2 Sep
2003
2 Sep
'03
12:51 p.m.
Rob wrote:
> Any questions?
> Rob
To summarize this thread: Neither Flash nor SVG allows
the easy
creation of multimedia presentations including audio, using free
software or otherwise, under Linux. Both will cost you a lot of
money to use in the first place and both have non-free browser
plugins available, Flash currently reaches about 90% of the
browsers out there, and SVG doesn't appear to have audio support
at all.
I hadn't intended to launch a flame war with my simple question but,
after all, this pretty much answers it. So, in the end, the heat was
enlightening.
Now, for the hard questions:
1. Which open-source initiatives currently come closest to the goal of
"easy creation of multimedia presentations including audio, using free
software or otherwise, under Linux?"
2. How far away are they?
3. What are they missing?
4. Browser plug-in acceptance is a big issue. But I have seen
proprietary technologies that download the plug-in in real time just in
advance of the audio/video stream so that the end consumer does not need
a pre-installed plug-in. How difficult is this to pull off?
5. Where should we place our bets; e.g. who and how should we encourage
with volunteer effort, cash patronage, etc.?
6. Is it worthwhile to even pursue these lines given Macromedia's
entrenched position?
I realize that this is an audio forum. But wide adoption of
audio-synchronized multimedia would provide a voracious outlet for good
music and sound.
Best wishes,
Lloyd R. Prentice