The end of MPlayer?

[Da_Pipe]

I just happened to visit the MPlayer website today and they have replaced their main page with something about "Closed for patent infringement". If what they are saying is true I worry about the future of MPlayer.

If there is anyone that lives in Europe and thinks they can help, please do. I'd hate to lose MPlayer.

[tchung]

They are simply boycotting "Software Patents"

http://www.nosoftwarepatents.com/

You can still access MPlayer site by clicking the link at the bottom:
"Enter the MPlayer homepage while it is still available."

Thomas Chung

[ghaefb]

Yes the situation is really going from bad to worse.
We are trying everything to prevent this patent nightmare, I guess time will tell.

http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl...45258&from=rss

[imdeemvp]

Its very sad to know that there are so many software companies and politicians trying to stop us from using some codes just to listen to music.

[jim]

Just makes me sick!
Oh I wish I still had my S.A.W

I was just going to post for opinnions on a good linux/fedora media player and I am sorry to come across this kind of news. Everybody"media giants",wants to squeeze money out of everything and it is ruining the internet and the computing experience. I can't even stand to turn Windows player on any more and I have nerver explored the linux "sound and video experience but would like to.

[awdac]

Originally Posted by imdeemvp

Its very sad to know that there are so many software companies and politicians trying to stop us from using some codes just to listen to music.

It's so much bigger and worse than that, MVP. It's not about meida copyrights and codecs. It's about open standards, the GPL, the ability of small shops and independent programmers to be able to produce *any* kind of software without having to have a lawyer (or eight...or eight hundred lawyers) and licensing deals to do fairly basic and fundamental techniques. The whole thing is very screwed up, not least because the people making and writing the laws don't understand what the words they are putting on the paper mean. The only ones who have the time and resources to "teach" the politicians are big software lobbyists. Look at some of the "advisors" to the European Parliament representatives and you'll see what I mean -- patent lawyers and corporate software folks.