Microsoft & OIN - ExFAT, subpixel font rendering (ClearType), etc. allowed now

[Neal Gompa]

Hey,

Today, I just saw the news that Microsoft has joined the OIN[1]. Does
this allow Fedora to finally include ExFAT in the distribution, as
well as enable ClearType-style font rendering (subpixel rgba hinting)?

[1]: https://www.openinventionnetwork.com/pressrelease_details/?id=89

-- 
真実はいつも一つ！/ Always, there's only one truth!

[Neal Gompa]

On Wed, Oct 10, 2018 at 11:37 AM Neal Gompa <ngompa13(a)gmail.com&gt; wrote:
>  Hey,
>
>  Today, I just saw the news that Microsoft has joined the OIN[1]. Does
>  this allow Fedora to finally include ExFAT in the distribution, as
>  well as enable ClearType-style font rendering (subpixel rgba hinting)?
>
>  [1]: https://www.openinventionnetwork.com/pressrelease_details/?id=89
>  
Sorry about the misleading title, I meant to put a question mark at
the end of the subject!



-- 
真実はいつも一つ！/ Always, there's only one truth!

[Scott Dowdle]

Greetings,

----- Original Message -----
>  Today, I just saw the news that Microsoft has joined the OIN[1].
> Does
>  this allow Fedora to finally include ExFAT in the distribution, as
>  well as enable ClearType-style font rendering (subpixel rgba
>  hinting)?
>  
>  [1]: https://www.openinventionnetwork.com/pressrelease_details/?id=89 
That also makes me wonder if Fedora (*COUGH* Matt Miller *COUGH*) might be able to tell us
now what the issue was with releasing a Fedora build for distribution within the Microsoft
Store that runs under Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).  There was some unstated legal
issue.  Maybe that'll be resolved too?!?

I would hunt down the link for that discussion and provide it here, but I'm short on
time at the moment.

TYL,
-- 
Scott Dowdle
704 Church Street
Belgrade, MT 59714
[phone] [home]
[phone] [work]

[Tom Callaway]

Folks,

I'm traveling at the moment, but when I'm back at my desk next week, I'll
dig into this. In the interim, please avoid making idle speculation,
especially with regard to patents.

Thanks,

~tom

On Wed, Oct 10, 2018, 10:03 AM Scott Dowdle <dowdle(a)montanalinux.org&gt; wrote:

>  Greetings,
>
>  ----- Original Message -----
>  > Today, I just saw the news that Microsoft has joined the OIN[1]. Does
>  > this allow Fedora to finally include ExFAT in the distribution, as
>  > well as enable ClearType-style font rendering (subpixel rgba
>  > hinting)?
>  >
>  > [1]: https://www.openinventionnetwork.com/pressrelease_details/?id=89
>
>  That also makes me wonder if Fedora (*COUGH* Matt Miller *COUGH*) might be
>  able to tell us now what the issue was with releasing a Fedora build for
>  distribution within the Microsoft Store that runs under Windows Subsystem
>  for Linux (WSL).  There was some unstated legal issue.  Maybe that'll be
>  resolved too?!?
>
>  I would hunt down the link for that discussion and provide it here, but
>  I'm short on time at the moment.
>
>  TYL,
>  --
>  Scott Dowdle
>  704 Church Street
>  Belgrade, MT 59714
>  [phone] [home]
>  [phone] [work]
>  _______________________________________________
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>  List Archives:
>  https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[e-mail]
>

[Scott Dowdle]

Greetings,

----- Original Message -----
>  I'm traveling at the moment, but when I'm back at my desk
> next week,
>  I'll dig into this. In the interim, please avoid making idle
>  speculation, especially with regard to patents. 
Ok, but I thought this from an LWN comment by Bradley Kuhn might be useful in upping the
signal/info on the topic:

- - - - -

"I just posted a call for Microsoft to upstream exfat into Linux as a show of good
faith that their intention is to stop patent shakdowns against the software freedom
community(1). I urge everyone to carefully read the OIN agreement and their Linux System
Definition(2) to understand the limits of OIN's limited patent non-aggression
pact."

(1) https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2018/oct/10/microsoft-oin-exfat/
(2) https://www.openinventionnetwork.com/joining-oin/linux-system/

- - - - -

TYL,
-- 
Scott Dowdle
704 Church Street
Belgrade, MT 59714
[phone] [home]
[phone] [work]

[Tom Callaway]

Just to swing back on this thread:

While Microsoft joining OIN is a very good thing for Linux and FOSS, it
does not have any immediate impact to the packages (or configurations of
packages) which are currently acceptable or included in Fedora. Fedora
is hopeful that future revisions of the Linux Environment Components
lists [A] (that define the Linux System Definition covered by OIN) will
include newer (e.g. Freetype after 2.5.0) and additional components
(e.g. exfat FUSE userspace utilities, WMV codecs, EAS support) to enable
unencumbered use of open source implementations of Microsoft standards
and technologies. If/when those the Linux Environment Components list is
amended for new Tables, Fedora will revisit the acceptability of
packages (or configurations of packages) as a result. [B]

Additionally, I would personally love to see Microsoft take two
additional actions:

1. Adopt its own version of Red Hat's Patent Promise [C], specifically
such that it explicitly agrees not to enforce its patents against Free
and Open Source Software. This action would show a true commitment to
Open Source on Microsoft's part, beyond the limited (but useful) scope
of OIN.

2. Commit driver support for the exFAT filesystem directly into the
Linux kernel, with a corresponding patent grant. This would not only
close a long-standing compatibility limitation for external media use on
Linux, but it would provide a concrete example that Microsoft is an
active and ingenuous member of the FOSS community, outside of
open-sourcing its own previously proprietary efforts.

****

That said, I have no influence (nor direct connection) to Microsoft
(either personally or via my employer), so I'm mostly wishing into the
void. :)

~tom

[A] https://www.openinventionnetwork.com/joining-oin/linux-system/
[B] To be crystal clear, we do this already as new Tables are updated.
[C] https://www.redhat.com/en/about/patent-promise

To err is human, right? :)

I would like to add a minor (but significant) set of clarifications here:

1. Table 8 of the OIN Linux Environment Components has three entries for freetype, one of
which I missed on my first analysis. Those entries specify coverage for freetype versions
2.4.11, 2.4.9, and 2.6.3. Since version 2.6.3 contains support for subpixel font
rendering, Microsoft's membership in OIN results in Fedora being able to enable that
support in our freetype packages, effective immediately. I have already notified the
Fedora freetype maintainer of this change.

2. The Linux Environment Components contains a specific exception for audio/video codecs,
which are not covered by OIN even if a listed Environment Component enables it. There are
some explicit exceptions to that exception, which you can see here:
https://www.openinventionnetwork.com/joining-oin/linux-system/linux-syste...

WMA/WMV is not in that table. This means that even if a component was added to the Linux
Environment Components list that had support for those formats, it would not result in
Fedora being able to include support for those formats via that component. Of course,
Microsoft, as a member of OIN, could add WMA/WMV to Table 0 (the permitted format list) in
conjunction with inclusion of a component that enabled WMA/WMV support, but this is more
complex and nuanced that the addition of other components that enable Microsoft standards
and technologies.

TLDR: We _can_ enable full subpixel rendering in Fedora's freetype. WMV was probably a
poor example to call out in an OIN context.

Thanks,

~tom