[Mageia-dev] [RFC] Moving various packages/codecs to tainted

Tue Jan 10 00:12:26 CET 2012

Hi all!
+
+As I've noted in some previous emails, our core/tainted media codec
+split-up is currently arbitrary without any specific logic.
+
+As far as I remember, the tainted policy is that codecs for formats that
+are claimed to be covered by patents should be there.
+
+Per that policy, at least the AC-3/DTS/MP3/MPEG-2/MPEG-4/H.264/VC-1
+decoders and AC-3/MPEG-2/MPEG-4 encoders we have in core should be moved
+to tainted section. Note that this will make most current
+.mkv/.avi/.mp4/.mov/.wmv/.mp3 files unplayable without packages from
+tainted section.
+
+I've covered the other-distributions status earlier [1] in more detail,
+but a quick rehash: Fedora doesn't have these codecs at all,
+Debian/Ubuntu ship them in Main section, Arch has them as well.
+
+The (probably slightly incomplete) list of source packages that need
+some action (completely or partially moved to tainted) can be found below.
+
+Shall I implement the move of the packages?
+(after the current ISOs process is done)
+
+Needs to be moved completely to tainted:
+
+a52dec - AC-3 decoding library
+mad - MP3 decoding library
+mpeg2dec - MPEG-2 video decoding library
+ocaml-mad - uses mad
+pymad - uses mad
+vdr-plugin-dvd - uses a52dec
+vdr-plugin-mp3 - uses mad
+
+Needs to be moved to tainted or to implement two separate builds:
+
+alsaplayer - uses mad
+audacity - uses mad
+k3b - uses mad
+kwave - uses mad
+lastfm-player - uses mad
+libextractor - uses mpeg2dec
+libtunepimp - uses mad
+mixxx - uses mad
+mjpegtools - uses mpeg2dec
+normalize - uses mad
+qtractor - uses mad
+scummvm - uses mad
+sox - uses mad
+stepmania - uses mad
+stratagus2.1 - uses mad
+streamripper - uses mad
+xbmc - uses mpeg2dec
+
+Already has dual build, but needs more stuff to be tainted-only:
+
+avidemux - AC-3 dec+enc, DTS dec, MPEG-2 dec/enc, MPEG-4 dec/enc,
+	   H.264 dec, uses mpeg2dec, VC-1 dec
+cdrdao - uses mad
+ffmpeg - AC-3 dec+enc, DTS dec, MPEG-2 dec/enc, MPEG-4 dec/enc,
+         H.264 dec, VC-1 dec
+gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg - as above
+gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad - uses mpeg2dec
+gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly - uses mpeg2dec
+mpd - uses mad
+mplayer - AC-3 dec+enc, DTS dec, MPEG-2 dec/enc, MPEG-4 dec/enc,
+         H.264 dec, VC-1 dec
+vlc - uses mad, a52dec, mpeg2dec
+xine-lib1.2 - uses mad
+
+
+I didn't include in the above list several formats:
+- ASF (no active licesing program IIRC, Fedora ships it as well)
+- MPEG-2 TS (apparently even Fedora ships them, dunno if oversight,
+  though)
+- H.263 (no active licensing program IIRC, relatively obscure when
+compared to others)
+
+
+[1] https://www.zarb.org/pipermail/mageia-dev/20101012/001084.html
+
+-- 
+Anssi Hannula
+