[FFmpeg-devel] GSoC with FFMpeg waht a combination!

[Robert Swain]

On 22/03/2008, Michael Niedermayer <michaelni at gmx.at> wrote:
> On Sat, Mar 22, 2008 at 05:49:08AM +0200, Jason (spot) Brower wrote:
>  > On Fri, Mar 21, 2008 at 10:49 PM, Mike Melanson <mike at multimedia.cx> wrote:
>  > > Jason (spot) Brower wrote:
>  > Additionally, people mock how slow these took
>  > kits are but ignore all the accessability,
>
> I must addmit i dont know much about "accessability" but i suspect that
>  random applications are not too accessible as such, toolkit or not.

Accessibility benefits from 'integration' as global settings for large
fonts, high contrast or maybe APIs for reading out buttons and menus
or whatever can be set once and work for every program that uses that
API. At least, that's my guess.

>  Also a hearing impaired person should not have any problem using any
>  GUI (no relation to the toolkit here)
>  And a visually impaired person likely would use the command line tool,
>  at least that seems logic to me, GUI and not being able to see it is a little
>  contradictionary, even with a speech synthesizer reading it. But again
>  iam no "accessability" expert iam just taking educated guesses.

Visually impaired need not mean completely blind. A person might have
difficulty seeing a skinned interface (depending on the skin) but if a
particular toolkit is used that uses global accessibility settings for
font and theme and so on, the user doesn't need to do anything with
the program to be able to see it as well as possible, it will already
be set up.

>  > usability, and
>
>  slow -> not really useable

Ubuntu isn't that slow. I certainly wouldn't consider it unusable.
Bloated, yes. Unusable, definitely not, far from it.

>  > internationalization of the program.
>
>  Why do you think there would be a problem here?

Are there automatic internationalisation things in toolkits?

>  >  WinAmp/xmms for example is not
>  > used in most linux version now
>
> Well most people i know install the software they like. Distros dont
>  decide what people use.

Definitely.

>  And besides, its of no relevance what the distros choose as default.
>  Software should be developed based on what one belives is best not what
>  would sell best to a bunch of smart ass managers. This is FOSS not the
>  commercial SW world.

Yup.

>  If a blind man comes to me and complains id listen to him and try to
>  improve the software, but no i wont listen to a bunch of smart asses
>  who say that using a toolkit will magically make the software easy to use
>  to a visually impaired.

Unless maybe you become convinced that using the toolkit in question
does have significant benefits to users?

Anyway, I think (unfortunately?) that Mike and Reimar are right. A
mainstream (Windows/OS X/Gnome/KDE) GUI for easing conversion probably
isn't something that we're able to mentor for GSoC because probably
none of us will use and maintain it. Even if it is a good idea and
would be welcome by users.

Per codec defaults and presets would help in the mean time though! :D

Rob