Re: ISSUE-24 (ogg-delete): Request to delete "should support Ogg" clause before publishing FPWD [HTML 5 spec]

On Sat, 01 Dec 2007 09:31:42 +0100, Olivier GENDRIN  
<olivier.gendrin@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Dec 1, 2007 3:25 AM, HTML Issue Tracking Issue Tracker
> <sysbot+tracker@w3.org> wrote:

>> To: connolly@w3.org, public-html@w3.org
>> Subject: RE: Request for clarification on HTML 5 publication status   
>> (ISSUE-19)
>>
>> we see benefit to publish a first WD of the HTML5 spec. To avoid any
>> patent issues we request deletion of the following clause from the spec
>> before it is published. We support publication under the condition this
>> change is made.

Like Maciej, if this is a SHOULD-level requirement it doesn't raise any  
issues in terms of the patent policy.

>> > "User agents should support Ogg Theora video and Ogg Vorbis audio, as
>> > well as the Ogg container format." in 3.14.7.1.
>
> Couldn't we replace that sentence by a more general one, speaking
> about 'at least one patent-free format' ?

We could, but that would be pointless. This is not fundamentally about  
some nice idea of how people should be sharing and caring, it is about  
whether or not video will interoperate on the Web. In order for that goal  
to be reached, we need to have codecs on the various platforms the web is  
available on, and in order to do that we either have to tell people to  
stop building new devices (which would be as useful as turning back the  
tides) or find a way we can have codecs reliably. W3C's position on  
patents comes from this very pragmatic consideration - if people are  
unable to port technologies then in the long term those technologies are  
likely to fade away.

If you want to make YouTube, it probably doesn't matter. After all, very  
deep pockets and very ephemeral content are a good combination - and if  
you become the 900-pound gorilla you can probably even afford to upgrade  
the content to a new technology whenever you want to.

But if you are trying to develop instructional material for water  
engineers in Bolivia, or deal with important but sensitive cultural  
material in northern Australia or Cambodia, the cost of the wrong decision  
is pretty significant - more so if it actually costs money to have made  
the decision, along with investment in particular tools, etc.

cheers

Chaals

-- 
Charles McCathieNevile  Opera Software, Standards Group
     je parle français -- hablo español -- jeg lærer norsk
http://my.opera.com/chaals              Try the Kestrel - Opera 9.5 alpha

Received on Sunday, 2 December 2007 14:13:48 UTC