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Watch the Obama Inauguration With Moonlight

Posted by timothy on from the join-this-program-already-in-progress dept.

bigmonachus writes "Miguel de Icaza has posted on his blog that linux users will be able to watch the Obama inauguration using Moonlight. Just go to the Moonlight download page to get it. He also said that some Microsoft engineers worked hard last night to make this happen."

11 of 197 comments (clear)

  1. Change but not all change is good... by jellomizer · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I am not sure why they just didn't use Flash. I guess Microsoft paid them a lot of money. At least with flash you have native support for Linux, Windows, Mac OS, Solaris, PowerPC Macs. With the GNU Flash equivalent you also allow some of the BSD guys to watch too.

    While I am happy that they made an open source port so quickly however. It is just a hack for a one time occasion. For people with different needs will still be left out in the cold.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    1. Re:Change but not all change is good... by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 5, Interesting

      To be honest, between Silverlight/Moonlight and Flash, Silverlight/Moonlight is obviously the superior technology. It's also, ironically, the more open of the two.

      And we've known for a long, long time that Flash was junk. It's just that now that Microsoft has their own competing technology, all of a sudden we're like "What's wrong with Flash?"

      Seriously. Just because you or I may not like Microsoft, you have to give props where props are due.

      --
      My blog
    2. Re:Change but not all change is good... by RAMMS+EIN · · Score: 2, Interesting

      ``I am not sure why they just didn't use Flash.''

      Here's a novel idea: why don't they just use a STANDARD VIDEO FORMAT? These can be played on pretty much any computer. No need to complicate things by adding Flash/Silverlight/ActiveX/gremlins to the mix.

      --
      Please correct me if I got my facts wrong.
  2. Re:Or not by someone300 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I love Linux and run it on many computers at home, and have never been particularly fond of Microsoft, but you really have to give this to them. It's more open than what Adobe have to offer and they're being far more cooperative than Adobe generally were. Remember, mono/moonlight are *open source*.. not even just a binary blob provided by Microsoft.

    They've repeatedly helped the Mono developers and have truly made an effort to set a new precedent with many of their .NET technologies. In general, they're far more open (in specification and implementation) than their previous development efforts. Their new file formats aren't perfect, but they're certainly better than what came before.

    I suppose that this, codeplex and their other efforts could be all a big plot to win mindshare from OSS developers and users and convert them to MS, then they'll break compatibility again, but really if they think that will succeed, they're living in a fairy tale world. Honestly, I do think this is an attempt to be a bit more cooperative, even for business reasons. The best thing we can do as Linux users is support actions that facilitate open platform and do our best to stifle technologies that are clearly an attempt to do the opposite. For example, if you work in a MS shop, try to get them to use their more open products over their closed ones.

    What I think this is truly indicating is that OSS (and Apple) are hurting Microsoft's profit, and they're doing their best to hold their position in a more cross-platform market.

  3. Re:MS makes a very compelling case by Ed+Avis · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Moonlight is open source, but the codecs are not - they are binary blobs written by (gulp) Microsoft. But for those living in patent-brain-damaged countries, it's about the least bad of several bad alternatives.

    Adobe has done some 'evil' things but then so has every software company, even Google. I don't think that playing corporate melodrama, picking goodies and baddies, is a sensible way to decide what software to use. Judge whether you have freedom to use, share and change the software in each case. (For the Flash player the answer is clearly no, although Gnash is getting better.)

    --
    -- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
  4. Re:Barack on your mobile ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Silverlight Mobile is coming soon to Windows Media and other devices such as anything based on Series 60.

    The demos I've seen look good, although not sure how it handles video.

    Saying that I've never seen Flash work on my mobile (Nokia N95 8GB), its meant to have Flash Lite but it just never seems to do anything.

  5. Re:A point for MS by aliquis · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Did they change something in the presentation videothingy or did they added some support/fixes into moonlight? I'd assume the later which indeed was very nice of them :)

  6. Re:Oh God no! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Are you sure that we haven't already had an African American president? Is the color of the skin what truly defines being African American or is it ancestry? I've seen articles (like this) that discuss several past presidents with African American heritage.
    • Jefferson, who served two terms between 1801 and 1809, was described as the "son of a half-breed Indian squaw and a Virginia mulatto father,"
    • President Andrew Jackson was the son of an Irish woman who married a black man.
    • Lincoln was said to have been the illegitimate son of an African man
    • President Warren Harding, the 29th president, had black ancestors between both sets of parents.
    • Coolidge, the nation's 30th president, served between 1923 and 1929 and supposedly was proud of his heritage.

    While Obama may be the first dark skinned African American, applying the "first African American president" to him could be seen as discounting the heritage of past presidents.

    Mij

  7. Another option for Linux users by tkrotchko · · Score: 2, Interesting

    TV. It seems to work everywhere. I'm guessing it will be broadcast live in several countries, and even when it's not, the evening news will have the summary.

    And of course, YouTube will have the speech later today.

    I don't think waiting a few hours presents any sort of hardship.

    --
    You were mistaken. Which is odd, since memory shouldn't be a problem for you
  8. Re:Or not by mR.bRiGhTsId3 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Fortunately for you, you don't have to install something from microsoft, you have to install something from an open source project. Granted, they lag behind, but its hard to have lock-in when they are pseudo-complete competing implementations for "left-out platforms".
    Even though its a different stream, the fact that the website was willing to put up support for other systems sets an excellent precedent.

  9. *light.... by jimpop · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Who needed silverlight or moonlight to watch? Numerous public sources streamed the event in flash. I'm sure this Miguel guy is a nice fellow, but his dancing with/for Microsoft doesn't seem right to me.