Miscellaneous > The Lounge
google bails out the web
piratePenguin:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/7745483/Google-unveils-WebM-royalty-free-video-codec.html
It happened. I haven't had much time to read about it, but it's GREAT news.
Now a concern of mine I wanna mention is, this problem was solved (well, there is now an actual chance for an unentangled web in the future and a mightily good one that is, but nothing quite solved yet) because Google fucked $120m at it. What if they didn't? Will future efforts to entangle the web be successful? I wasn't around for the gif ordeal, but I know there's more at stake now than there ever was, and there will be more at stake in the future. If people couldn't care less about supporting the principles of the web, how long will the open web exist? (I'll mention using specifically and exclusively Firefox or Opera as the best way to support these principles, Chrome maybe should be in this list too and Safari certainly not (It appears as though I'm on an anti-Apple crusade nowadays, but everyone should know, by now, that Apple are not doing business to set anybody free)) Is the open web a luxury our generation has enjoyed, and future generations won't even know about it?
But anyways, let the battle commence.
Calum:
--- Quote ---The VP8 codec has been blended with the open source Ogg Vorbis audio format to create a new codec, WebM, which is available for royalty-free use.
--- End quote ---
is this compliant with the GPL?
And in fact i'm having trouble understanding if this use of the Ogg Vorbis audio codec is GPL or BSD-style licenced...
http://www.vorbis.com/faq/#slic
Anybody know what the answer are here?
worker201:
Sometimes Google seems a little too similar to Skynet. They roll out all these ad-serving technologies without ads on them, and it seems great at the time. But I suspect that one day, Plan G is going to spring into action, and in the aftermath we're going to beg Microsoft to save us.
piratePenguin:
--- Quote from: worker201 on 20 May 2010, 22:32 ---Sometimes Google seems a little too similar to Skynet. They roll out all these ad-serving technologies without ads on them, and it seems great at the time. But I suspect that one day, Plan G is going to spring into action, and in the aftermath we're going to beg Microsoft to save us.
--- End quote ---
Are you referring to youtube? I know youtube has gone seriously ridiculous on the ad front, but I don't take any issue with ads on their other products.Youtube wasn't making nearly enough money to make its purchase worthwhile as I understand, it was Google's task to monetize it more profitably.
I certainly don't take issue with publishing a royalty free codec to compete with h264. Or more specifically the group who wants to profit from a stranglehold on web video - Googles domain. Of course they're doing this for their own business interest (and their perhaps more limited interest in keeping the web open).
Of course, as to whatever else they have the power to unveil, it may seem scary. Well, facebooks control is much more worrisome, and if you haven't heard much about that then it's pretty interesting.
worker201:
Facebook's issues are obvious and open, I think. You see what giving your name will do, and then you decide if it's worth it. Like meeting an attractive person at the mall or whatever. Google is more like a creepy uncle. "Hey, here's a free codec! Hey, here's a mapping interface that does bicycle routes and contains millions of dollars worth of satellite imagery! Hey, here's a free browser! Hey, here's a free mobile phone! What, no , they're all free! Here's a place to store your documents! Here's free email!" After awhile, you start wondering what his angle is. Getting that much stuff for free without understanding the workings behind why it's free makes me uncomfortable.
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