementations.
>
> Gnash is not a pure Flash implementation; it supports free codecs and
> other freedom-friendly things not in Adobe Flash.

Hmm, maybe it has broadened after all then? RMS was arguing that they
would only do lash last time I bought it up when FSF started
sponsoring the GPLFlash development.

There needs to be something as flexible as QuickTime as part of the
browser on GNU+Linux distros which supports Theora and Vorbis.

Do you a link to information about it supporting free codecs now? I
can't find anything on the Gnash or FSF websites about what you
mention. If Gnash can play video files from <embed> tags, Theora, XviD
etc that would be great

http://wiki.gnashdev.org/wiki/index.php/Overview

http://wiki.gnashdev.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

> > > > Will FSF be sponsoring a GPL_ActiveX GNU project next?
> > >
> > > Being unable to view Active X wrapped media is not a "Top 5" reason to
> > > not switch to GNU+Linux or to install proprietary software on
> > > GNU+Linux. So I doubt it. But if it was as much of a social problem,
> > > I'd expect so.
> >
> > People have been able to switch to GNU+Linux distros for years and
> > watch Flash which is available as a proprietary addon package from
> > Adobe. I don't know of anyone who would refuse to ditch MS-Windows for
> > GNU+Linux because they would have to "sell-out" and not install a the
> > same proprietary Flash plug-in they previously did on MS-Windows, to
> > be frank, it's simply not an issue for users migrating.
>
> That it doesn't work out of the box is a reason for users I know.
>
> There is a difference between them not switching and using lots of
> proprietary software, and switching and using a few bits of
> proprietary software. But the latter is still a problem.
>
> > > > or GNU_Multimedia which can only decode WMV files?
> > >
> > > I can imagine a GNU WMV codec project;
> >
> > It would be shame if they promoted such a project 100% to the
> > detriment of a non-proprietary like Theora though.
>
> I am unaware of non-proprietary equivalent alternatives that it is
> detrimental to.

Theora?

if OpenOffice was developed to only decode MS-Word formatted documents
it would be the same situation, and I wouldn't endorse that approach!

Cheers, Jon