release-notes/FC4 RELEASE-NOTES-en.xml, 1.11, 1.12 splash.xml, 1.10, 1.11
Karsten Wade (kwade)
fedora-docs-commits at redhat.com
Sat Jul 23 03:31:16 UTC 2005
Author: kwade
Update of /cvs/docs/release-notes/FC4
In directory cvs-int.fedora.redhat.com:/tmp/cvs-serv1494
Modified Files:
RELEASE-NOTES-en.xml splash.xml
Log Message:
New section on patented software and the like. Forgot to commit this when I did all the updates to the posted version of the release notes.
Index: RELEASE-NOTES-en.xml
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/docs/release-notes/FC4/RELEASE-NOTES-en.xml,v
retrieving revision 1.11
retrieving revision 1.12
diff -u -r1.11 -r1.12
--- RELEASE-NOTES-en.xml 19 Jul 2005 20:41:03 -0000 1.11
+++ RELEASE-NOTES-en.xml 23 Jul 2005 03:31:13 -0000 1.12
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
<!-- *************** Local entities *************** -->
-<!ENTITY BOOKID "RELEASE-NOTES-&FCX;&DISTROVER; (2005-07-19-T16:20-0700)"> <!-- version of manual and date -->
+<!ENTITY BOOKID "RELEASE-NOTES-&FCX;&DISTROVER; (2005-07-22-T04:20-0700)"> <!-- version of manual and date -->
<!ENTITY LOCALVER "4"> <!-- Set value to your choice, when guide version is out -->
<!-- of sync with FC release, use instead of FEDVER or FEDTESTVER -->
<!ENTITY NAME "Fedora"> <!-- The project's (and software's) basic name -->
Index: splash.xml
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/docs/release-notes/FC4/splash.xml,v
retrieving revision 1.10
retrieving revision 1.11
diff -u -r1.10 -r1.11
--- splash.xml 7 Jun 2005 19:55:45 -0000 1.10
+++ splash.xml 23 Jul 2005 03:31:13 -0000 1.11
@@ -177,6 +177,176 @@
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</section>
+ <section id="sn-why-no-mp3">
+ <title>MP3 Codecs and Other Patented or Closed Source Software</title>
+ <para>
+ This section is a brief explanation of why certain software is not
+ included in &FC; or &FEX;. This information was drawn directly
+ from the canonical wiki page:
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ <ulink
+ url="http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/ForbiddenItems">http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/ForbiddenItems</ulink>
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ A frequent question of the &FP; is why certain items are not
+ included in &FC; or &FEX;. This briefly explains some of the
+ reasons.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Other items, such as file systems support, requires community
+ participation. For more information, refer to <ulink
+ url="http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Wishlist">http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Wishlist</ulink>
+ </para>
+ <variablelist>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>NTFS</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ NTFS Support is not included in the &FC; kernel because of
+ patent concerns. Using a file system natively supported by
+ Linux such as ext3 is a better option. If you must share
+ files between Windows and Linux on a single system, use
+ FAT/FAT32 (vfat) instead. For sharing across a network,
+ Samba is a good option.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>MP3 encode/decode functionality</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ MP3 support is not included in any &FC; application because
+ MP3 is heavily patented in several regions including the
+ United States. The patent holder is unwilling to give an
+ unrestricted patent grant, as required by the GPL. Other
+ platforms might have paid the royalty and/or included
+ proprietary software. Other Linux distributions not based in
+ a region affected by the patent might ship MP3
+ decoders/encoders. However, &FC; cannot and does not ship
+ MP3 decoders/encoders in order to serve the goal of shipping
+ only free and open source software. Using other open source
+ formats such as Ogg Vorbis (a lossy codec that has better
+ quality than MP3) or FLAC (a lossless codec) is highly
+ recommended.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>NVIDIA 3D drivers</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The NVIDIA 3D drivers are closed source. &FC; does not
+ include proprietary binaries. Consider using an Intel or any
+ other manufacturer that supports open source cards with full
+ specifications and/or source code.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>ATI 3D drivers</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The ATI 3D drivers are closed source. &FC; does not include
+ proprietary binaries. Consider using an Intel or any other
+ manufacturer that supports open source cards with full
+ specifications and/or source code.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>RealPlayer</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ RealPlayer is a closed source application. &FC; does not
+ include proprietary binaries. Consider using open source
+ codecs that do not have patent restrictions.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>DVD video playback</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ DVD video playback (of CSS encrypted DVDs) may violate the
+ US DMCA (refer to <ulink
+ url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DMCA">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DMCA</ulink>)
+ because it may be considered circumventing an encryption
+ mechanism. Additionally, MPEG2 is a patented codec, so even
+ DVDs without encryption cannot be played. Consider using
+ open source unencrypted mediums such as Ogg Theora formats.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>Mono</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Mono packages are not currently included due to potential
+ legal issues. (Pending more input.) Applications can be
+ written in other languages that are open source, such as
+ Python, Perl, or Ruby. Java is cross-platform and GCJ is a
+ relatively mature open source implementation of it. These
+ are not direct one-to-one equivalents with .NET but might
+ serve your purpose.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>Cryptology (mcrypt)</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Some cryptology related packages such as mcrypt are not
+ included within &FC; due to US export restrictions. Consider
+ using non-restricted cryptographical methods instead.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>szip</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The szip license is too restrictive for inclusion in &FEX;.
+ Use other open source alternatives.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ </variablelist>
+ <para>
+ In conclusion:
+ </para>
+ <itemizedlist>
+ <listitem>
+ <para> If it is proprietary, it cannot be included in &FED;.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ If it is legally encumbered, it cannot be included in &FED;.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ If it violates US Federal law, it cannot be included in &FED;.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </itemizedlist>
+ <para>
+ Of course, the logical followup is: "But I want to get foo and do
+ bar, how can I do one of the items listed above?"
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The unofficial <ulink
+ url="http://fedorafaq.org">http://fedorafaq.org</ulink> provides
+ useful answers on commonly asked questions. However, these are
+ completely unsupported by the &FP;. The &FP; recommends using free
+ and open source software alternatives whenever possible.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The binary only drivers can be acquired from the vendors. You can
+ find many interesting things with Google.
+ </para>
+ </section>
</section>
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