One of the great things about Linux is that a single twenty minute install will not only give you a powerful operating system with all your hardware working out of the box, but also a great set of applications. As the quality of free/libre software gets better and better, the desktop as a whole becomes much more attractive.
However, one major piece of software which has been missing for many years is a powerful video editing program. You know, the type of program that a user wants to use to create home movies from their digital video camera and the like. There are numerous projects out there, such as Kino and Cinelerra, but nothing to really rival the offerings available on other operating systems. It’s not that these Linux programs are not high quality, they are, they just lack the polish and ease of use that Apple’s commercial iMovie program does, for example. So while everyone ponders when the year of Linux desktop will be, others are busy working on another missing piece of the puzzle...
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/hide comments
written by Gergely Máté, July 09, 2009
If you downloaded KDEnlive in binary form some times ago, you may noticed that it fails to open such patented formats, and also fails to create such content. Distribution vendors had to leave out those options to stay safe. You can compile it from source, of course, and you can download the binary from a county where the patents do not apply. It's your responsibility to comply to your local law.
I think that this video-codec patenting is one of the greatest powers in Apple's and Microsoft's hand to hold back Linux flourish. Even though KDEnlive has the technological power to compete, it does not have the legal background. So - again - Linux's advancement is held back by legal steps of the guys having enough money...
-
- +1
-
-
Show/hide comment form
But I'll give it a second chance, if it's featured on linux.com's front page I guess a lot of progress have been made!