[FFmpeg-user] ffserver removal

Carl Eugen Hoyos ceffmpeg at gmail.com
Tue Sep 13 18:45:58 EEST 2016


2016-09-13 12:36 GMT+02:00 Michael Fritscher
<michael.fritscher at telematik-zentrum.de>:
> I just read the sad news about ffserver :-(

Note that most developers seem not to believe that ffserver actually has users.

> The biggest problem for maintaining seems to be the usage of the internal
> APIs, right? The other stated problems seem not to hinder development
> of the other components of ffmpeg.

I am not so sure:
After you have fixed the usages of internal API's, it may well be that you are
also asked to take over maintainership if you don't want ffserver to disappear.
(If you don't fix the usages, it will most likely be removed in the not too
far future.)

> That are the big showstoppers here? The ffserver.c has
> /* FIXME: those are internal headers, ffserver _really_ shouldn't use them
> */

This is the (most) relevant comment, yes.

> /* FIXME: This code should use avformat_new_stream() */
>
> Are these 2 the biggest problems hindering ffserver from staying into
> ffmpeg?

(I don't know.)

> Which of these headers are internal ones?

The ten includes that follow the line with the FIXME.

> If somebody mentors me and give me hints of the direction I should
> take for the problematic cases (use other API,

This is required (at least in most cases).

> other workarounds,

This will depend on the workaround.

> make internall API officially external

This will most likely lead to an even quicker removal of ffserver.
(In some cases.)

In many cases, you may be able to change a usage of old
(deprecated) internal api into usage of new internal api, it
has to be seen if such patches will be accepted.

I suggest you contact Reynaldo H. Verdejo Pinochet who has made many
of the recent changes to ffserver and may be able to help.

Carl Eugen

In case this isn't obvious: I am strongly against the removal of ffserver
and just trying to explain that the situation is not easy.


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