Bug#515850: RFP: mjpegtools - MJPEG video capture/editting/playback MPEG encoding

[Reinhard Tartler]

On Thu, Sep 03, 2009 at 10:14:02 (CEST), Fabian Greffrath wrote:

> Reinhard Tartler schrieb:
>>> Will it make sense to start packaging in pkg-multimedia git now?
>> if you have some spare time, why not. I just fear that it will rott in
>> NEW. It wouldn't be the first package to end like that :-(
>
> Regarding mjpegtools, I think the source even got some more severe
> license issues than the ones you pointed out before,
> e.g. mjpegtools-1.9.0/aenc/common.h (and several other files in aenc/):
>
> /*
>  * Copyright (c) 1991 MPEG/audio software simulation group, All Rights
> Reserved
>  *   common.h
> */
> /**********************************************************************
>  * MPEG/audio coding/decoding software, work in progress              *
>  *   NOT for public distribution until verified and approved by the   *
>  *   MPEG/audio committee.  For further information, please contact   *
>  *   Davis Pan, 508-493-2241, e-mail: pan at gauss.enet.dec.com          *
> [...]
>
> Doen's look likely to meet the DFSG requirements. :(

I took another look at the source code.

Indeed, is some considerable work in the package that is derived from
the MSSG (the Mpeg software simulation group). More information on that
group can be found here:

http://www.mpeg.org/MPEG/video/mssg-free-mpeg-software.html

It is basically a buggy, orphaned and incomplete reference
implementation, which projects like mjpegtools took as basis and
improved them. The original authors disappeared, and from what I deduce
from http://www.mpeg.org/MPEG/mpeg-pointers-and-resources/, the MSSG
software is considered "public-domain" nowadays.

I guess we can and should try to get the package into debian, with these
pieces of information included in debian/copyright.

-- 
Gruesse/greetings,
Reinhard Tartler, KeyID 945348A4