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View Full Version : Why isn't there an /etc/codecs??


SSTwinrova
June 12th, 2006, 04:16 AM
I've been thinking about this for a while, and even though I figure that there's a technical reason why this hasn't been done already, I've never encountered a reason why. Here's what I mean:

Inside /etc lives a folder named codecs. Each individual codec has a .cdc file (i.e. vorbis.cdc, theora.cdc, etc.) that contains all the "magical stuff" (technical term) that tells programs how to endoce and decode files in that format. All these .cdc files would be put in /etc/codecs, so any music, encoding, etc. app that supports this would immediately have access to all the codecs in that directory without the need for gstreamer plugins or native support for apps that use another framework.

Hopefully I explained that well enough to get my point across. Feel free to explain why this can't be done now :)
jazzmuzik
June 12th, 2006, 04:26 AM
How can you successfully propagandize the world if you don't control media? You could not do it. Media will never be free and easy. Media is the most direct route to your brain and you won't see a lack of control unless they supercede the capabilities of what media provides with another technology. Or something like that.

;)
SSTwinrova
June 12th, 2006, 04:18 PM
I'll take that as a "I don't have a good answer" ;)
Stormy Eyes
June 12th, 2006, 04:23 PM
Hopefully I explained that well enough to get my point across. Feel free to explain why this can't be done now :)

It sounds a hell of a lot like gstreamer to me, actually.
SSTwinrova
June 12th, 2006, 04:42 PM
It sounds a hell of a lot like gstreamer to me, actually.
Like I said, it might very well be, seeing as how I know extremely little in this area. I guess the reason I assumed it didn't is that in Synaptic the gstreamer add-on packages are called "plugins" which just sound more advanced than a file (or two) being added for each additional codec being supported.
jazzmuzik
June 12th, 2006, 04:46 PM
You asked a technical question in the Cafe. What do you expect?
wmcbrine
June 14th, 2006, 06:27 PM
Code (except scripts) doesn't really belong in /etc. I know that wasn't your point; I'm just nitpicking.
mcduck
June 14th, 2006, 07:23 PM
take a look inside /usr/lib/gstreamer-0.10 ;)