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Nikos Chantziaras posted on Sat, 05 Sep 2009 02:19:12 +0300 as excerpted: |
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> On 09/05/2009 01:24 AM, Robert Bradbury wrote: |
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>> |
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>> Is gnash still under development (as an open source alternative to |
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>> Adobe flash)? |
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TTBOMK [1], gnash is now a GNU sponsored project, one I believe they are |
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actually paying someone to spend some time on, now, after a free flash |
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alternative came up near the top of the priority list on a user poll they |
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did about three years ago. <a quick ggl:gnash later> Yes, gnash is a GNU |
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project, at least, tho I'm not sure on the paid developer status. The |
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latest release was 0.8.5_beta4, on March 3, this year: |
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http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/ |
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>> If so, then it would seem to make sense to keep the |
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>> plugin alive. Where does this all go with the evolution towards more |
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>> open media formats (HTML 3.x?). It is my impression currently that a |
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>> consensus could not be agreed upon for a "standard" open |
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>> non-proprietary format for audio/video files. |
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HTML 5.0, and you're impression is reasonably correct. Based on what |
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I've read, they settled on <audio> and <video> tags, but could not come |
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to agreement on specific codecs, because the FLOSS folks couldn't accept |
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a proprietary (patented) codec, and some of the others couldn't/wouldn't |
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accept the current state of open codecs, at least for video (audio I |
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believe they agreed on ogg-vorbis, but check before you rely on that). I |
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believe Nokia was on the proprietary side as they already had a license |
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for <whatever>, and theora wasn't in a state that would work well on |
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their cellphones and the like. |
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But that's changing, and a further HTML 5.1 version may well have a free |
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video codec as well. Combine that with some of the stuff that's already |
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possible in draft-5.0, and Flash may have a tough fight on its hands. Of |
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course, there's Microsoft Silverlight to worry about too... |
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> Flash *is* an open format; Adobe opened up its specs a while ago. It's |
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> just that the only full implementation of it isn't open (Adobe Flash). |
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AFAIK, the issue isn't the "openness" of the format, you're absolutely |
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correct on that, but the fact that some of the most effective and popular |
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flash related codecs have serious software patent issues, at least in |
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areas of the world where such things unfortunately exist. |
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The other factor is that while it's open, Adobe controls the spec I |
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believe, and thus can continue to develop their closed version and not |
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release the updated spec until they release their updated player at the |
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same time (if they choose to update the spec at all, they can just let it |
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fall behind if the chose, too), so open implementations will by |
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definition remain 1-2 versions behind, because by the time they get to a |
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particular spot, Adobe will have likely released a new version and a new |
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spec to go with it. |
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|
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..... |
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[1] TTBOMK: To the best of my knowledge. emerge wtf and query it on the |
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command line as wtf ttbomk, if you need a cheat sheet for this sort of |
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thing, or look it up on onelook.com, FWIW, I have onelook setup as the |
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ol: kde web shortcut here, plus wtf. =:^) |
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-- |
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Duncan - List replies preferred. No HTML msgs. |
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"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master -- |
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and if you use the program, he is your master." Richard Stallman |