RE: Multimedia cap on linux (was [Group Etiquette])

["Jonathan Shore" <jshore@example.com>]

> From: Scott M. Stone [mailto:sstone@example.com]
> > for a multimedia platform, through no faults of its own linux
> cannot compare
> > to other alternatives.  I'm looking to polish a few aspects of
>>
> that raises an interesting question - whose fault IS it?
>

As Simon said in an earlier posting, part of the problem is that companies
have not been willing to give specs to the open source developers.  I think
this applies more to the device support.

There are multimedia standards such as quicktime, where it would be almost
impossible to keep up with the official version due to both its mamoth size
and lack of public information.  I believe there is a group petitioning
apple to support quicktime on linux.  So far the response from them has not
been positive.

On other fronts, IMO, longer-term there is no excuse for linux not to be
supporting the various public formats, if we want to see linux as a platform
which goes beyond the server.

I guess what's needed is for someone to organize a comprehensive open-source
multimedia project which tries to put the pieces together and fill in the
gaps.  It may turn out that I/my organization would get involved with
something like this - since it is quite important to what we are trying to
accomplish.

JS