CodecBuddy: Non-Objective Objectives
2007-03-02 10:59:38
CodecBuddy is targeting this Fedora 7. And the initial idea is good: enable people to get support for media codecs.
The rationale is... rational.
The scope is... limited to GStreamer only?! (No xine?)
Everyhing wrong is in the details:
- Detect that they tried to play a codec that wasn’t installed.
- For certain sets of such codecs (MP3, MPEG, etc.) explain how Freedom Isn’t Free, why we can’t ship such support, and how to use free formats.
- Point them to a site where they can get legal support for such codecs, if such support exists.
Now, maybe I’m wrong, but here’s how I see things:- You don’t need a CodecBuddy to explain how explain how Freedom Isn’t Free. A simple message box would be enough.
- What people actually want is to open that bloody file!
- Except for pointing people to places where they can pay for something (including the paying section of the upcoming "universal Click’N’Run"), almost everything not coming with Fedora is technically "illegal" to use w/o having paid for (at least in the U.S.).
- Oh, RealPlayer? This is not a codec, this is a full-blown application!
- Some codecs — the Microsoft Windows Media formats — are 100% illegal, unless you run a distro that has paid for this (say, Turbolinux).
- Now, just how exactly would Fedora’s CodecBuddy help you with this?
- Say it will not, since they say "legal support for such codecs, if such support exists" (for Fedora, I guess). Why not providing simple links to places where "potentially illegal" codecs can be downloaded, places everybody is going to visit anyway?
- If informing you of a some Internet places is either considered illegal, or outside of the scope of CodecBuddy... what’s the use of such a dumb "buddy"?
Maybe it should have been named "NoCodecNoBuddy".
When something doesn’t play, each and every Linux user who really wants to give up a little of his freedom will look for the "traditional" places to download either extra codecs, or extra media players with codecs packages (MPlayer, VLC).
What’s the use of such a limited CodecBuddy then?!