What are Microsoft codecs?

[gilpel at altern.org]

Frank Murphy wrote:

> On 08/08/09 20:31, gilpel at altern.org wrote:

>> Let's hope Totem can fix this, 'cause I'm not very much into finding
URLs.

> Then file a bugzilla, against totem (gstreamer?), giving the url that
cause the problem, showing that you can play it in mplayer

I use mplayer, why should I fill a bug for Totem?

Say there are 10 stations providing straight WMV files, how many do you
figure provide them through the whole paraphernalia of asx, asf, java,
javascript and silverlight? Closer to 1 or closer to 100?

I would say much closer to 100. So Totem developers know about the
problem, just as GNOME developers know about the NewFile entering the
clipboard problem or files not appearing in Nautilus after a move from one
window to another unless you press F5. Those problems have been
transferred from one release to another for years, and nobody has fixed
them.

Within large organisations, where no name is associated to the product,
nobody cares about fixing bugs because there's no glory associated to it.

If you have a problem with K3B, write to Sebastian Trüg, even through a
bugzilla, and you'll see it won't take long before a new version comes
out. That's why there aren't bugs in K3B.

When I have a name associated to a product, I do fill bug reports.
Otherwise, I've too often observed that it's no use.

So, why do I write "Let's hope Totem can fix this" ? I say this because I
believe someone should care about bugs being fixed, and this somebody is
Red Hat.

I can't imagine Red Hat coming to a company and saying "Hey, we'll provide
you with software that's much better and safer than Microsoft" will all
those bugs swirling around. Somebody must play Steve Jobs role and, if
necessary, pay to fix a few bugs.

As for myself, from experience, I consider I have no other power to get
bugs corrected than by choosing the software that works and ignoring the
rest. When developers finally come to the conclusion that nobody gives a
damn about their buggy software, sometimes, they reconsider the way they
work.

If I can get in touch with a developer that cares about his product
because he has his name on it and he doesn't want people to complain that
it being buggy as hell, then, yes, I write.

I don't write to bugzillas unless there is a name behind it, the bug is
far from obvious and it doesn't take months of insistance before it gets
fixed.

My 2¢ about bugzillas. YMMV.