Ok, so Jamesday proposes that we use any open or common file format. Should I write this into the Wikipedia:Sound policy, or is this debate going to go on forever? (I'd prefer it be settled before I write the policy). Jimbo - is James's idea OK by you?
--Mark
Yeah, write it there.
On Thu, 22 Jul 2004 16:39:03 -0400, Mark Pellegrini mapellegrini@comcast.net wrote:
Ok, so Jamesday proposes that we use any open or common file format. Should I write this into the Wikipedia:Sound policy, or is this debate going to go on forever? (I'd prefer it be settled before I write the policy). Jimbo - is James's idea OK by you?
--Mark
Wikitech-l mailing list Wikitech-l@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikipedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikitech-l
Mark Pellegrini wrote:
Ok, so Jamesday proposes that we use any open or common file format. Should I write this into the Wikipedia:Sound policy, or is this debate going to go on forever? (I'd prefer it be settled before I write the policy). Jimbo - is James's idea OK by you?
Absolutely not. I don't think I could be any more clear about this.
The policy is that we must avoid file formats that can not be used by legal free software. Yes, we can make special allowances in some special cases. Yes, we have to make some judgments about the patent status of some popular formats.
In the case of MP3 versus ogg, there's very little question. Ogg is easily readable and playable by all major players on all major operating systems (requiring at most the download of a plugin or codec, and usually not even that). There is very little inconvenience to end users anyway.
But that's what our policy has to be (i.e. can the format be used by legal free software?), not "any open or common file format".
--Jimbo
wikitech-l@lists.wikimedia.org