to autodownload or not to autodownload

[Jeff Spaleta]

On Feb 10, 2008 12:28 PM, Jaroslaw Gorny <jaroslav at aster.pl> wrote:
> On Sun, 10 Feb 2008 11:32:51 -0900
> "Jeff Spaleta" <jspaleta at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > It's absolutely possible for someone to build the
> > bits so that livna rpm packages are part of the choices once
> > livna-release package is installed.
>
> How could that be? Now it is not legal even to display a message
> like:
> "If you are outside US, you can use packages from livna.org"
> So, would it be legal to point users to livna RPMS with an offer to
> install?

You quoted the statement that answers this, maybe I didn't say it loud
enough....
ONCE THE LIVNA RELEASE PACKAGE IS INSTALLED

I did not say... by default.

Look here's the deal.  We can't tell people go to livna for this or
that package. But it seems like we do have the ability to tell people
that livna exists.. if we do not abuse that ability by pointing to
livna for specific things.  So how exactly do we leverage that general
reference ability for user's benefit? Codeina!

1)We can tell users, check out livna/rpmfusion for additional
software..but we do not say what functionality that software covers

2)they check out livna, they install livna-release package.

3)livna release package dumps some codeina configs on the user's
system to register livna as a vendor for specific filetypes.

4)user uses a gstreamer-based app, tries to open a file they don't
have support for, gstreamer pops up codeina and shows the livna
offerings.

5)....

6)profit


We can fix codeina to make steps 3 and 4 technically possible for
multiple 'vendors'..livna among them.  And if we do it right, step 4
can even work with the packaging system so users, through policykit
interaction, can install the livna rpms systemwide instead of just a
per user plugin.

Yes, the first attempt to put just-in-time codec detection into the
distro wasn't great. But it's not fundamentally broken as a concept.

What I need...what the board needs...what the Fedora community
needs... are people who are willing to do the technical work make
steps 3 and 4 and work on the integration issues.

-jef