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

[Reimar Döffinger]

On Sat, Jan 09, 2010 at 10:29:47AM +0100, Reinhard Tartler wrote:
> 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!

I meant the next LTS, it will probably ship a at least somewhat recent
libass but even that will soon be outdated.
PPAs are nice, but adding one still is more effort and risk than a simple
configure, make and make install for MPlayer.

> 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

Which are all (way?) older than what is now in MPlayer SVN (though I think the commit
mail still didn't make it to cvslog, probably too large?).
But as said, I don't feel strongly about it, I just think it is likely to cause more
outdated bug-reports, which also are harder to handle as long as MPlayer does not
print the libass version it uses (and doing that I think would require a libass
API extension, so far I think we can only get the header version MPlayer was
compiled against, not the library version in use).

> > 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.

That's why I use the word "pedantic" and said "though often related".