Fluendo MP3 GStreamer Plugin in Main for Dapper?

[John Nilsson]

On Fri, 2005-12-30 at 00:54 +0100, Øivind Hoel wrote:
> On 12/29/05, John Nilsson <john at milsson.nu> wrote:
> > On Thu, 2005-12-29 at 18:55 +0100, Øivind Hoel wrote:
> > > User experience is what should come first - always. In my thought
> > > patterns, that's the whole point of Ubuntu - to provide an easy to use
> > > desktop for everyone.
> >
> > In that case, maybe the wording about free software comittment on
> > www.ubuntulinux.org should be changed?
> 
> I should think that statement/commitment(?) applies to normal
> software. MP3 playback is impossible to deliver in a completely free
> way because of the US patent issue, but since a huge portion of the
> media people have on their computers is in the MP3 format, I'd think
> we should support it out of the box now that we have the opportunity
> to do so (if we can get the rhythmbox license changed and/or fit
> mono/banshee on the cd).

Maybe the committed-to-free-software-way would be to provide a
web-service to convert mp3s to ogg/vorbis?


> It's not as if we don't supply restricted stuff already, so I don't
> see why you keep stressing your point about the free software
> commitment applies, really. I think it's a fine ideal to pursue, but
> until the world becomes perfect, we'll have to do the sensible thing
> first.

Actually I don't have such strong feelings about the issue, I just enjoy
the discussion ;-) but I do think that it has to be clear, what is the
Ubuntu way? Convenience or ideals?

Regarding other restricted stuff, those aren't on the CD or in the main
distribution. I thought we where talking about "out of the box" mp3
support here. Installing this plug-in after the fact wont be much
different from installing say gstreamer0.8-mad, apart from the
gstreamer0.8-mad package being free software.

One thing I don't get, if I install this gstreamer0.8-fluendo-mp3(?)
package will it then be illegal for me to have rhythmnbox installed?

Regards,
John