[LAU] A3 video prev: syncing partially out of sync video and audio in existing files

[Paul Davis]

On Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 3:26 AM,  <pshirkey at boosthardware.com> wrote:

> That is reasonable for an alpha version but when there is no ongoing
> support for the stable versions of the most useful tools and making sure
> there is a decent collection of unstable tools to work with in the major
> distros that suggests a more sinister angle. There is absolutely no good
> reason for the major distros to be so slack in this regard. They are
> literally making us all look bad.

Support is *the* most labor intensive aspect of the software industry.
The Linux community does a suprisingly good job with "community
support", but when it comes to the kind of support that people who are
used to Apple and Microsoft (read: the majority of the world's current
computer owners), its pretty limited to just the stuff that companies
are prepared to pay for. News flash: companies are not paying for
media production software support on Linux because they don't use
publically available linux software for media production.

> I wouldn't be at all surprised if Microsoft and Avid were paying people to
> sabotage the major distros.

You're paranoid.

> They surely see Linux multimedia production
> tools as a significant threat by now. The last thing they want is for the
> tools to be widely installed and utilised ootb.

What single tool is there for Linux that can even come close to Final
Cut Pro? This is the tool that is spreading like wildfire (and
destroying Avid in the process), and Linux has got *NOTHING* that can
touch it. Why? Because its incredibly fucking hard to create this kind
of software. It doesn't happen as a part time hobby, it requires a
substantial, organized, manged team of very skilled and very
differently skilled people OR it requires a VERY, VERY long time (c.f.
ardour).  If you know anyone who is organizing/running/managing such a
team with the explicit goal of creating media production tools like
this, please let us know.

I know of one and only one attempt to create (for Linux) anything
remotely close to the kinds of professional tools that Avid has
shipped for years, and as far as I know it has crashed and burned with
a more or less complete failure in the marketplace (I'm not giving its
name in case I'm wrong about that last part - it may have just settled
for "tiny niche status with enough support revenue from 5 customers to
keep going").

Distros don't create sofftware like this, they don't provide support
for software like this.

Now, is Linux also lacking in the "home media production" stuff? Well,
it true that as far as picture management, we've got some good stuff
now on a par with iPhoto. But home video editing? Integration with the
music store that dominates the landscape? For very different reasons,
these are not there, and distros are not in much of a position to do a
damn thing about either of them.

> Avid and Microsoft are well aware of this current situation and are no
> doubt doing their best to keep the status quo. In other words they are
> poisoning the well.

Avid are heading for financial issues (mostly thanks to FCP) and
Microsoft is not much of player in media production software.

> If it's not that then the only option left is incompetence on the part of
> the major distro's and the people they pay or choose not to pay to look
> after this stuff. But as it really doesn't take much effort on the part of
> Avid and Microsoft to get to those people and they can print cash to

You're claiming that existing companies are paying off people who work
for linux distros to convince them to not ... do what precisely? Hack
on JahShaka?

> facilitate their agenda I have given up on the idea that the current
> situation is due to incompetence.

how about "lack of resources"?