[Foundation-l] Format Conversion

[Robert Rohde]

I agree that making content available on free systems is a Good Thing, but
before we go down the path banning all encumbered formats, I'd like to ask
if there is an accessible middle ground.

Many unfree file formats are poorly supported on Linux and associated free
software systems; however, it is also true that many free file formats are
poorly supported on Windows and similar unfree systems.  For example, one
may have to install additional readers/converters/etc. to use OGG and
related formats on Windows that aren't available by default.  That is not an
insurmountable barrier, but it is a barrier, especially to those people with
limited technical skills.  In addition, there are many situations, such as
libraries and public school computers, where the user is not allowed to
install any software at all.

I also suspect that there are many people of the YouTube Generation, for
example, that would be happy to make their content free, but only really
know how to work with MPEGs.

Rather than have Wikimedia say "X format is unfree, therefore X is
forbidden", I would much rather see: "X format is unfree,
therefore Mediawiki will automatically translate it into these free formats,
and provide all users with several options for which format they can most
easily use."

Obviously Mediawiki doesn't yet have facilities for format conversion, but
in general I think that is a superior goal to simply saying that unfree
formats are forbidden.  The legitimacy and technical feasibility of
performing such conversions may depend on the details of why a specific
format is unfree in the first place, and that is something that will
probably have to be looked at on a format by format basis.   However,
whenever possible, I would prefer to increase accessibility to Wikipedia by
supporting (and converting) the formats actually in use, rather than
erecting barriers to participation.

If the same content could be made available in both a widely-used
proprietary format and poorly used open source format, would anyone object,
in principle, to using Wikimedia facilities to convert between the two and
then distributing both?  I'd much rather we work to improve accessibility by
making formats interoperable (whenever possible) rather than simply banning
all formats that aren't fully free.

-Robert A. Rohde