Bug#678795: task-desktop: Flash support should pull in browser-plugin-lightspark

Petter Reinholdtsen pere at hungry.com
Wed Jun 27 12:20:23 UTC 2012


[Per Olofsson]
> It seemed to me that Firefox/Iceweasel was going to start supporting
> H.264,[1] but perhaps I was mistaken.

I sure hope neither is going to support H.264 as part of HTML5
<video>.

> Since Debian already includes H.264 support, surely it would be
> better if Iceweasel could use it directly instead of relying on a
> Flash plugin.

I am not convinced it is better for Debian to help increase the
liability of people publishing video on the web, by increasing the
user base for H.264, given that the cain of taxes listed in
<URL: http://webmink.com/essays/h-264/ > will affect us all:

 * Those creating H.264 video need approval from MPEG-LA
 * Those streaming H.264 video need approval from MPEG-LA
 * Those creating players for H.264 video need approval from MPEG-LA

And approval can cost money and require user counting.  Only those
using the players as individual persons have been granted approval
from MPEG-LA until at least 2015.

Supporting H.264 in browsers increases the preassure of those that
want to avoid the video tax, and I sure hope Debian will not be part
of that.

-- 
Happy hacking
Petter Reinholdtsen



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