Re: ffmpeg versions in portage

Brent Busby posted on Thu, 19 Feb 2015 01:38:12 -0600 as excerpted:

> Mostly I just wondered if anyone could tell me if ffmpeg 2.5 itself is
> fundamentally broken in some way.  Sounds like it's fine...

Yes.  What's broken, for both ffmpeg and libav, is that they don't keep=20
the same API around very long.  New versions thus break everything that=20
depends on them for awhile, until those package in turn are upgraded to=20
deal with the new API.

Which wouldn't be a big deal if it were only a handful of packages=20
depending on ffmpeg/libav.  But when pretty much every audio/visual=20
application out there does... it's not just a big deal, it's a *HUGE*=20
deal.

FWIW, while I'm an ffmpeg user myself, the libav upstream has at least=20
realized the problem to some extent, and has slowed down the dropping of=20
older APIs a bit, leaving them around for a version or two even as they=20
continue to move on with new ones.   But I believe that's a fairly new=20
policy, only the last couple of release series, and it's limited to only=20
a release series or two in "backward compatibility mode" at once, so it's=
=20
still a problem for the slower moving packages depending on it, both=20
because it's new enough that the slower moving packages haven't had a=20
chance to absorb it yet, and because it's limited to only a release or=20
two on a fast-moving base, such that the problem will still exist for the=
=20
packages depending on it that are moving slow enough.

This all came out in the gentoo-dev list ffmpeg/libav default=20
discussion.  Truth is, ffmpeg may well be best for ~arch users for=20
several reasons including more flexibility and best of both worlds=20
leading edge development policies, but sta(b)le users may actually be=20
better with libav, at least as this upstream libav policy takes hold,=20
given that they're at least making /some/ efforts toward API stability=20
now, which can only help newer versions reach sta(b)le faster.

Which means libav may actually be the better gentoo profile default after=
=20
all, despite apparent user preference to ffmpeg, because leading edge=20
users are more likely to be willing to change the profile default, while=20
sta(b)le users in general prefer that it "just work" with the least=20
disturbance, at least after they've done their basic setup.

--=20
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman