Re: [bongo-devel] Re: bongo.el --- flexible and usable media player

[Daniel Brockman]

address@hidden (Daniel Jensen) writes:

> Well, I guess it is up to you, Daniel.

I have been browsing the mplayer website, trying to find out
which codecs are free and which are non-free.  I couldn't.
Apparently the mplayer people think this distinction is
completely unimportant.  For example, look at this list:

   <http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/codecs-status.html>

One gets the impression that they don't care whether a codec
is free, as long as they can use it --- in one way or another.

I guess this attitude is what RMS has a problem with.
He's saying we should boycott mplayer until they start
caring about software freedom.

Is that right, Richard?

I also browsed VLC's website.  Interestingly, I didn't find
any information there, either, about use of non-free codecs.
On the other hand, I believe --- and please correct me if I
am wrong --- that VLC in fact does not encourage use of
non-free software.  Why don't they brag about this more?

> Since you have contributed to EMMS, can you share with us how
> it happened that it was included in GNU with mplayer support?

First of all, I'm not sure whether EMMS really had that much
support for mplayer when it became part of the GNU project
(other than being able to start it as an opaque player process).
For example, I don't think it could pause or seek or anything.

Further, EMMS, while part of GNU, is not part of GNU Emacs.
If Bongo is to become part of Emacs --- the flagship of GNU,
in a way --- it would feel wrong for it to encourage use of
software which in turn encourages use of non-free software.

Personally, I think it's fine to use non-free codecs to
decode video you otherwise wouldn't be able to decode.
(Indeed, I often use mplayer to convert such videos into
formats which _can_ be played using only free software.)

That doesn't mean we should _encourage_ people to do it.
Encouraging people to use mplayer --- and thus, indirectly,
to use non-free codecs --- has the side-effect of lowering
the demand for free alternatives to those non-free codecs,
which is exactly what RMS wants to avoid.  So do I.

As developers of Bongo, we have a tiny bit of leverage here.
I think we should use that leverage to push for freedom.

-- 
Daniel Brockman <address@hidden>