[wellylug] Presentation videos now available

Richard richard at redspider.co.nz
Wed Mar 10 12:19:32 NZDT 2004


> - First of all we need to recognise that the time and effort that R2
> provide is for free.

No problems there. Doing things for free deserves much credit :) 

> - Secondly we need appreciate the motives as to why R2 might offer to do
> this sort of thing at such at excellent price (and also why they have
> decided to stream only).

Actually, why are they stream-only? out of interest :)

> - If you can't make it go, ask for help. I can watch it here. All you
> need is mplayer.

Actually, all you need is a Microsoft DLL. Mplayer just acts as a wrapper but a
fair few of the linux players can wrap around the same DLL. But the important
point is, you can't do it without the Microsoft DLL.

Now, this is absolutely not anything against r2's work, people putting the
effort into videoing, encoding and maintaining the infrastructure for the
streaming system should have their name embossed in gold on a life-size statue
in Civic Square as far as I'm concerned, its a damn useful resource.

But, on the other hand, this is the Linux User Group.

This is not to suggest that technical fanaticism is the way to go, but if we
can't get these things up and viewable in an open format, who could?

The question, I guess, is why you use Linux. And I suspect the Group as a whole
probably covers the entire spectrum from "Its cool" to "Its technically better"
to "Free as in Speech!" to "I live to emulate Richard Stallman"

For those of us who see Linux not only as the technically better alternative,
but also as a flagship for Free as in Speech, it would be inappropriate to
settle for proprietry formats of any kind when open ones, or better, Free ones
are available.

I acknowledge all arguments towards bringing others into the fold by using a
format that Windows users can use easily, and see absolutely no reason why r2
should stop doing what they do so well. However for those who share my
motivations behind using Linux, there would appear to be a moral compulsion to
extend some effort at least to providing the data in as Free a format as
possible.

To that end I'm happy to donate bandwidth, and if r2 or someone connected with
them are capable of getting me a full file of each presentation, I will see what
I can do towards making them available in an alternate format off exorsus.

-- 
Richard Clark,
Analysis and Design,
Red Spider (http://redspider.co.nz/)
(+64) 021 478 219

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