[Ffmpeg-devel] Undefined reference to mpegts_parse_open/close/packet

[Rich Felker]

On Mon, Oct 02, 2006 at 07:30:26PM +0200, Borat wrote:
> Rich Felker wrote:
> 
> > On Mon, Oct 02, 2006 at 07:15:55AM -0700, Unga wrote:
> 
> >> I'm bit confused now. You are telling me disable
> >> *all*.  
> >> The --disable-encoders --disable-decoders
> >> --disable-muxers --disable-demuxers --disable-parsers
> >> does that. So how to enable what I want after that?
> 
> > No. He told you to DISABLE EVERYTHING, i.e. build a ffmpeg that DOES
> > NOTHING! This is the only way you will ever avoid patent claims until
> > nonsense software patents are abolished. Even the simple XOR operation
> > is patented!!
> 
> Unga was just friendly asking how to enable support for the
> codecs/formats he wants and to disable support for the rest, which
> could be a wise way to minimize problems. He also wrote "Please forget
> about patents." Answering him "No" is not helpful in any way.

It's mildly "helpful" in the sense that way too many people have this
misconception (perpetuated by the folks at xiph.org!) that some codecs
are "patent-encumbered" while others are "patent-free". This leads to
making the serious mistake of thinking that the software patent
problem can be solved by boycotting patented "products" and inventing
new patent-free ones, just like the copyright problem can be solved by
replacing non-free software with free reimplementations. However this
does not work with patents! Patents are extremely broad. Most of them
cover things which are extremely trivial in the modern age, and which
were "invented" somewhere between 50 and 100 years ago. Moreover, you
cannot write any non-trivial software without using "patented"
methods.

The "service" that Diego and I were doing in this thread was pointing
out that trying to avoid patented codecs is a misguided and hopeless
pursuit. If the user still wants to disable codecs, he's welcome to do
so...

Rich