Nikos Chantziaras posted on Sat, 05 Sep 2009 02:19:12 +0300 as excerpted: > On 09/05/2009 01:24 AM, Robert Bradbury wrote: >> >> Is gnash still under development (as an open source alternative to >> Adobe flash)?
TTBOMK [1], gnash is now a GNU sponsored project, one I believe they are actually paying someone to spend some time on, now, after a free flash alternative came up near the top of the priority list on a user poll they did about three years ago. <a quick ggl:gnash later> Yes, gnash is a GNU project, at least, tho I'm not sure on the paid developer status. The latest release was 0.8.5_beta4, on March 3, this year: http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/ >> If so, then it would seem to make sense to keep the >> plugin alive. Where does this all go with the evolution towards more >> open media formats (HTML 3.x?). It is my impression currently that a >> consensus could not be agreed upon for a "standard" open >> non-proprietary format for audio/video files. HTML 5.0, and you're impression is reasonably correct. Based on what I've read, they settled on <audio> and <video> tags, but could not come to agreement on specific codecs, because the FLOSS folks couldn't accept a proprietary (patented) codec, and some of the others couldn't/wouldn't accept the current state of open codecs, at least for video (audio I believe they agreed on ogg-vorbis, but check before you rely on that). I believe Nokia was on the proprietary side as they already had a license for <whatever>, and theora wasn't in a state that would work well on their cellphones and the like. But that's changing, and a further HTML 5.1 version may well have a free video codec as well. Combine that with some of the stuff that's already possible in draft-5.0, and Flash may have a tough fight on its hands. Of course, there's Microsoft Silverlight to worry about too... > Flash *is* an open format; Adobe opened up its specs a while ago. It's > just that the only full implementation of it isn't open (Adobe Flash). AFAIK, the issue isn't the "openness" of the format, you're absolutely correct on that, but the fact that some of the most effective and popular flash related codecs have serious software patent issues, at least in areas of the world where such things unfortunately exist. The other factor is that while it's open, Adobe controls the spec I believe, and thus can continue to develop their closed version and not release the updated spec until they release their updated player at the same time (if they choose to update the spec at all, they can just let it fall behind if the chose, too), so open implementations will by definition remain 1-2 versions behind, because by the time they get to a particular spot, Adobe will have likely released a new version and a new spec to go with it. ..... [1] TTBOMK: To the best of my knowledge. emerge wtf and query it on the command line as wtf ttbomk, if you need a cheat sheet for this sort of thing, or look it up on onelook.com, FWIW, I have onelook setup as the ol: kde web shortcut here, plus wtf. =:^) -- Duncan - List replies preferred. No HTML msgs. "Every nonfree program has a lord, a master -- and if you use the program, he is your master." Richard Stallman
