openshot.developers team mailing list archive

[TJ <ubuntu@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sun, 2009-10-04 at 16:57 -0500, Jonathan Thomas wrote:
> TJ,
> As you know, we have been getting a lot questions regarding VLC not
> working after installing OpenShot.  I read your response, and I
> understand why it's happening.  However, is there anything else that
> we can do (aside from getting into the official Debian repository)?
> For example (sorry if this doesn't make sense in advance), could we
> have both versions (restricted and unrestricted) of FFmpeg installed
> in the OpenShot PPA?  Would that prevent VLC from uninstalling
> itself? 

Yes, it's bothering me too. I've already started re-investigating the
whole ffmpeg situation from the ground up especially for Jaunty where it
is most 'vexing', because of these reports.

Right now I'm simply trying to trace what has happened to the Ubuntu
source packages over time. Ubuntu lists two source packages:

"ffmpeg-debian" 3:0.svn20090303-1ubuntu6 (in main) is the 'unrestricted'
aka 'stripped' version
"ffmpeg" 3:0.svn20090303-1ubuntu2+unstripped1 (in multiverse) is the
'restricted' aka 'unstripped' version

http://packages.ubuntu.com/search?keywords=ffmpeg&searchon=sourcenames&suite=jaunty&section=all

Now here's where it begins to get confusing and complicated, and where I
think our problems begin.

The "ffmpeg-debian" source package (in main) generates the "ffmpeg"
binary, debug, -dev, and unrestricted library packages (libavcodec52,
etc.).

"ffmpeg" source package (in multiverse) only generates restricted
library packages (libavcodec-unstripped-52, etc.).

The implication here is that two separate source packages are used but
they manage to maintain the *same* Application Binary Interface (ABI)
for both sets of libraries.

I am going to try to use these two as the basis for two PPA packages
rather than the one we currently carry and see if I can back-port the
current ffmpeg git into them.

I recall that when I tried this originally there were so many invasive
changes required it eventually fell apart but that may be because I was
working from one source package, not having realised that both are
required to be updated in order to maintain the ABI between the two sets
(unrestricted and restricted) of binary libraries.

It looks as if we have to maintain both source packages for ffmpeg in
order to prevent the issues.