Re: GtkMediaPlayer widget

[Ryan Gammon <rgammon real com>]

Lee Braiden wrote:

> On Tuesday 16 Dec 2003 7:40 pm, Ryan Gammon wrote:
>  
>
> Yes, but that only tells me how the implementation is called.  What I want to 
> know is how it could have an API (including objects,methods,enums, etc) that 
> doesn't either use helix's API directly, or else abstract helix's API, and 
> create redundancy?
>  

GtkMediaPlayer doesn't use helix directly. HXPlayer does use helix 
directly, just as a GstPlayer widget would use gstreamer.

All gtk_media_player_play would need to function is a GtkWidget and a 
gchar* filename, both of which are part of gtk/glib

> > I can go into more details if you'd like. Helix would provide a library
> > that contains an implementation of GtkMediaPlayer, and a set of
> > supporting functions for advanced functionality.
> >    
>
> Yes.  Amounting to another API.
>  

One could make a media framework where the offical, only way to start 
playback was via gtk_media_player_play, which passes the "not a wrapper" 
test for me. You could call GtkWindow a horribly non-functional wrapper 
around GtkMozBox if you wanted -- maybe there's some technical merit 
there, but it's not the spirit.

(We chose to wrap our helix api with hxclientkit because the core helix 
api is COM and C++ based, and we want to make it more appealing to gtk C 
developers.)

> Again, my only concern is the repetitive nature of helix's work, when 
> gstreamer is already (for the purposes of this discussion) a part of GNOME.  
> Is there some fundamental problem with gstreamer that prevents Real from 
> using it?  

It's still a little early to be claiming GNOME victory ;)

I could turn this around and say "My only concern is with the repetitive 
nature of gstreamer's work, when helix is already a cross-platform, 
client/producer/server solution. Is there some fundamental problem with 
Helix that prevents linux from using it?"

(If readers want to argue "licensing", the best place to make it is on 
the licensing open helixcommunity org list, where it'll have the most 
effect).

And, of course, competition is good. It works for Gnome and KDE.

> Or is it just that you have another agenda, that doesn't lend 
> itself to porting codecs to GNOME's gstreamer?
>  

Disclaimer: I don't speak for Real. All opinions are my own.

That said, you say that with such an air of conspiracy ;)

The helix project, IMO, is about getting the open source community 
involved in streaming media technologies, to see what you guys can do 
with it. I feel it's a genuine project in its intentions.

At the end of the day, helix is an open source project. If you trust us, 
great. If you don't, you don't have to because you have the source under 
the GPL-like RPSL license, or commercially under the RCSL.

--
Ryan Gammon
rgammon real com
Developer for Helix Player
https://player.helixcommunity.org