[Foundation-l] foundation-l Digest, Vol 36, Issue 20

[Damian Finol]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

foundation-l-request at lists.wikimedia.org escribió:
> Send foundation-l mailing list submissions to
> 	foundation-l at lists.wikimedia.org
> 
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> 	http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> 	foundation-l-request at lists.wikimedia.org
> 
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> 	foundation-l-owner at lists.wikimedia.org
> 
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of foundation-l digest..."
> 
> 
> Today's Topics:
> 
>    1. How non-free is Flash? (Erik Moeller)
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2007 09:39:25 +0100
> From: "Erik Moeller" <erik at wikimedia.org>
> Subject: [Foundation-l] How non-free is Flash?
> To: "Wikimedia Foundation Mailing List"
> 	<foundation-l at lists.wikimedia.org>, 	"Wikimedia Commons Discussion
> 	List" <commons-l at lists.wikimedia.org>
> Message-ID:
> 	<b80736c80703060039y498cc1d7o47796e80e7578c60 at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
> 
> How non-free do we consider Flash to be? The Gnash player appears to
> be making good progress. Would it be acceptable to permit useful Flash
> files which work in Gnash and don't require non-free codecs to be
> uploaded?
> 
> I did not see any issues with patents mentioned in the relevant
> Wikipedia article. The old Macromedia Flash website lists a US patent
> on "creating gradient fills", but that seems so bizarre as to pose no
> real threat.
> 
> (Let's keep this separate, for now, from the question when a format
> like Flash would be appropriate, content-wise. I'd like to fully
> understand the "freeness" first.)

Greetings,

Adobe licenses the flash format specifications to others who are willing
to create programs that export to Flash. However, the format itself is
not free as in freedom.

Also, Adobe doesn't allow those licensed users to create software that
would play Flash, Gnash is most likely a reverse engineered player. And
Adobe could change the rules of engagement at any time leaving us with
all the Flash content, a player who isn't free and waiting for the Gnash
people to work on an update.

With all that being said, a full end to end implementation of SVG should
offer the same benefits Flash provides plus it would be free.

Regards,
Damián
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (MingW32)
Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org

iD8DBQFF7VtEBJnO54tRUmoRApWAAJ92mSydgBvpYDPVH3CfURMlkGakMACfWG87
D6n/srnTma8aXtmmV2DFaro=
=UnHv
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----