x86_64 install fails, i386 install works, but ubuntu fixes all

[B Wooster]

On Wed, Jun 24, 2009 at 5:45 AM, Kevin Kofler <kevin.kofler at chello.at>wrote:

> B Wooster wrote:
> > Then, I tried to make DVD playback work - followed all instructions
> > for libdvdcss, xine, totem, etc, but no luck - cannot play DVDs,
> > something about MPEG codec not found.
>
> ...
> Fedora intentionally does not support or recommend proprietary drivers. We
> do not consider substracting your freedom an "upgrade".
>
> ....
> Fedora cannot do that for legal reasons. Shipping MPEG codecs violates US
> patents, shipping libdvdcss the US DMCA. As Fedora is based in the USA, we
> can't break their laws.
>
>        Kevin Kofler


I think Ubuntu is exactly the same - they don't ship proprietary code - in
fact, by default, they don't even install the nvidia drivers (which fedora
i386 install seems to do automatically),.

So Ubuntu does not have DVD or MPEG support off the bat.
There is something called the "Update Notifier" that asks if such software
should be downloaded, with appropriate warning about non-free code.
Seems like a good model to me - ie., a third-party writes a tool for Fedora
that automatically checks what modules are required for DVD playback,
prompts the user for permission, and goes whereever needed to get the stuff.

Given that many (most?) people probably expect and need DVD playback, seems
worth having such third-party automated tools bundled with fedora - not the
non-free code, just the thing that checks what is required and knows where
to get it.

As it is, everyone probably does this manually - and I'm sure I followed the
fedorafaq.org instructions - yet, no video.
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