Re: problems after installing Debian

2017-03-20 Thread rhkramer
I'm not the OP, but: good / helpful post--thanks!

On Monday, March 20, 2017 05:15:19 AM to...@tuxteam.de wrote:
> On Sun, Mar 19, 2017 at 08:52:14PM -0500, Michael Milliman wrote:
> 
> [...]
> 
> > As an addendum to my previous post on this topic, the reason this
> > library is not included in the Debian repositories is that there are
> > legal issues in some jurisdictions associated with using this library.
> > I'm not sure exactly what the legal issues are, but it has something to
> > do with copyrights, not of the library, but of the videos.  So, you
> > might want to check on the legalities in your jurisdiction.
> 
> To be more specific: the DVD's content is (almost always) encrypted
> (the so-called "Content Scrambling System" aka CSS). To unscramble,
> you need a key, issued by one industry consortium. Every "device"
> manufacturer (a device can also be a piece of software) has to get
> such a key, under the usual "industry standard" abusive conditions,
> perhaps involving some money changing hands.
> 
> Now DeCSS managed to circumvent all that -uh- circus, which AFAIK
> involves some "leaked" keys (remember each "device", that involves
> software, has some key somehow embedded in it. Obfuscation makes it
> difficult, yet not impossible to extract the key).
> 
> The currently preferred libdvdcss uses another approach and doesn't
> need leaked keys.
> 
> In some jurisdictions, the wormtongue^H^H "content industry" lobbies
> have managed to make it illegal to circumvent (or help in circumventing)
> such "intellectual property protection schemes". Even talking about
> it (as I am doing now) might be considered iffy in some jurisdictions
> (I think the situation is a tad better these days, but I might be
> wrong). This is the famous DMCA in the USA, although we have similarly
> appetizing things over here in the EU.
> 
> The gist of the thing is that you *might* get in hot water by even
> offering such a library in the InterTubes (the original DeCSS author
> actually got into legal hot water). And that the laws and their
> exceptions are so mushy as to be ideal food for lawyers. The kind of
> warm and humid climate where FUD grows best.
> 
> In a nutshell, best to get politically involved or at least to
> throw some money at those fighting the good fight (in the USA you
> have a huge choice, like the EFF and the FSF to name but two).
> 
> Read more here:
> 
> [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_scrambling_system
> [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeCSS
> [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libdvdcss
> 
> Regards
> -- tomás



Re: problems after installing Debian

2017-03-20 Thread tomas
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On Sun, Mar 19, 2017 at 08:52:14PM -0500, Michael Milliman wrote:

[...]

> As an addendum to my previous post on this topic, the reason this
> library is not included in the Debian repositories is that there are
> legal issues in some jurisdictions associated with using this library.
> I'm not sure exactly what the legal issues are, but it has something to
> do with copyrights, not of the library, but of the videos.  So, you
> might want to check on the legalities in your jurisdiction.

To be more specific: the DVD's content is (almost always) encrypted
(the so-called "Content Scrambling System" aka CSS). To unscramble,
you need a key, issued by one industry consortium. Every "device"
manufacturer (a device can also be a piece of software) has to get
such a key, under the usual "industry standard" abusive conditions,
perhaps involving some money changing hands.

Now DeCSS managed to circumvent all that -uh- circus, which AFAIK
involves some "leaked" keys (remember each "device", that involves
software, has some key somehow embedded in it. Obfuscation makes it
difficult, yet not impossible to extract the key).

The currently preferred libdvdcss uses another approach and doesn't
need leaked keys.

In some jurisdictions, the wormtongue^H^H "content industry" lobbies
have managed to make it illegal to circumvent (or help in circumventing)
such "intellectual property protection schemes". Even talking about
it (as I am doing now) might be considered iffy in some jurisdictions
(I think the situation is a tad better these days, but I might be
wrong). This is the famous DMCA in the USA, although we have similarly
appetizing things over here in the EU.

The gist of the thing is that you *might* get in hot water by even
offering such a library in the InterTubes (the original DeCSS author
actually got into legal hot water). And that the laws and their
exceptions are so mushy as to be ideal food for lawyers. The kind of
warm and humid climate where FUD grows best.

In a nutshell, best to get politically involved or at least to
throw some money at those fighting the good fight (in the USA you
have a huge choice, like the EFF and the FSF to name but two).

Read more here:

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_scrambling_system
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeCSS
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libdvdcss

Regards
- -- tomás
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Re: problems after installing Debian

2017-03-19 Thread Michael Milliman


On 03/19/2017 07:18 PM, Harry wrote:
> Hi,
>  I have installed Debian 8.5.0 cinnamon i386 .I like the program 
> after having a lot of crashes with linux mint !
> My problem now is i can't get anything to play a video disc , Totem
> does'nt work , video player gives the message could not support
> initializing library.
> Forums  suggest uninstalling gstreamer but then i find theres  several
> in the the system , so which one or all ??
> Nothing seems to  help . I thought of updating  Debian but i can't find
> out how to do that either ! Linux mint had a simple update manager .
> Hope you can help .
>  Thank you , Harry
As an addendum to my previous post on this topic, the reason this
library is not included in the Debian repositories is that there are
legal issues in some jurisdictions associated with using this library.
I'm not sure exactly what the legal issues are, but it has something to
do with copyrights, not of the library, but of the videos.  So, you
might want to check on the legalities in your jurisdiction.
-- 
73's,
WB5VQX -- The Very Quick X-ray



Re: problems after installing Debian

2017-03-19 Thread Michael Milliman


On 03/19/2017 07:18 PM, Harry wrote:
> Hi,
>  I have installed Debian 8.5.0 cinnamon i386 .I like the program 
> after having a lot of crashes with linux mint !
> My problem now is i can't get anything to play a video disc , Totem
> does'nt work , video player gives the message could not support
> initializing library.
The problem is that the Debian repositories do not have the libdvdcss
library, which is required for most modern DVDs.  I have had the same
problem, and have had to solve it.  Add the following line to your
/etc/apt/sources.list file:

deb http://download.videolan.org/pub/debian/stable/ /

Once this is added to sources.list, run:
sudo apt-get update
(or press the reload button in synaptic)
Then run:
sudo apt-get install libdvdcss
(or select the package of that name in synaptic and install it)
This should solve your problem.

This library is written and provided by the same group that writes the
VLC media player, and works rather well.

> Forums  suggest uninstalling gstreamer but then i find theres  several
> in the the system , so which one or all ??
> Nothing seems to  help . I thought of updating  Debian but i can't find
> out how to do that either ! Linux mint had a simple update manager .
> Hope you can help .
>  Thank you , Harry

-- 
73's,
WB5VQX -- The Very Quick X-ray



How do I play a video disc with Debian? was: Re: problems after installing Debian

2017-03-19 Thread Lisi Reisz
On Monday 20 March 2017 00:18:37 Harry wrote:
> Hi, I have installed Debian 8.5.0 cinnamon i386 .I like the program 
> after having a lot of crashes with linux mint !My problem now is i can't
> get anything to play a video disc , Totem does'nt work , video player gives
> the message could not support initializing library. Forums  suggest
> uninstalling gstreamer but then i find theres  several in the the system ,
> so which one or all ??Nothing seems to  help . I thought of updating 
> Debian but i can't find out how to do that either ! Linux mint had a simple
> update manager .Hope you can help .
> Thank you , Harry

Welcome to Debian.

Just changing subject line to attract people who know about video.  

What have you got in your sources.list?  /etc/apt/sources.list  That is 
usually a good place to start, because you may need some additional and 
non-free software, which may not be available in Debian main.

There are lots of ways to update.  I use (and recommend)
# aptitude update
# aptitude full-upgrade
at the command line,
but by saying so I have probably started a flame war.  As I said, there are 
lots of ways.

Whichever way you do it, you should certainly upgrade now!!  Confusingly, 
Debian uses the term upgrade for what you are meaning by update.

Lisi