On Thu, 20 May 1999, qozmo x xx wrote:
> hey, can anybody point me toward a good, free mp3 encoder for
> linux that is not a trial version??
IIRC there can't be an mp3 encoder that is free software because of patent
problems; I seem to have heard of recent changes in the patent ownership but
I don't think that the situation has changed. So if we want a free mp3
encoder, we will have to either convince the patent holders that this is
okay, or design a replacement format that we can use with free software
(this is actually an item on the GNU Task List, but I don't think that
anyone is working on it yet).
