Talk:Fluendo mp3 decoder

Installation experiences / tips

I could not get this installation to work in Sugar, on build 623, on a B4 OLPC. However, it worked from the command line using

gst-launch-0.10 playbin uri=file:///path/to/file.mp3

It works well in Build 650, and mp3 files can be played from the Journal, using the Watch & Listen Activity. --Tomhannen 11:16, 10 December 2007 (EST)

Simpler installation procuedure?

I emailed Fluendo asking if the install process could be simplified for OLPC systems, as going through an online shop is quite laborious for a free (as in $0) codec. Here is the reply I received:

We have a license agreement allowing projects like OLPC to distribute the mp3 codec themselves for
free as a distribution channel for our technology.

Our Codec manager (included in Fedora 8) allows automatic installation
of MP3 as well. For the others we prefer if they pass by our webshop.
This way they have an account and see our other product which is a good
marketing point for us.

Best regards,

Does this mean that the installation process could be improved? --Tomhannen 11:16, 10 December 2007 (EST)

I think that Mp3 support isn't really wanted as a goal of the project. We might be able to add the codec for free, but mp3 as a format is not Free/Libri. Ogg is preferable and superior. As an education machine for children there are several reasons *not* to include the ability. And for G1G1 users, not having the codec will encourage them to support Free formats, and perhaps lead them to Free and Open (CC) music. This stance is about social change, much the same as Ubuntu's on the same subject. is for Insects 12:58, 10 December 2007 (EST)

I completely agree with the goal of free & open source software, but I also would like as many people as possible to be able to access a wide variety of news sources.. Why is it easier to read a PDF files than an mp3 or Realplayer stream? Surely these are equally as proprietary? I'd love to persuade major broadcasting organisations to release their content as ogg files (maybe one day I might..), but until they do, I'd feel like OLPC was missing out somehow, and would be criticised for restricting its decoding abilities, compared to other FOSS projects, such as firefox... --Tomhannen 18:17, 11 December 2007 (EST)