[Ffmpeg-devel] Re: time for a release?

[Dave Airlie]

> so if you/someone seriously want to help, there are the following things to do
> * API/ABI stuff
>  * subscribe & read ffmpeg-dev/cvslog and help us designing flexible and
>    stable APIs and ABIs for the various parts
>  * complain when API/ABI compatibility is broken, suggest alternatives if
>    you know any
> * PIC/shared libs
>  * fix gcc so it generates less retarded code
>  * learn how all the PIC/ELF stuff works and think about how it could be done
>    more efficiently, for example IIRC every static & global variable has its
>    own entry in the GOT table, so not only do you loose 1 register (ebx on
>    x86) to point to the GOT but every access to a global variable needs you
>    to look at th GOT, thats silly as things within one lib shouldnt move
>    relative to themselfs, but then maybe iam wrong somehow iam no PIC expert
>

Some of the symbol visibility stuff that newer gccs support would
probably be useful, however as the API isn't clear, someone might make
some variables internal only to find out some app is using them... I'd
really claim you need a defined API (you can change it as often as you
like, but when it changes you need to update the defined API), then
use symbol visibility to only export that..

Dave.