RestrictedFormatsSolutions

Revision 6 as of 2006-02-23 19:24:19

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Restricted Multimedia Formats - The Solutions

The problem with restricted multimedia formats has been described in RestrictedFormatsProblem. Since it is a complex issue, any possible solution would imply some kind of compromise.

Right now, there are three proposed solutions:

1) Making two versions of Ubuntu: one for countries with software patents (equal to the Ubuntu we have now), and the other for the rest of the world (with out-of-the-box support for MP3, DVDs, DivX, etc).

  • Pros: better out-of-the-box experience for non-USA users, might raise patent awareness.

  • Cons: doesn't help users from the USA, requires the overhead of maintaining two versions.

2) Including some kind of post-install assistant with Ubuntu, that asks users if they live in a software-patent-country or not, and then installs all the necessary packages (whether by downloading them or by pulling them from the CD if bundling those files is legal).

The [http://www.gstreamer.net/ gstreamer multimedia framework] is a single point that manages multimedia support for GNOME and other applications. GStreamer can be adapted so that when a codec is not found, it will be able to run a post-install assistant provided by the distribution. See relevant bug GStreamer report [http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=161922 161922].

  • Pros: better desktop experience for all users, might raise patent awareness (slightly).

  • Cons: requires Internet connectivity.

(a first draft of this spec can be found in RestrictedFormatsAssistant)

3) Including non-Free software (like RealPlayer), so users from all countries could legally play most multimedia formats.

  • Pros: better desktop experience for all users.

  • Cons: breaks Ubuntu's commitment with Free Software.