[linux-audio-user] ogg for Windows made really easy

[Dave Phillips]

Lee Revell wrote:

>Personally I think it's a losing battle to ask Windows users to use
>anything but WMP.  Like it or not MP3 is the standard.  We need to make
>MP3 "Just Work" on Linux.
>  
>
What's the problem ? Is there a lack of MP3 players for Linux ?

>MP3 is not a "closed format" it just has some patent issues (which may
>not be issues at all).
>  
>
The "issue" is that Frauenhofer has openly stated its intention to 
collect royalties from any & all MP3 encoders, and they've done a pretty 
good job of it. They are easy with the decoders (more people playing 
MP3s mean more people buying the encoders so more people will play MP3s, 
loop ad infinitum), which is why I asked what's the problem with MP3 
"just working".

See these URLs:

    http://www.8hz.com/mp3/

    http://bladeenc.mp3.no/

    http://www.mp3dev.org/mp3/ (for the interesting "educational 
purposes" rationale)

    http://www.mp3licensing.com

AFAICT only the LAME project continues to produce an open-source MP3 
encoder, and they are vocal about the fact that it is not based on the 
dist10 code. But if I recall correctly there was a time when even the 
LAME guys weren't really sure of their position wrt Frauenhofer's legal 
arm. At any rate, no binaries are available from the LAME site, only the 
"educational" source code.

Don't take me the wrong way, I'm not fundamentally opposed to the 
format. I've done this research a few times already, it's always the 
same conclusion: Frauenhofer have worked and *will* work their legal arm 
to enforce their patent, EOF.

>I find it amusing that so many people who won't use MP3 due to its
>"encumbrance" will happily run the proprietary Nvidia driver..
>  
>
I prefer Ogg because it sounds good and is open-source. If it sucked I 
wouldn't use it, open-source or no.

I use the nvidia driver for my ancient video card because I do some 
3D+audio stuff with Pd, I like the Stellarium program, and I 
occasionally use the OpenGL display in Snd. When I read some rave 
reviews of the ATI cards from someone else on this list who does similar 
work, I'll consider purchasing an ATI card (assuming it's an affordable 
purchase).

Best,

dp