Slashdot Mirror
Linux Not Supported For Democratic Convention Video
bucketoftruth writes "If you browse to the Democratic Convention website and attempt to check out any of their upcoming streams, you bump into the following limitation: 'We're sorry, but the Democratic Convention video web site isn't compatible with your operating system and/or browser. Please try again on a computer with the following Compatible operating systems: Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, or a Mac with Tiger (OS 10.4) or Leopard (OS 10.5). Compatible browsers: Internet Explorer (version 6 or later), Firefox (version 2), or, if you are on a Mac, Safari (version 3.1) also works.'"
Quite possible, and the McCain camp is still trying to figure out what Linux is, and if it is a threat to national security.
Biden his VP choice is against net neutrality
I think Obama has lost his mojo.
Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
Since invention of flash video we are free from unnecessary plugins and related burden.
Right, because Flash is free software, so it works with every current OS and browser.
It requires Silverlight. If you spoof the agent string, it asks you to install both Silverlight and Move Network's media player plug-in.
I came, I saw, She conquered.
It says you have to install Silverlight to see it.
I hate to say it, but Flash has existed, and been a viable option, for long before Silverlight, and it's got a far greater install base. Why'd they choose Silverlight over Flash?
I'm sure there are valid reasons, I'd just like to hear them.
Does silverlight for linux exist?
Short answer: Yes.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
Really? If it were the "most technologically-savvy event" wouldn't it at least make an effort to support ALL operating systems, especially the one used mostly by the "technologically-savvy" people. It isn't a difficult feat to use technology which is supported by the three major OSes on the market. This isn't acceptable in this day and age. =/
Since invention of flash video we are free from unnecessary plugins
Plugins like, oh, I don't know, maybe, FLASH?!
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
Here's the direct link to CSPAN's feed
http://play.rbn.com/play.asx?url=cspan/cspan/wmlive/cspan1v.asf&proto=mms?mswmext=.asx
We're sorry, but the Democratic Convention video web site isn't compatible with your operating system and/or browser.
Phew. That's a relief.
There's Flash, Silverlight, QuickTime, RealPlayer, and Windows Media Player to choose from.
I'd suggest h.264 in an mp4 container. Quicktime will play it, Media Player should play it, and Linux (totem/kaffeine/xine/etc) will play it.
Flash is the known quantity -- it works on Linux, just not very well.
But I think pretty much all of the ones you suggested are a better choice than Silverlight, in its current state.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
Let's be serious here - nobody's spending money to block anything. The DNC didn't build anything themselves, nor should they - they're a political party, not a software shop. They chose a vendor to build out and operate a video infrastructure for the convention, and that vendor happens to have built on Silverlight (that's where incentives and support from MS likely came in, not directly to the DNC). Why the vendor did that, I have no idea.
I'm a pretty big believer that these things should be built on open technologies, not the least of the reasons being that it's GOOD for political parties to have their content built upon and reused (that's much of what fuels political blogs). As such I'm a little miffed that they chose a vendor that didn't support open technologies, but my guess is that someone's list of questions didn't extend past "can you run it on a Mac" (thereby showing that they're not part of the old Windows-only generation, they're part of the new Mac generation). Given the size of the Linux market, I think the use of content question is much bigger than the runs-on-a-particular-OS question.
Sheesh, we even had a story about McCain's tech platform (once he finally formulated one).
It specifically says that he believes in protecting children from porn and the RIAA's War on Sharing, but NOT 'prescriptive' legislation like Net Neutrality.
They should get a hold of Ted Stevens. He knows alot about computers and networking stuff.
They want me to pay for my operating system??
Oh well, I think I have windows installed in a PC in one of my seven houses....
Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Except it's the no-sound version. With a little guesswork, I was able to figure out the right one:
http://cnn-cnnlive-2-primary.wm.llnwd.net/cnn_cnnlive_1_primary?MSWMExt=.asf
Why'd they choose Silverlight over Flash?
For *live* streaming, I suspect that it's far cheaper to set up a bunch of Windows Media servers than it is to set up a bunch of Flash servers.
Flash Streaming Server licenses are *extremely* expensive. There are open-source alternatives, but so far as I know none of them are very good at handling thousands (or tens of thousands) of simultaneous connections.
Windows Media servers, however, are just regular ol' Windows servers -- couple hundred dollars per box with no user limits, and they do quite well with heavy loads.
Unless Adobe manages to compete better on pricing, or unless some of the open-source alternatives get better at scaling to thousands of users, then I bet we'll see more and more developers pushing Silverlight without Microsoft having to pay them to do anything.
And note that I'm talking about *live* streaming, not streaming prerecorded stuff like YouTube.
Except it's the no-sound version.
You say that like it's a bad thing...
Well, he is the bigger evil. The bigger and the better evil(I mean, he could be the devil's great-great-grandfather).
That's why he gets my vote. Because Obama is a lesser evil and I don't like to vote for lesser.
If you take that thought to it's conclusion, I believe you'll find a preferable candidate here: http://www.cthulhu.org/
I hate to let this go any further, but the bronze age didn't have digital computers. I think they used bronze punch cards. Gee I can't wait for the youth of tomorrow to cannibalize us all. At least they'll know how many houses they have. They can keep track using emacs or vi.
Funny, I thought it was the hackers who needed to be protected from the political parties.
I don't care why you're posting AC
Vote McCain/Whoever 2008
Finally! A VP candidate with no bad positions on any of the issues!
Well hell, we should just skip waiting for McCain to drop dead of old age for the VP to move up to president. Whoever is the better half of that ticket! I say we just elect Whoever as President in the first place!
Who's with me? WHOEVER FOR PRESIDENT! Hell yeah!
-
- - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
If I recall correctly, he was the head of the commerce committee that was in charge of the network neutrality bill being pushed through a couple years back.
The guy was in charge of regulating the internet. And called the internet a series of tubes.
I don't even know what analogy to come up with in comparison. Car analogies are welcome ;)
This is not the funny you're looking for.
Maybe you should read this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Series_of_tubes
I really don't think that was the bad part of his speech. The bad part was:
"an Internet was sent by my staff"
This from the guy who is supposed to be overseeing the ISPs.
This is a sig. This is only a sig. Had this been an actual sig you would have been informed where to tune for more sigs.