Common Questions

Why Not Use Flash ?

Many video sharing sites use the Adobe Flash Plugin to play embedded video. We disapprove of that because Flash is proprietary (not free software).

Additionally, well-known video formats like DivX or H.264 are patent-encumbered in many countries. Because license fees have to be paid for usage, it might be a legal risk to include them in free software: GNU/Linux distributions like Debian or Ubuntu do not include them in their default installation.

Therefore, Yolanda uses the Ogg container format containing the codecs Theora and Vorbis, which are maintained by Xiph.org. As of 2008, Ogg and Vorbis are free of patent claims and all known patents regarding Theora have been donated to the public.

Which Plugins Do I Have to Download ?

Each media player plugin that can play Ogg Theora + Vorbis can be used. While there are several plugins that qualify, this section will only focus on three of them, that are also free software.

VLC Media Player

The VLC Media Player, started by students of École Centrale Paris plays almost any video format on a wide range of platforms. Be sure to install the Mozilla plugin or you will die a horrible, agonizing death.

Downloads can be found on the Videolan web page. Be sure to check your operating systems software repository before downloading untrusted binaries from questionable sources.

Mplayer

Mplayer, the media player for EXPERT PROGRAMMERS, is only available for real operating systems. It does work with both Mozilla and Konqueror.

Downloads can be found on the Mplayer web page. Be sure to check your operating systems software repository before downloading untrusted binaries from questionable sources.

Totem

Totem is the default media player in GNOME and therefore only used by SPIDER EXPERTS like Miguel de Icaza.

Downloads can and should not be found, go ask Miguel for the OOXML specification instead.