reality & freedom

reality & freedom

Posted Jan 3, 2006 1:39 UTC (Tue) by pjm (subscriber, #2080)
In reply to: GStreamer's MP3 for Linux: Thanks, but no thanks. by jdub
Parent article: GStreamer's MP3 for Linux

The previous poster suggests that the availability of this binary is clearly a win in real terms, but this is far from clear in the longer term.

It would clearly be contradictory to think that software freedoms have no connection with reality: each of the freedoms in question is in the physical world, reality.

Inability to share this binary among others is one real-world result. Other real-world harms come from perpetuating the idea that it is wrong to help one's neighbour by sharing one's software.

Inability to modify the source and use the resulting different binary has yet other harms: for example it is harder to take advantage of bug fixes & feature improvements of others.

Additional convenience in using the mp3 format reduces the rate of transition to better formats. Thus, Fluendo might instead consider distributing a command-line utility to convert mp3 files to better formats (allowing separate, unencumbered, gui interfaces to that tool). This would have more chance of helping the transition to other formats; whereas a gstreamer plugin will clearly reduce this transition.

Paying the patent license fee and slowing down the transition to better formats each increase monetary payments to the patent holder, and increase the attractiveness of patenting things (to the detriment of everyone else), increasing the likelihood of future patent harm.

Of course this binary does provide real-world benefit as well: one immediate benefit of easing the playing of some music files, and future benefits through increasing the use of other free software for people who would use mp3 software no matter what.

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