Fluendo Launches the Ultimate Media Center for Linux Operative Systems

[Lennart Sorensen]

On Tue, Mar 16, 2010 at 12:25:13PM -0400, D. Hugh Redelmeier wrote:
> Fluendo has been around for a while.
> 
> They have provide Linux users with CODECs authorized by the patent
> holders.

Do they come with source code?

> For some distro (Fedora? Ubuntu?  I don't remember which) they are
> automatically offered as a source of CODECs by the system when it
> realizes that a new CODEC is needed.  I suspect that not a lot of
> folks use them anyway, but I have no actual data on this.
> 
> | I thought we had been able to do any region DVD playback for about a
> | decade on linux now.  How is this news?
> 
> Not in a way authorized by the patent holders.

Perhaps not.  I don't care.  I don't copy DVDs.  If I couldn't play them,
I wouldn't buy them.  I don't buy blueray because I can't play them.

> Some folks try to do things the "by the book".  It is thought that
> corporations in particular see the downsides of unauthorized use of
> patents and decide the cost of the authorization is worthwhile.

And some people try to maintain their systems open source so that they
can be supported and fixed if necesary.

> On the other hand, the whole system has been brought into such
> disrepute that some do not care.
> 
> Generally speaking, Linux folks seem to respect copyright and care
> less about patents.  Not surprising: copyrights help Linux but patents
> hurt it.

Software patents hurt everyone (except lawyers).

> Quick test: do you use MP3 or Ogg Vorbis for music?  (If you answer
> flac, you have successfully evaded my test.)  MP3 is patent encumbered.

And not all of those patents apply in all countries.  In the case of my
mythtv box I do in fact use flac.

> In the early days, as I understand it, the MP3 patent holder said no
> royalty was required on players so even careful Linux distros had
> players.  Then Fraunhofer Institute rescinded that permission.  Now,
> Fedora (a careful US-domiciled distro) has no MP3 player (third parties
> make unauthorized MP3 software easily available for Fedora).
> 
> Linux is at a disadvantage compared with MS Windows.  MS licenses
> these things in bulk with a lot of bargaining power.  They may not
> even pay anything since the patent holders need MS Windows support.

Well it's only at a disadvantage for handling media in patent encumbered
formats.  There are patent free choices out there.

-- 
Len Sorensen
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