[Ffmpeg-devel] Re: [PATCH] Partial port of ffmpeg to MS Visual C - and a note on the inttypes.h issue

[Diego Biurrun]

On Mon, Jan 29, 2007 at 10:24:28AM +0100, Steve Lhomme wrote:
> Diego Biurrun wrote:
> >On Thu, Jan 25, 2007 at 05:53:25PM +0100, Stefan Heinzmann wrote:
> >>Open source software projects, as we all know, are there to prove a
> >>point. The production of code that is useful to some is a purely
> >>coincidental side effect. You should be grateful that there are
> >>right-minded people who have the truth firmly planted in their heads and
> >>don't hesitate to disseminate it to you. It is for your best, although
> >>you might not yet realize it! And, hey, it is free! ;-)
> >
> >It's a common misconception that open source software in general and
> >FFmpeg in particular is written with usefulness to third parties in
> >mind.  It is not.  Hence all third parties that appear complaining about
> >a lack of usefulness are not offered a warm welcome.
> 
> It is assumed not only for open source _libraries_ but also for closed 
> libraries in general. If you write a library the goal is that it's used 
> by other people if not don't make it a library.

Nonsense.

A library is used by programs, not people.  If you write a library you
want it to be used by other programs.  Other programs that you write
yourself for example.  Programs like ffmpeg, ffplay, MPlayer, xine,
tcvp.  Notice how many FFmpeg devs work on MPlayer, plus one on xine and
another on tcvp.

> Now it's a misconception between free and business people of what the 
> goal of Open Source is.

True

> For the former it's a political act to ban use of any closed software 
> whenever possible. For the latter it's to make generic code common to 
> many people to avoid them reinventing the wheel.                      

False

Diego