Re: release notes: first draft
Hi Davyd, Nice work, but I noticed several (typo) mistakes in the GStreamer section. Here is the proposed fixed/updated section with slight rewrites to make it easier to read: GNOME 2.14 uses the technology of GStreamer 0.10. The GStreamer multimedia framework is a powerful, pluggable audio and video framework used on Linux and UNIX desktops as well as in embedded devices and much more. This latest release series of GStreamer is faster and more stable than any of the previous versions. Issues like synchronization of audio and video across different devices have been addressed, as well as threading and the dynamic handling of multimedia plugins. You can find out more from the GStreamer website. All of the multimedia applications that ship with GNOME have been upgraded to take advantage of the latest GStreamer; including Totem, Sound Juicer and the volume controls. GStreamer 0.10 will also allow users to take advantage of multimedia plugins distributed by 3rd party vendors to offer support for licensed codecs for which no legal plugins are available. These may include support for AC3, WMA, MP3 and more. A licensed, yet freely available, MP3 plugin for GStreamer 0.10 has already been made available by Fluendo, a long-time supporter of GStreamer. Edward On 3/6/06, Davyd Madeley [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Ok guys and gals. I am announcing a preliminary draft of the release notes for 2.14. We now require proof readers for spelling, grammar and technical correctness. The latest committed version is online at: http://www.gnome.org/start/2.14/notes/C/index.html You can also check out the release notes from CVS: http://cvs.gnome.org/viewcvs/gnomeweb-wml/www.gnome.org/start/2.14/notes/docbook/C/ We are using gnome-doc-utils for translation. I hope the translators know how to get all of that working, because I have no idea. Warning, I AM AN AUSTRALIAN, SPELLINGS MAY BE CONSIDERED INCORRECT. My grammar is also pretty appalling. Please send through corrections for these. Feel free to correct minor spelling mistakes yourself. Discussion should happen on list as appropriate or on the IRC channel #release-notes on irc.gnome.org. Addendum: - If anyone knows the status of the LiveCD, that section requires updating. - Danilo was meant to be providing the i18n stats page, he said he added it, but I can't see where. - Does anyone want to take charge on writing a press release? I am willing to raise my hand again if so required. -- Davyd Madeley http://www.davyd.id.au/ 08B0 341A 0B9B 08BB 2118 C060 2EDD BB4F 5191 6CDA ___ desktop-devel-list mailing list desktop-devel-list@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop-devel-list -- Edward Hervey Junior developer / Fluendo S.L. http://www.pitivi.org/ ___ desktop-devel-list mailing list desktop-devel-list@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop-devel-list
Re: release notes: first draft
Hi, I didn't mention any specific country, nor the whole world I just said for which no legal plugins are available. which seemed to be the most neutral way of putting it.\ I could go on very long about the quality/benifits of licensed and unlicensed codecs, but I think the strong point here is that it *allows* both for everybody's benefits (nothing *forces* you to download/use them AFAIK). Edward On 3/7/06, Tommi Vainikainen [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On 2006-03-07T11:34:25+0200, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: GStreamer 0.10 will also allow users to take advantage of multimedia plugins distributed by 3rd party vendors to offer support for licensed codecs for which no legal plugins are available. These may include support for AC3, WMA, MP3 and more. A licensed, yet freely available, MP3 plugin for GStreamer 0.10 has already been made available by Fluendo, a long-time supporter of GStreamer. For me this seems bit U.S. centric. In many countries (even Western countries) reverse engineering is allowed. In many more countries there are no patents restricting those file formats. Therefore codes/plugins are most likely illegal only in U.S. and some other countries, but not all over the world. -- Tommi Vainikainen -- Edward Hervey Junior developer / Fluendo S.L. http://www.pitivi.org/ ___ desktop-devel-list mailing list desktop-devel-list@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop-devel-list
Re: release notes: first draft
Hi, Le mardi 07 mars 2006 à 14:50 +, Edward Hervey a écrit : Given the goal of gnome to be a free desktop I think the description take advantage of is misleading. It allows third party vendors to take advantage of users. It allows users to be taken advantage of. And its hardly a feature from a software freedom perspective. revised version 0.3.a-beta-pre25-coma-7: Gstreamer 0.10 will also give users the possibility to use, where patents apply, multimedia plugins distributed by 3rd party vendors to offer support for licensed codecs for which no legal plugins are available. Does that make more clear the *freedom of choice* offered to users ? It's a bit misleading, since depending on the application licence, these 3rd party plugins might or might not legal to use if I'm not mistaken. Christophe ___ desktop-devel-list mailing list desktop-devel-list@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop-devel-list
Re: release notes: first draft
Hi Alan :) On 3/7/06, Alan Cox [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Maw, 2006-03-07 at 13:44 +, Edward Hervey wrote: I could go on very long about the quality/benifits of licensed and unlicensed codecs, but I think the strong point here is that it *allows* both for everybody's benefits (nothing *forces* you to download/use them AFAIK). Given the goal of gnome to be a free desktop I think the description take advantage of is misleading. It allows third party vendors to take advantage of users. It allows users to be taken advantage of. And its hardly a feature from a software freedom perspective. revised version 0.3.a-beta-pre25-coma-7: Gstreamer 0.10 will also give users the possibility to use, where patents apply, multimedia plugins distributed by 3rd party vendors to offer support for licensed codecs for which no legal plugins are available. Does that make more clear the *freedom of choice* offered to users ? We are pushing strongly the support of patent-free formats like theora/vorbis/dirac (for which Fluendo has already put in a lot of efforts and is carrying on with projects like http://schrodinger.sourceforge.net/), unfortunately we are not living in a perfect world :( We ARE for free formats ! Edward -- Edward Hervey Junior developer / Fluendo S.L. http://www.pitivi.org/ ___ desktop-devel-list mailing list desktop-devel-list@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop-devel-list
Re: release notes: first draft
Hi, On 3/7/06, Christophe Fergeau [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi, Le mardi 07 mars 2006 à 14:50 +, Edward Hervey a écrit : Given the goal of gnome to be a free desktop I think the description take advantage of is misleading. It allows third party vendors to take advantage of users. It allows users to be taken advantage of. And its hardly a feature from a software freedom perspective. revised version 0.3.a-beta-pre25-coma-7: Gstreamer 0.10 will also give users the possibility to use, where patents apply, multimedia plugins distributed by 3rd party vendors to offer support for licensed codecs for which no legal plugins are available. Does that make more clear the *freedom of choice* offered to users ? It's a bit misleading, since depending on the application licence, these 3rd party plugins might or might not legal to use if I'm not mistaken. It will only be illegal to ship those applications *together* with those plugins. But if you download those plugins afterwards, no issues. GStreamer was developed with those issues in mind. Edward Christophe ___ desktop-devel-list mailing list desktop-devel-list@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop-devel-list -- Edward Hervey Junior developer / Fluendo S.L. http://www.pitivi.org/ ___ desktop-devel-list mailing list desktop-devel-list@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop-devel-list
Re: critical warnings; turn them off now?
On Tue, 2006-03-07 at 15:39 +, Bill Haneman wrote: Since we're now in code freeze for 2.14, shouldn't we turn off the critical warnings behavior in gnome-session now? I understand that it will automatically turn itself off in stable tarballs. Someone else could confirm this fact for me. --d -- Davyd Madeley http://www.davyd.id.au/ 08B0 341A 0B9B 08BB 2118 C060 2EDD BB4F 5191 6CDA ___ desktop-devel-list mailing list desktop-devel-list@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop-devel-list
Re: release notes: first draft
Edward Hervey wrote: revised version 0.3.a-beta-pre25-coma-7: Gstreamer 0.10 will also give users the possibility to use, where patents apply, multimedia plugins distributed by 3rd party vendors to offer support for licensed codecs for which no legal plugins are available. Does that make more clear the *freedom of choice* offered to users ? Apart from the freedom issue (which is important), is this actually a new feature for Gnome 2.14? GStreamer 0.8 also used plugins, so surely codec vendors had the same ability to offer plugins back then as with 0.10. Has anything actually changed here other than a vendor (Fluendo) making use of this ability? If not, then this probably isn't appropriate for the release notes. James. ___ desktop-devel-list mailing list desktop-devel-list@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop-devel-list
Re: critical warnings; turn them off now?
tir, 07,.03.2006 kl. 15.39 +, skrev Bill Haneman: Hi; Since we're now in code freeze for 2.14, shouldn't we turn off the critical warnings behavior in gnome-session now? There are lots of places where this causes unnecessary crashes, particularly in gail and at-spi. While we want to fix them eventually, it's made accessibility pretty much DOA in 2.13 so far. I think the easy thing would be to branch gnome-session for 2.14.x and put the change in there. That said, I've been running with a11y enabled and G_DEBUG=fatal-criticals since it was added and the only app I've found it necessary to run with G_DEBUG='' is evolution. I've filed a bunch of bugs for the things that have popped up there and I think most of the a11y specific ones have been fixed or are under investigation, so things are definitely improving. We should definitely continue this through the next cycle and keep it as the default for every development cycle in the future in my opinion. Cheers Kjartan ___ desktop-devel-list mailing list desktop-devel-list@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop-devel-list
Re: release notes: first draft
On 3/7/06, James Henstridge [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Edward Hervey wrote: revised version 0.3.a-beta-pre25-coma-7: Gstreamer 0.10 will also give users the possibility to use, where patents apply, multimedia plugins distributed by 3rd party vendors to offer support for licensed codecs for which no legal plugins are available. Does that make more clear the *freedom of choice* offered to users ? Apart from the freedom issue (which is important), is this actually a new feature for Gnome 2.14? GStreamer 0.8 also used plugins, so surely codec vendors had the same ability to offer plugins back then as with 0.10. Has anything actually changed here other than a vendor (Fluendo) making use of this ability? If not, then this probably isn't appropriate for the release notes. This issue has been a big, ongoing issue for the linux desktop for years. It certainly seems appropriate to talk about the results now that our long-term strategic choices have blossomed. Luis ___ desktop-devel-list mailing list desktop-devel-list@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop-devel-list
Re: critical warnings; turn them off now?
Davyd Madeley wrote:
I understand that it will automatically turn itself off in stable
tarballs. Someone else could confirm this fact for me.
Yes, from gnome-session/main.c:
versions = g_strsplit (VERSION, ., 3);
if (versions versions [0] versions [1])
{
int major;
major = atoi (versions [1]);
if ((major % 2) != 0 is_later_than_date_of_doom ())
--
Marco Barisione
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Re: critical warnings; turn them off now?
On Tue, 7 Mar 2006, Marco Barisione wrote:
versions = g_strsplit (VERSION, ., 3);
if (versions versions [0] versions [1])
{
int major;
major = atoi (versions [1]);
if ((major % 2) != 0 is_later_than_date_of_doom ())
I believe we used to call that 'minor'.
--behdad
http://behdad.org/
Commandment Three says Do Not Kill, Amendment Two says Blood Will Spill
-- Dan Bern, New American Language
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Re: release notes: first draft
On Maw, 2006-03-07 at 14:50 +, Edward Hervey wrote: Gstreamer 0.10 will also give users the possibility to use, where patents apply, multimedia plugins distributed by 3rd party vendors to offer support for licensed codecs for which no legal plugins are available. Does that make more clear the *freedom of choice* offered to users ? Thats confusing for other reasons for which no legal plugins are available... (if so how is anyone distributing them) How about A small number of countries permit patents on software and algorithms. This may prevent the distribution or use of some open source plugins in these countries. The GNOME project is strongly opposed to these harmful patent policies but also recognizes that it is important for users to be able to make choices. Therefore Gstreamer 0.10 permits users in these countries to install third-party non-free codecs when open source plugins are not available. The GNOME 2.14 distribution does not itself contain these non-free components. ___ desktop-devel-list mailing list desktop-devel-list@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop-devel-list
Re: release notes: first draft
On 2006-03-07T11:34:25+0200, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: GStreamer 0.10 will also allow users to take advantage of multimedia plugins distributed by 3rd party vendors to offer support for licensed codecs for which no legal plugins are available. These may include support for AC3, WMA, MP3 and more. A licensed, yet freely available, MP3 plugin for GStreamer 0.10 has already been made available by Fluendo, a long-time supporter of GStreamer. For me this seems bit U.S. centric. In many countries (even Western countries) reverse engineering is allowed. In many more countries there are no patents restricting those file formats. Therefore codes/plugins are most likely illegal only in U.S. and some other countries, but not all over the world. -- Tommi Vainikainen ___ desktop-devel-list mailing list desktop-devel-list@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop-devel-list
Re: release notes: first draft
On Maw, 2006-03-07 at 16:37 +, Alan Cox wrote: plugins are not available. The GNOME 2.14 distribution does not itself contain these non-free components. Actually better yet contain or endorse Alan ___ desktop-devel-list mailing list desktop-devel-list@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop-devel-list
Re: release notes: first draft
Hi again, On 3/7/06, Alan Cox [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Maw, 2006-03-07 at 14:50 +, Edward Hervey wrote: Gstreamer 0.10 will also give users the possibility to use, where patents apply, multimedia plugins distributed by 3rd party vendors to offer support for licensed codecs for which no legal plugins are available. Does that make more clear the *freedom of choice* offered to users ? Thats confusing for other reasons for which no legal plugins are available... (if so how is anyone distributing them) How about A small number of countries permit patents on software and algorithms. This may prevent the distribution or use of some open source plugins in these countries. The GNOME project is strongly opposed to these harmful patent policies but also recognizes that it is important for users to be able to make choices. Therefore Gstreamer 0.10 permits users in these countries to install third-party non-free codecs when open source plugins are not available. The GNOME 2.14 distribution does not itself contain these non-free components. Fine by me, you've got way more experience explaining those issues by me :) Thanks for the rewrite and clarifications, Edward -- Edward Hervey Junior developer / Fluendo S.L. http://www.pitivi.org/ ___ desktop-devel-list mailing list desktop-devel-list@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop-devel-list
Re: release notes: first draft
Hi, plugins are not available. The GNOME 2.14 distribution does not itself contain these non-free components. Actually better yet contain or endorse I'd be completely fine with this standpoint. However, not everyone in the GNOME community necessarily agrees with this. I got *a lot* of requests to add an mp3 recording profile to gnome-media. Historically, I've always refuted these requests because I agree that GNOME should not be endorsing them. But the dam might crack at some point :) Thomas Dave/Dina : future TV today ! - http://www.davedina.org/ -*- thomas (dot) apestaart (dot) org -*- Put something real to me -*- thomas (at) apestaart (dot) org -*- URGent, best radio on the net - 24/7 ! - http://urgent.fm/ ___ desktop-devel-list mailing list desktop-devel-list@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop-devel-list
Re: critical warnings; turn them off now?
On Tue, 2006-03-07 at 15:39 +, Bill Haneman wrote: Since we're now in code freeze for 2.14, shouldn't we turn off the critical warnings behavior in gnome-session now? They'll turn themselves on automatically when the version number reaches .14; they are on in .13 (they are based on even/odd). There are lots of places where this causes unnecessary crashes, particularly in gail and at-spi. While we want to fix them eventually, it's made accessibility pretty much DOA in 2.13 so far. A critical warning is not some annoying spew in your console which you can ignore; it is an indication that something has gone HORRIBLY wrong and you should fix it immediately. It is not a faint light that says check engine, it is a big siren screaming, HOLY SHIT, SOMEONE PUT SUGAR IN YOUR GAS TANK. Federico ___ desktop-devel-list mailing list desktop-devel-list@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop-devel-list
Re: critical warnings; turn them off now?
On Tue, 7 Mar 2006, Federico Mena Quintero wrote: On Tue, 2006-03-07 at 15:39 +, Bill Haneman wrote: Since we're now in code freeze for 2.14, shouldn't we turn off the critical warnings behavior in gnome-session now? They'll turn themselves on automatically when the version number reaches .14; they are on in .13 (they are based on even/odd). By the way, shouldn't that be enabled/disabled using configure/Makefile/preprocessor magic instead of parsing the version number? There are lots of places where this causes unnecessary crashes, particularly in gail and at-spi. While we want to fix them eventually, it's made accessibility pretty much DOA in 2.13 so far. A critical warning is not some annoying spew in your console which you can ignore; it is an indication that something has gone HORRIBLY wrong and you should fix it immediately. It is not a faint light that says check engine, it is a big siren screaming, HOLY SHIT, SOMEONE PUT SUGAR IN YOUR GAS TANK. In many cases it's a false alarm. Something that should not have marked as such in the first place. From my experience with Pango modules recently, one major cause of these false alarms are g_return_if_fail()s. It's important to differentiate between some unusual but perfectly valid failure of something (like failing to lock a font face, because the font file may have been removed), and invalid input from the user. With former, you may want to do a g_warning and return, only with latter one should use g_return_if_fail. In other words, you should use g_return_if_fail in cases that upon seeing the crash, the developer has something to fix. This is not quite the case when font locking fails :) Federico --behdad http://behdad.org/ Commandment Three says Do Not Kill, Amendment Two says Blood Will Spill -- Dan Bern, New American Language ___ desktop-devel-list mailing list desktop-devel-list@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop-devel-list
PDFs for user-guide, accessibility-guide and system-admin-guide
I've been working on generating some new PDFs for the documentation in the gnome-user-docs package. I've come up with some build scripts[1] that generate some decent output using Apache's FOP and Norman Walsh's DocBook - XSL-FO stylesheets. The generated PDFs are available at: http://www.gnome.org/~bmsmith/user-guide.pdf http://www.gnome.org/~bmsmith/system-admin-guide.pdf http://www.gnome.org/~bmsmith/gnome-access-guide.pdf At this point, I would just like some feedback on these. I've ironed out most of what I think are the major issues, but I would like to hear comments about these, specifically related to formatting issues (since I know the content needs some work ;-) Although, really we have had some great work on the docs this cycle, thanks to some new contributors. [1] http://www.gnome.org/~bmsmith/gnomedocs-snapshot-20060307.tar.gz Thanks, -- Brent Smith [EMAIL PROTECTED] IRC: smitten ___ desktop-devel-list mailing list desktop-devel-list@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop-devel-list
