[FFmpeg-devel] [PATCH] Adding support for OSX bundles to ffmpeg command line

vmrsss vmrsss
Sat Mar 21 22:55:34 CET 2009


On 21 Mar 2009, at 13:53, M?ns Rullg?rd wrote:
> vmrsss <vmrsss at gmail.com> writes:
>
>> Wouldn't it be simpler and more flexible to have an env var FFPRESETS
>> which, if set, overrides the standard ~/.ffmpeg and /usr/local/share/
>> ffmpeg preset locations?
>
> Not overrides, precedes.  The search order should be same as for any
> typical Unix application:
>
> 1. $FFPRESETS
> 2. ~/.ffmpeg
> 3. $prefix/share/ffmpeg
>
> I'm sure there some reason this wouldn't work on macos of course, it
> being from apple and all.  I don't know what these bundles are, let
> alone how they work.

No, it will work. It's easy to do and safe. MacOSX is just a Unix.  
(For instance, a bundle can easily wrap FFmpeg in a shell script which  
simply sets $FFPRESETS and passes over the arguments.)

For the record and about the discussion that followed this message,  
FFmpeg works great on MacOSX, really. Only, the Apple tool chain is  
somehow hacked to deal with dylibs and multiarchs, and is typically a  
few releases older than the latest stuff.

Frankly, in this particular case I didn't read anything offensive  
(perhaps I am getting used to it :-), but it is true that in general  
there is a bit of a macho culture around and some unnecessary  
abrasiveness towards newcomers (and towards systems considered  
"inferior": frankly, as a long Mac user, I often agree that Apple  
could do better). So Chris, don't take it personally.

-vmrsss

PS. A bundle is just a directory containing stuff, typically code and  
the associated libraries and configuration files, organised  
hierarchically in subdirectories, and typically with an Info XML  
document which tells what happens when you do double-click on it.

I have to admit that migrating from linux it was a real shock when I  
first realised that a particular dynamic library can be in your system  
in hundreds of identical copies, each inside its own bundle... Not to  
mention that the entire OS exists on each machine in three or more  
copies (ppc, i386 and often ppc64 and x86_64). How difficult can it be  
to detect the architecture and only install the required files? 



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