Flash isn't going open source, but it may already be more open than Moonlight
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On top of that, it's important to note that Moonlight isn't completely open. Like Flash, Moonlight makes use of third-party codecs that are closed.
Want more good news? Microsoft only "covenants to not sue" over Moonlight applications that utilize it 1) as an in-browser plugin 2) on a personal computer and 3) aren't licensed as GPLv3 or a "similar license." The icing on the cake? That protection only applies to Novell and its subsidiaries - so your independent app wouldn't count, unless Novell owns 50% of you.
Adobe, on the other hand, grants full patent use to anyone who builds anything with Flash. So while you can develop and sell whatever the heck you want using the technologies that power Flash and Adobe will post about it on their Twitter account, developing with Moonlight could result in nasty legal proceedings.
So which platform is really more "open?" Flash or Moonlight?
Novell's Mono team was on hand to demonstrate a Visual Studio plug-in for Mono code development. Applications are deployed and debugged in Mono by using a Linux virtual machine. The company also previewed Mono Moonlight 2.0, an open-source variation of Microsoft Silverlight 2.
wow, just like iFolder from Novell. If Novell just lost something else to Ubuntu. Novell, stop acting like Micro$oft, please?
Methods and systems to fast fill media players , patent No. 7,536,474, invented by Jamshid Mahdavi of San Jose, Calif., assigned to Novell, Inc. of Provo.
Parallelizing multiple boot images with virtual machines , patent No. 7,536,541, invented by Scott A. Isaacson of Kamuela, Hawaii, assigned to Novell Inc. of Provo.
Comments
Don
2009-05-22 16:17:14
Roy Schestowitz
2009-05-22 17:18:52
Don
2009-05-22 16:16:41
"Despite promising in January to open RTMP, Adobe has issued a DMCA take down request for an open source implementation of the protocol. The former SourceForge project page for rtmpdump now reports 'Invalid Project.' rtmpdump has been used in tools such as get_iplayer and get-flash-videos. Adobe is no stranger to the DMCA, having previously used it against Dmitry Sklyarov."
http://linuxcentre.net/adobe-has-issued-a-dmca-removal-request-for-rtmpdump/
Oh snap, I guess they aren't the God Guys(tm) afterall
Don
2009-05-22 22:32:32
Also, seeing as how Flash isn't open source, it can't be considered "more open" than Moonlight which is LGPL - if you don't like the Microsoft codecs, use ffmpeg (which is what the free software clones of Flash use too).
Sounds to me like you are trying to wage a FUD war against the Moonlight guys.
That said, I don't plan on bothering to read your garbage in the future.
JohnD
2009-05-23 14:00:39