Boston Linux & Unix (BLU) Home | Calendar | Mail Lists | List Archives | Desktop SIG | Hardware Hacking SIG
Wiki | Flickr | PicasaWeb | Video | Maps & Directions | Installfests | Keysignings
Linux Cafe | Meeting Notes | Blog | Linux Links | Bling | About BLU

BLU Discuss list archive


[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

30% Apple



On 02/17/2011 02:47 PM, Jarod Wilson wrote:
> 
> On Feb 17, 2011, at 1:58 PM, Matthew Gillen wrote:
>> My point was that in the long term, having patent-encumbered formats as
>> consumers' only option is harmful to the consumer.
> 
> Unfortunately, we're kinda already screwed.
> ...
> Outside of internet video, its pretty much a hopeless, lost cause. Call
> me bitter or defeated or whatever, but that's how I see it.

No argument here.  But a large part of why we're already screwed is the
vicious circle coming from a complete lack of support in dedicated
hardware (like TVs, portable music players, etc).  Apple is complicit in
that problem, and while they are by no means the only ones, my point was
that they aren't exactly saintly defenders of what's best for consumers.

I'm not going to claim that Google is any less self interested, but the
thing it does have going for it is that at least a couple of its
interests do line up a little better with consumer (including
open-source) interests: all android devices (that I know of) support
open formats like ogg natively.  A small step to be sure, but a step in
the right direction.  It does mean that it's much less painful (read: no
complaints from the wife) for me in my own little enclave to keep my
house standardized on ogg (at least for music that I buy in CD form and
have to transcode myself).

> ...
> Honestly, I really don't think alternative (and often inferior) codecs
> are the answer here anyway. Revamping of the crapstorm that is the US
> Patent system is, to the point where MPEG-LA has no legal legs to stand
> on anymore.

Amen.  Unfortunately I think that has about as much chance of happening
as ogg does becoming a format supported natively by mainstream
(non-android) devices.  What's really scary to me is how MPEG-LA has put
out a call to collect patents that apply to Theora, so they can start
collecting on that too...

As an interesting aside:  I've noticed that almost all the games I've
bought in the last few years (for win32) use ogg for all their sound and
in-game music files.  So at least some non-linux developers see value in
the format.  Perhaps the seeds of the revolution have been planted after
all and they just need time to grow... ;-)

Matt





BLU is a member of BostonUserGroups
BLU is a member of BostonUserGroups
We also thank MIT for the use of their facilities.

Valid HTML 4.01! Valid CSS!



Boston Linux & Unix / webmaster@blu.org