I don't understand from where a statement like: "We cannot support Linux in a legal way." comes from , you either don't have qualified advisors or the microsoft lobby central is doing a better job than what I can imagine.
I'm using a computer with the FreeBSD operating system, and using Mac or MS Windows is not an option to me. Is this legitimate practice from an OFFICIAL body? That's mindboggling! Please live by your own standards and rules and do provide us with standards-compliant formats. There's nothing wrong to support proprietary formats IN ADDITION to open formats (as a courtesy service), but not INSTEAD OF them. There's absolutely no excuse to hide official proceedings and documents behind proprietary file formats. Merci, Gracias, Dankeschoen, and Thank you.
First the EU forces microsoft to make a windows version without media player, then it makes its format compulsory ???
This must be some kind of joke.
There are free open source codecs; there are free open source streaming solutions.
European democracy only available to those who pay a tax to American software companies? Given that Europe is the birthplace of Linux kernel and democracy, I think we can do better, no?
Its disgusting that free information should be locked away from citizens due to proprietary encoding. There are plenty of other methods, including various codecs wrapped in an Ogg container format, or streaming flash video, MPEG-1. Hell, even if you can't be free your own information to promote ease of use, you could use another codec such as realmedia, which at least has a rarely well supported linux player (though only for those using systems supported by RealMedia).
This is an outrage. And this is isn't even about Linux or OSS but about another blatant lie spewed by the EU council. This is a sure sign of either incredible incompetence (as shown multiple times before) or plain corruption (dto.). Either way, about every programmer I know could easily set up a perfectly legal and platform indepedent streaming solution. Shame on you.
By choosing to do the "only" legal option (using WMV) you basically encourage reverse engineering from the non-Mac-and-Windows community.
Something that is not really encouraged by the EU elsewhere.
As a payer of tax in the Netherlands and thus also the European Union as well as being an IT professional I can say there's no legal nor technological restriction that would limit your choice to an open 'codec' which would allow ANY citizen of the European Union to view the content.
It is the money of all tax payers that pays your bills. Therefore, it is your responsibility to offer services to ALL citizens. There are open standards for legally streaming media content not limited to products of one certain company. Of course, if you only listen to that company, there is no other way to serve media content ;-)
Using a video format that people who don't use MS Windows can watch is illegal only if you copy/paste MS propaganda. Use MPEG, Theora, whatever, but we, users of non-Windows, non-Apple OSes, would be pleased to be citizens as everyone else, and, as such, be able to participate in the democratic processes.
There are a wide range of open source software permitting also Linux users to view the video. If EU doesn't want to use only those software, they can at least use both wmv and something else!
EU has had a brave and proud record of open standards use in the past, and so i believe the solution in question should be reconsidered to recognise that.
I can accept the notion that Linux is too niche to support, but blatantly wrong statements that it cannot be supported must be challenged, corrected and prevented in the future. If anything the EU is who we should be looking to to enforce that ALL users have access.
The EU should be free from closed/proprietary formats, and as an EU citizen I request that all EU gov. media content be accessible to all, regardless of their choice of computing platform.
That information belong to the people! We pay our taxes - and we vote! There is no justification for limiting legitimate access to information by use of proprietary codecs when there exists alternatives. Such moves inhibit the people from engaging in the democracy.
Open Standards should be default for public institutions. They create growth, by making multiple vendors compete - and make it easier for end users, since things will work by default.
So what your actually saying is that you don't really give a fig about freedom of speech, democracy and accountability for all or in the freedom of choice?
As a European citizen and a Linux user i strongly protest against the closed formats the EU Council is using for the streaming of it's meetings. The EU should move towards open and platform independent streaming. I feel that my rights as an EU-citizen are being violated for i have no access to these streams. I still believe in a strong European Union, and i fully support it's ideas, so please change your policies towards this, so i will not loose faith in the EU.
Kind Regards.
I can tell this is a French idea. If this were a UK attempt to oppress the citizens, they would have said "There are national security reasons which mean you have to buy M$..."
This should really be accessible for everyone, not only customers of Apple and Microsoft! Public governments should support open source and open formats, accessible on all platforms...
