[sf-lug] libdvdcss/libdvdcss2 xRe: Are there really such frequent updates to Firefox?

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Bobbie Sellers (bliss-sf4ever at dslextreme.com):

> You don't seem to grasp how dumb or ignorant of
> such matters an old lady can be who never took computer
> science because there were no personal computers until
> I was an adult.

Well, you can always get help from any LUG, and thus not need
to buy proprietary software from Mandriva and be limited to their
distribution.  (Nothing wrong with running their distribution, 
but it's nice to have wider choices.)

Anyway, you say you follow recipes; absolutely.  Fine idea.
Web-searching for a few minutes for 'libdvdcss' and the name of pretty
much any distro will bring up a recipe.

> I looked at the sites that had the material apparently at
> the time but it seemed difficult to get the material and it
> was not supplied in the forms you mention.

I believe you mean that you didn't disregard materials in less-useful
forms (such as source code) and look specifically for packages specific
to your distro.

It's just not that difficult, and uses generic Web-searching techniques
with no technical knowledge required.  Here, let me give you an example.
Let's say you're running Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat.  You start with
the obvious Web search:

  libdvdcss ubuntu

First hit is help.ubuntu.com's RestrictedFormatsPlayingDVDs page.
For Ubuntu 10.10, there are dirt-simple instructions:


   Install the libdvdread4 package (no need to add third party
   repositories) via Synaptic or command line: 

    sudo apt-get install libdvdread4


> There seemed to be some legal problems over its use as well.

Yes, in the USA it's called 'DMCA'.  You may have heard of it.  Our
Lords in Hollywood desire to control where and when we are permitted to
enjoy their wares, and bought legislation in Congress that makes 
'circumvention devices' technically unlawful.

However, Our Lords in Hollywood would never in a million years attempt
to pick you as a defendent, because they fear having the 'circumvention'
provision struck down as being blatantly unjust if they deploy it
against someone who cannot be effectively villified -- and people are 
using the libdvdcss libraries to view and otherwise use on Linux
lawfully purchased Hollywood movie DVDs all over the world without fear.

-- 
Rick Moen            "Julianne Moore probably took the role of Sarah Palin 
rick at linuxmafia.com  because actors win awards for playing handicapped people."
McQ!  (4x80)                                                -- Kelly Oxford