[MPlayer-dev-eng] Slackware package (tgz, like deb/rpm) support

[Ivan Kalvachev]

2005/11/12, Rich Felker <dalias at aerifal.cx>:
> On Sat, Nov 12, 2005 at 10:40:23AM +0200, Ivan Kalvachev wrote:
> > 2005/11/12, Rich Felker <dalias at aerifal.cx>:
> > > On Fri, Nov 11, 2005 at 09:36:06PM -0200, Herbert Alexander Faleiros wrote:
> > > > > * don't disable mga/xmga
> > > >
> > > > I disabled it because Slackware appears to not use it.
> > >
> > > No dist includes it because it' spart of mplayer. You have to install
> > > it manually if you want it. But users may want it, and it does no harm
> > > (no added dependencies, tiny code size) to include it.
> >
> > I am for keeping mga removed.
> > That's because mga driver is not part of the kernel, so mplayer
> > package should install it (even compile it for the given kernel) or
> > let the user do it (it that case the user is already skilled enough to
> > compile mplayer on him own).
>
> There are two options:
> 1. Stupidly omit mga from mplayer binary. Then users who want it have
> to compile all of mplayer AND the mga_vid kernel module.
> 2. Include mga in mplayer binary. Then users who want it only have to
> compile the kernel module.
>
> Obviously option 2 is better in the absence of any other
> problems/issues.

I wonder how you can call yourself MPlayer developer and not advice
users to compile mplayer from source in every possible situation.
Isn't it obvious that compiling mplayer for the specific machine gives
better performance in all cases?
It's written all over the manual (or at least used to be :)


Pre-made packages are used by people not skilled enough to compile
mplayer on their own. So it is not expected they to start compiling
kernel modules on their own.

As side issue, the kernel module source code must be included in the
ready package, and users must be instructed to compile it.
I'm sure Richard is enough paranoid to never let some non official
package to put binnay modules in him kernel.

> > Giving that the number of lusers that have matrox card (~ ->0), it
> > just doesn't worth the trouble.
>
> What trouble????
>
> That's right, there is no trouble. This vo module is tiny and has no
> possibility to do anything wrong! It's there if people want it, and if
> not, they can ignore it. IMO there shouldn't even be a --disable
> option for features like this, much less should we disable them in
> packages..

That's what other people call BLOAT.

Well, if you are going to include mga drivers, then I would request
equal treatment for the other specific drivers like 3dfx, tdfx etc...
I don't have mga, but I have voodoo3 :P