Comments on: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back http://bpepple.wordpress.com/2008/03/14/one-step-forward-two-steps-back/ General Musings From Columbus Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:02:22 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: racer of SEO http://bpepple.wordpress.com/2008/03/14/one-step-forward-two-steps-back/#comment-10285 racer of SEO Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:14:48 +0000 http://bpepple.wordpress.com/?p=254#comment-10285 Note that the free/libre MP3 plugin from Fluendo is still there. Choosing to install that is left to the user who should know if they are at-risk in their locale with respect to patent-encumbered software. Note that the free/libre MP3 plugin from Fluendo is still there. Choosing to install that is left to the user who should know if they are at-risk in their locale with respect to patent-encumbered software.

]]> By: Brian Pepple http://bpepple.wordpress.com/2008/03/14/one-step-forward-two-steps-back/#comment-10249 Brian Pepple Sun, 16 Mar 2008 13:26:43 +0000 http://bpepple.wordpress.com/?p=254#comment-10249 Frankly if I was on the board, I would have voted to keep the codecs from being removed from Codeina. While not perfect, it gave our users affected by patent issues an opportunity to easily get legal codecs. Also, I think Greg ( http://gregdek.livejournal.com/24120.html ) was spot on in regard to our shoddy treatment of Fluendo. Regardless. this might all be moot, since it appears that Bastien orphaned Codeina Friday evening. Frankly if I was on the board, I would have voted to keep the codecs from being removed from Codeina. While not perfect, it gave our users affected by patent issues an opportunity to easily get legal codecs. Also, I think Greg ( http://gregdek.livejournal.com/24120.html ) was spot on in regard to our shoddy treatment of Fluendo. Regardless. this might all be moot, since it appears that Bastien orphaned Codeina Friday evening.

]]> By: quaid http://bpepple.wordpress.com/2008/03/14/one-step-forward-two-steps-back/#comment-10247 quaid Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:19:28 +0000 http://bpepple.wordpress.com/?p=254#comment-10247 Not knowing where you fall in the codeina debates, and not able to easily tell from your one line observation above, I guess I am tempted to say, "WTF?" 1. CodecBuddy/codeina was put in the distro to do the most Fedora can do with telling people about why non-free and patent encumbered software is not included in the distro. 2. In Fedora 8, the codeina implementation shipped with XML files that point directly to software that is both non-free/non-libre and patent encumbered. 3. Now users will have to (horrors!) click through to the Fluendo website to find and pay for their non-free software; which is sort of what it was like before, just without shipping the direct pointers in Fedora. 4. Fluendo and others can now find a way to allow users to "Click here to install more codec options" or somesuch that puts additional XML files in for codeina to find and display. That paves the way for *more* user choice per their own needs, laws, and conscience. The way it stands in Fedora 8, it is as if there is only one choice and you have to pay for it. Seems to me like it's a no brainer that #2 means we made a mistake and need to fix it. Hence the Board decision to stop shipping the pointers to install patent encumbered, non-free software. #4 provides a route to additional freedom of choice for people who choose that route, without encumbering the distro with monocular pointers to non-free content. Note that the free/libre MP3 plugin from Fluendo is still there. Choosing to install that is left to the user who should know if they are at-risk in their locale with respect to patent-encumbered software. Hopefully the CodecBuddy explanation helps their understanding that much more. User-friendly is just not the top of the Fedora list. <a href="http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Marketing/MarketingPlan#head-78907d6f96db2e22ffa745ebfa45218f04083b51" rel="nofollow">Latest Fedora Marketing work on target audience</a> says: PRIMARY TARGET * Free and open source software enthusiasts, developers, and remixers. SECONDARY TARGET (AS NEEDED) * General desktop users * Enterprise users, developers, and organizations interested in tracking the development of RHEL or participating in it So, do you disagree with all this? What would you recommend instead? What would you have done if you were on the Board and deciding this for all of Fedora? Not knowing where you fall in the codeina debates, and not able to easily tell from your one line observation above, I guess I am tempted to say, “WTF?”

1. CodecBuddy/codeina was put in the distro to do the most Fedora can do with telling people about why non-free and patent encumbered software is not included in the distro.

2. In Fedora 8, the codeina implementation shipped with XML files that point directly to software that is both non-free/non-libre and patent encumbered.

3. Now users will have to (horrors!) click through to the Fluendo website to find and pay for their non-free software; which is sort of what it was like before, just without shipping the direct pointers in Fedora.

4. Fluendo and others can now find a way to allow users to “Click here to install more codec options” or somesuch that puts additional XML files in for codeina to find and display. That paves the way for *more* user choice per their own needs, laws, and conscience. The way it stands in Fedora 8, it is as if there is only one choice and you have to pay for it.

Seems to me like it’s a no brainer that #2 means we made a mistake and need to fix it. Hence the Board decision to stop shipping the pointers to install patent encumbered, non-free software. #4 provides a route to additional freedom of choice for people who choose that route, without encumbering the distro with monocular pointers to non-free content.

Note that the free/libre MP3 plugin from Fluendo is still there. Choosing to install that is left to the user who should know if they are at-risk in their locale with respect to patent-encumbered software. Hopefully the CodecBuddy explanation helps their understanding that much more.

User-friendly is just not the top of the Fedora list. Latest Fedora Marketing work on target audience says:

PRIMARY TARGET

* Free and open source software enthusiasts, developers, and remixers.

SECONDARY TARGET (AS NEEDED)

* General desktop users

* Enterprise users, developers, and organizations interested in tracking the development of RHEL or participating in it

So, do you disagree with all this? What would you recommend instead? What would you have done if you were on the Board and deciding this for all of Fedora?

]]> By: patching out non-free code offers in codeina « journal/notes http://bpepple.wordpress.com/2008/03/14/one-step-forward-two-steps-back/#comment-10246 patching out non-free code offers in codeina « journal/notes Sat, 15 Mar 2008 05:58:05 +0000 http://bpepple.wordpress.com/?p=254#comment-10246 [...] 15, 2008 I wanted to respond to this comment by Brian Pepple. Everyone on the board has gotten uncomfortable with the idea that inclusion of the [...] [...] 15, 2008 I wanted to respond to this comment by Brian Pepple. Everyone on the board has gotten uncomfortable with the idea that inclusion of the [...]

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