[LAU] Linux FLOSS video

[Simon Wise]

On 03/09/12 03:27, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
> It's not OT, since film/video and audio are related.

yes

> Excepted of Linux stand alone devices, resp. special hardware/software
> solutions nobody can't have at home, perhaps Robin can, but usually we
> can't pay for it and excepted of some people drawing a complete
> animation film alone, there is software available, that isn't available
> for Linux. So, if Patrick wants to make more companies taking care about
> Linux, then it's useless to argue with unpayable professional film gear,
> as Robin did and it's useless to claim, that some software isn't needed,
> because it can be done without this software.
> I'm using Linux only myself.
> However, if we want more attention to Linux, we can't argue that way.
> Companies see what's available and much used on Mac and Windows and if
> Linux doesn't provide this, then for sure many companies aren't
> interested in Linux as a market.
> We can put lipstick on the pig, but that won't change the situation.

there are two issues being confused here  ....

High end expensive software that runs natively on linux is certainly part of the 
linux audio realm, even if not open source itself.

Linux is not only about home-use cheap solutions, and it is not only about 
running FLOSS systems. It seems a more and more suitable platform for some kinds 
of commercial software and for some kinds of expensive industry uses in video 
and elsewhere. There seems to be more and more specialist high end markets for 
it, and indeed more and more only-partly-FLOSS low end and embedded systems such 
as Android phones and tablets out in the wild. That is a good thing for those of 
us that also use Linux in FLOSS systems, since it pays for quite some input into 
the kernel we all use ... but that is only because Linux is GPL and not some 
less restrictive license!

Now that Final Cut Pro has become abandon-ware (at least as far as serious 
studio use on big projects goes, though the replacement is probably OK for 
smaller studios and projects) then those studios will need to look at non-apple 
solutions. Since animation and 3D work is so heavily a part of the industry now, 
and almost certainly part of the training and experience of anyone entering the 
industry in the last few years, then the traditional paradigm for video editing 
(based on the old film based methods) as used by FCP and Avid as well as (in a 
more limited way) in lots of other applications including FLOSS ones is becoming 
less relevant.

What will replace Apple and its set of applications in these studios is an 
interesting question, perhaps Apple has done its usual trick of dropping 
something as soon as they see it is on the road to being replaced anyway, and 
perhaps they will continue to support their 3D and animation stuff on the 
platform for a long time, but surely being bitten by switching from Avid to FCP 
then finding Apple's commitment to the industry was somewhat capricious and a 
that lot of training is now going to waste they may be wary of trusting the 
platform too much in the future.


Simon