[Foundation-l] We should permit Flash video playback

Sat Jul 21 04:31:21 UTC 2007

On 7/21/07, Tim Starling <tstarling at wikimedia.org> wrote:
[snip]
> I too want to have content that you can freely reuse, and that can be
> edited with free tools. But I want to support popular non-free client
> systems as well, to improve access for readers.

Just to correct a piece of misunderstanding some may have after
reading the above:

The free formats we use are not copylefted. They are not fundamentally
incompatible with non-free software.

The reference implementations are BSDish licensed. They are available
for use in closed software, and are widely used in closed source
software.

Microsoft ships Ogg support embedded in many games for their internal audio.

Opera is closed software, and the upcoming version will have
Ogg/Theora support.  Ogg/Theora for video support is now part of the
standing WHATWG HTML5 standard specification.

All in browser web video playback today requires some sort of software
install on typical non-free desktop systems.  For some sites it is
flash, others Java, and others require other types of plugins or
players. Flash penetration is somewhat higher than Java, the magnitude
of which depends on the type of audience you service. (All three of
the financial services sites I use require Java for something, as does
some VPN software I use... So while Java is in decline for webtoys it
still dominates web tools for professionals)

The player we have today works for a significant majority of the
people who try it.

You certainly can't argue that the use of Ogg/Theora excludes non-free software.

Two years ago you could have argued that the use of only free formats
was significantly hurting access by readers. Today that argument is
much harder to support. Within a year as nave support goes into
released versions  FireFox and Opera that argument will be far harder
still.

Wikimedia's exclusive support of unencumbered formats has had a
material impact in their general viability.  To concede on this after
so much progress, when the benefits of doing so are the least they
have ever been would be foolish.