[Foundation-l] [Wikitech-l] File format policy

[Gregory Maxwell]

On 2/12/06, Erik Moeller <erik_moeller at gmx.de> wrote:
> I've been asked to bring this up here as a result of the discussion on
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_picture_candidates/Image:Storm.ogg
>
> where a video was nominated for featured status, but several people
> objected because they could not play Ogg Theora. We currently do not
> allow other video formats.
>
> I would suggest implementing the following policy on all Wikimedia wikis:
>
> "It is allowed to upload files in patent-encumbered formats like MP3 or
> the MPEG-4 codecs only provided that a version in a non-encumbered
> format is also uploaded. Files which are only provided in
> patent-encumbered formats should be deleted."
>
> Thoughts, comments, objections? Ideally, the conversion could be done
> automatically, but a soft policy might do the trick for now.

I think that is a *terrible* idea, and I also believe that you're not
telling the complete story about the complaints about this video: The
uploader was trying to be helpful and put a note about using
RealPlayer on the image description page (rather than the more
carefully thought out text from our media help page).  Most of the
objections were to real player, it seems that the Windows version is
perceived as carrying malware. Once it was pointed out that the video
did not require real player and that it was no different from other
videos the objections were mostly removed.

We already have had enough problems with Windows executibles being
renamed .ogg and uploaded, we really shouldn't make it worse by
actually permitting them.

So how long until the suggestion that our article text be distrubted
in encrypted dupliation locked ebook format?