[Ffmpeg-devel] [PATCH] Universal binary support for Mac OS X

[Michael Niedermayer]

Hi

On Mon, Feb 06, 2006 at 03:05:47AM +0100, Dan Villiom Podlaski Christiansen wrote:
> On 05/02/2006, at 16.02, Rich Felker wrote:
> 
> >BTW, do mac developers really consider their users so stupid that they
> >can't figure out which binary to download, and that they need to waste
> >twice the download time and disk space to make sure they have the
> >right binary? If so I find this really insulting to users, and sad..
> 
> This has nothing to do with stupidity, and everything to do with  
> usability.
> 
> When designing software that targets specific users, it's generally a  
> good assumption that anything the user wants to do is "right", or at  
> least the user should want to do "the right thing". Anything which  
> makes the user suddenly become aware of technicalities or  
> requirements of the system, is unacceptable. This is called  
> usability, and is target of a lot of scientific research, just like  
> the math and DSP algorithms used in FFmpeg.

yeah, so instead of becoming aware of the fact that she has a x86 system
while she maybe wanted to buy a ppc, she will become aware that she has
to pay more to her internet provider, wait no she wont notice that
either and shouldnt its bad if the user is botherd with that technicality
but what about the hd space? are you going to break into her appartment
and install a larger one while she is away? 
IMHO its more disruptive if your out of HD space then if you have to
download another file but thats just my experience, i guess mac users
throw their mac away if its out of diskspace and buy a new one ...


> 
> Imagine the following use case scenario:
> 
> A user downloads a copy of an application, e.g. VLC, to his work  
> computer, e.g. an x86-based Mac. The user then transfers this  
> application to his home computer, e.g. a PowerPC-based Mac, which  
> isn't connected to the Internet.

geez, no he downloads a app over GPRS to his mobile, transfers it to
his windows PC, linux x86, linux alpha, solaris sparc, mac ppc
mac x86, amiga, comodore, vax, pocket calculator and ipod


[...]
> Pretty much any Mac application using FFmpeg will want to have a  
> universal copy of FFmpeg. VLC being a prime example. Handbrake being  
> another.
> 
> IMHO you're remarks are needlessly inflammatory. There's no reason to  
> suggest that I or others consider users "stupid". It's just that the  
> average Mac user and the average Linux user are very, very different.

-> 2 very very different types of users -> hard to support both

supporting both ATM needs either corss compile fixes? or this mac fat
binary support, and i agree with rich here that cross compilation has more
uses then direct fat binarie support, this shouldnt mean that direct fat bin
support is rejected, just that i personally wont apply such a messy patch

[...]
-- 
Michael