Re: Gnome Media Library

[Derek Simkowiak <dereks kd-dev com>]

> read/write "multimedia" files. The libraries do the actual dirty work, and
> the capabilities (formats supported, codecs, etc), are all not a whole lot
> more than plug-ins.

	Cool.  Having a media interface similar/identical to BeOS would
give us the added benefit that BeOS programmers would be comfortable
writing Gnome applications, too.

> This way, applications generally wouldn't have to know or care what format
> their audio or video files are in - so long as the libraries can handle
> them.

	So I think we're all in favor of a pluggable architecture.  It
only makes sense.

	The GStreamer link from the media home page has some interesting
stuff, but we should get the opinions of BeOS developers, MS DirectShow
developers, and whatever the Mac uses and try to come up with an interface
that is (a) familiar to experienced media programmers and (b) has a
sensible architecture.  It would be even cooler if pre-existing codec
modules could simply be "ported" over to this new Gnome architecture.

> This kind of flexibility is great from an application developer's point of
> view, and even better from the user's. 
> 
> Or am I off on one of my meaningless rants, again? :-)

	Nope, this is great stuff.  Perhaps the Be system is the one we
should try to emulate, then.


--Derek

P.S.> Does anybody remember IFF from the Amiga?  "Interchangeable File
Format", I think it was called.  A sound file, or picture file, or
whatever would be called filename.iff and all applications knew how to
deal with it (this was in 1985!).  Gawd, the Amiga was cool.