So what? Yes, they demand it, no, we CANNOT deliver that right now. Full stop.
So what? You try telling that to some new user who's interested in this Linux thing... Saying "it's not legal to include on the SUSE DVD" is a perfectly legitamate answer. What I have a MAJOR issue with is that there are NO LEGAL avenues or alternatives. To get that much demanded multimedia playback the user has the choice of.... a 3rd party repository that is clearly at the minimum a grey area in terms of legality in most parts of the world. I'm not saying that SUSE is at fault here... I know the whole issue... I understand it... and I hate it.
Ubuntu users can use (unofficial!) Debian packages - so can SUSE users with Pakman.
BUT.... Ubuntu provides an easy way for users to add in those extras. SUSE does not. I know there are good reasons (as thrashed to death here). Imagine youreslef a new user... one who can't wade through the misery that is the openSUSE wiki. You want to play that video that Uncle Bob emailed you. You cannot... unless you stumble on the handy addon that started this thread :-P
> I am fully aware of the legal implications... but as an end user I > find it unacceptable that the solution is to not have a solution. Windows doesn't have one. Users accept this, and install XVid, DivX, Vorbis, etc. themselves. Why isn't this accepted in the Linux world?!?
You're missing the point. Windows users do have a solution. They have easy to find and single click install applications. You take your average computer user and you tell them.. Go install PowerDVD (or whatever) in Windows. They can because it takes very little technical knowledge... and they have a fully legitamate solution available in the form of a bit of software they can purchase and download. They want to do the same in SUSE... and I have to take them to the back room (figuratively speaking) and tell them that there is no legal way to do it... but if they go over here... add a repository (following cryptic info on the openSUSE Wiki)... at this point their eyes glaze over... Tell me... what's the difference between telling people how to add the repositories on the openSUSE Wiki, and doing the Ubuntu thing and including them (disabled) in the packagemanager of choice? Anyway, I'm not trying to slag on SUSE... just voicing the frustration I face every day when people I'm trying to help migrate to SUSE are grousing at me about Linux etc etc. It's not accepting that they have to download drivers and apps separately.... it's the fact that there is so often no legal solution... and what solution there is, is complex convoluted and obsfucated. You now, as I think of it, maybe the reason thsi isn't accepted in teh Linux world is that when someone gets the SUSE distro, they get what appears to be a complete solution. They get all the apps.. they get Openoffice, The Gimp, GAIM, Kopete, video players, browsers... everything.. except the bit the really want... the elusive multimedia. Maybe this is why the new users get cranky... I don't know. I do know I hate being on the front lines and facing them some days....
Yes, there might be support for some codecs in the future, yes, we do know about everyone wanting this to work on a basic system, yes, we do work on it, no, it won't come fast.
I know... :-) As much as I detest Real Player.... what about the announcement that they are licensing the Windows media codecs including WMV... like they did with MP3. While I will continue to use Guru and Packman solutions... the Real Media way would probably work fine for the new users. C. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
