[FFmpeg-soc] AAC Encoding - Where we stand, what's left

[Michael Niedermayer]

On Wed, Jul 08, 2009 at 09:05:41PM +0200, Diego Biurrun wrote:
[...]
> > >> All of the encoder source lacks copyright notices/licensing terms
> > >>
> > >> >From the Documentation:
> > >>
> > >> No part may be reproduced except as authorized by written permission.
> > >> The copyright and the foregoing restriction extend to reproduction in all media.
> > >>
> > >> © 2008, 3GPP Organizational Partners (ARIB, ATIS, CCSA, ETSI, TTA, TTC).
> > >> All rights reserved.
> > >>
> > >> >From the build system:
> > >>
> > >> # Copyright (c) Coding Technologies 2003
> > >> # All Rights Reserved
> > >
> > > So this is completely nonfree, you may neither modify nor distribute it.
> > > This is not something you can use as a base for your work unless you
> > > wish to throw your time away...
> > 
> > Let's not forget that lame started out as a dist10 patchset.

do you think lame would be better or worse now did it start free of
propriatary code?
That said, is it free of dist10 code now in a legally sound way?


> 
> That was before my time, what is dist10?
> 
> > Libfaac has two incompatible licenses.
> 
> Yes, that's why it is crap and needs to be replaced.  The 3GPP AAC
> encoder has just one license: prohibitively nonfree.  There is really
> nothing more to say about it...

i agree, anyway, the idea that free software starts out of propriatary
code in which one function after the other is rewritten to make it "free"
really isnt all that impresive. If i may make some analogy, it feels like

someone building a car by taking one of a competitor and replacing one part
after the other by his own vs. an engeneer designing a car from scratch
optimizing each part as well as the overal design and testing prototypes
to make sure its all perfect.

Another thing this reminds me are the leica cameras, they where also copied
by pretty much everyone from europe over russia to japan, still, tell me
a single one of them who managed to build an equal let alone better camera
that way?

[...]

-- 
Michael     GnuPG fingerprint: 9FF2128B147EF6730BADF133611EC787040B0FAB

No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible. -- Voltaire
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 189 bytes
Desc: Digital signature
URL: <http://lists.mplayerhq.hu/pipermail/ffmpeg-soc/attachments/20090708/ecde32e4/attachment.pgp>