[MPlayer-dev-eng] A renewed request for using an external libass

[Reinhard Tartler]

On Fr, Jan 08, 2010 at 21:05:56 (CET), Reimar Döffinger wrote:

> On Fri, Jan 08, 2010 at 07:36:47PM +0100, Grigori Goronzy wrote:
>> On 01/08/2010 07:07 PM, Reimar Döffinger wrote:
>> > If the internal copy was updated it could even select whichever is newer by default.
>> > Although if someone volunteers to update our copy from time to time it might
>> > be better to continue defaulting to the included one, if only to ease debugging.
>> 
>> IMO defaulting to system libass is better, as libass can be updated
>> independently from MPlayer (as long as the API doesn't change).
>
> I'll leave it to you, but in reality it can easily mean that people will
> use heavily outdated versions, just think of Ubuntu LTS - and installing
> a self-compiled library is far more complicated and risky than compiling
> MPlayer SVN.

If wanted, I can provide an updated libass packages for ubuntu LTS in
the motumedia PPA, a supposely prominent add-on repository for
multimedia packages that I happen to maintain.

TBH, ubuntu 8.04 (the last LTS) is not the best choice for a modern
multimedia stacks. Heck, it doesn't even ship libass at all!

And later versions of ubuntu do ship more recent libass libraries:

libass-dev | 0.9.5-0ubuntu2 | intrepid/universe | amd64, i386
libass-dev |    0.9.5-2 | jaunty/universe | amd64, i386
libass-dev |    0.9.6-1 | karmic/universe | amd64, i386
libass-dev |    0.9.8-1 | lucid/universe | amd64, i386

> Also to be pedantic, it can be updated independently as long as the _ABI_
> does not change, the API changes are not relevant (though often related).

Most API changes also induce ABI changes. Even API additions do, but in
a less problematic way.

-- 
Gruesse/greetings,
Reinhard Tartler, KeyID 945348A4