Restricted software in Ubuntu, continued

[poofyhairguy]

thully at umich.edu Wrote: 
> I started the previous monster thread about non-free software and
> Ubuntu.
> This thread got a little out of control, and spawned numerous replies.
> I just wanted to clarify my questions and views on these issues
> 
> As many know, some distributions (like MEPIS, Mandrake, Debian, and
> many others)
> include  MP3 playback that others don't.  Are they  breaking laws? Why
> can they
> include MP3 playback support and Ubuntu can't? I realize that mp3 can
> be added
> from universe, but as mp3 is a wildly popular format it seems as
> playback 
> support should be included in main if possible. Also, I see that many
> distributions (some free of charge) include Flash. Are they violating
> license
> agreements to do this?

'Nope' (http://www.mp3licensing.com/royalty/software.html),  they pay
for each version. Thats why distros that include MP3 players are
pay-for distros (SUSE, Mandrake). Well, they might not pay- but legally
they should. I don't want Ubuntu to be semilegal.

thully at umich.edu Wrote: 
> I realize that Ubuntu wishes to support totally free formats, but Ogg
> Vorbis at
> this point has few portable players which support it - and that is a
> problem. 
> It also may be a good idea to include some way to purchase a licensed
> mp3
> encoder and/or licensed DVD player.  People don't want to, for example,
> ditch
> their iPods or MP3-CD players (I've never seen an OGG-CD player).

Thats why Ubuntu keeps it compatibility with debian. You want to play
that stuff- get into the multiverse. 

thully at umich.edu Wrote: 
> Also, people want to be able to access their favorite websites on Linux
> - even
> if they use Flash.  I tried the free software Flash player, and it
> worked for
> none of the few sites I tried.

A. In universe
B. Now Firefox can add Flash for you, even a noob could do it.

thully at umich.edu Wrote: 
> I know this stuff can be downloaded from multiverse/universe/third party
> repos,
> but this is unsupported and sometimes things in there have major
> breakage that
> never gets fixed - and can't be reported in bugzilla.  Note that I
> don't want
> Ubuntu to start including large amounts of non-free software - I just
> think it
> would be good to include non-free software when reasonably possible (or
> make it
> easy to install if not reasonably possible) and when free software
> doesn't
> satisfy the need sufficently.  I also wonder if in the case of MP3
> recording
> and DVD if in the future (not for Hoary, of course) an easy interface
> could be
> made
> for Wine to use Windows DVD players and MP3 encoders.

This stuff won't happen because Ubuntu is a free distro. You can get
everything you need using FAQS provided right here on this forum, and
enabling Universe is as easy as a checkmark in synaptic. Sure it isn't
guaranteed to work, but the stuff in SUSE and Mandrake doesn't always
work either (in my experiance I've had better luck with universe
packages than packages made by Mandrake on Mandrake!)

thully at umich.edu Wrote: 
> I think that many Windows users who want to use Linux and try Ubuntu
> will be
> dismayed when their MP3s don't play, their favorite websites don't
> work, and
> give up.  Thus, not including some non-free multimedia programs (or at
> least
> making them easy to install and supported) will hurt the growth of the
> Ubuntu
> and the growth of free software.  I believe that while free software is
> a very
> good thing, the "free software or no software" mentality inhibits the
> adoption
> of Linux on the desktop.
> 

Let me first say that I am not a hard head, I get your point. But I
don't believe Ubuntu needs this stuff in order to be successful- it
already is a success to many people. If people want a distro that
includes this stuff, let them pay for Mandrake of Xandros, I wish for
Ubuntu to remain free (as in beer). 

Plus, lets not kid ourselves here, NONE what we call "window noobs" can
setup ANY OS for themsleves. Thats why they buy Dells, so big daddy Dell
can set up windows for them. If you forced the real noobs to install any
os, including windows, they would freak. 

Plus a Dell doesn't do everything you want. You want to play Divx
movies? You have to find out that there is this thing called a Divx
player to do it. Which you have to find and download without Dell's
help. If you can figure that out, then you are not a "window noob" and
you have enough skill to install Ubuntu and use the faqs here to get it
to act like a good desktop. 

For everyone else, a nerd will have to set it up just like papa Dell
sets up there windows box. Nothing wrong with it. If anything, the
complaints about "not having media support" comes from nerds that could
easy add it but are too lazy to because they know other distros will do
it for them. Let them buy the other distros.

Now, I'm not accusing you. And I do admit I wish the universe was
handled better (I would prefer a live universe instead of snapshots).
But media support will never come with a free distro like Ubuntu. but
Ubuntu makes it pretty easy to add what you need.


-- 
poofyhairguy