Re: [Usability] Chabada's Suggestions

[Alan Horkan <horkana maths tcd ie>]

On Wed, 21 Jun 2006, Simon Francis wrote:

> Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 14:37:08 -0400
> From: Simon Francis <thejello gmail com>
> To: Alan Horkan <horkana maths tcd ie>
> Cc: sberry grex cyberspace org, usability gnome org
> Subject: Re: [Usability] Chabada's Suggestions
>
> Why does Gnome open non-free document formats that have related patents
> (Word, Excel, etc) but not multimedia files?

Techincally (and I apologise for the pedantry) Abiword and Gnumeric or
Openoffice are the ones opening those formats not "GNOME" (although they
are part or the wider Gnome community).  More importantly the older office
document formats have quite the same patent threats looming over them as
the newer video formats do and they could be clean room reverse engineered
but patents on video formats remain a threat even if the decoders are
completely new code.

> I would consider it essential for a modern desktop to open either and a
> major barrier to adoption.

The develolpers are not going to lock themselves out of their own desktop
by using proprietary formats.  If distributions choose to include
additional codecs that is up to them.

Other operating systems do not support certain formats out of the box.
This is not directly a Gnome issue, and it is more a packaging and
installation issue than a usability or mulitmedia issue.

I am sure Gstreamer will continue to try and make it easier to install
third part codecs but it is a nasty problem since the root of it is the
politics of software patents.

I understand your points and I do sort of agree with you (most likely I
will choose a distribution which includes the codecs, or maybe install
them myself but try to use unencumbered formats where possible) and I am
only trying to present the problem as best I understand it.

-- 
Alan