On open video and on prevention

Important note: this blog post is my own opinion. No more, no less.

You've undoubtedly heard that Youtube and Vimeo have beta-released their HTML5 <video> video players. And there was a lot of talk about the codec they used: H.264. Although Firefox has excellent HTML5 <video> support , it does not support the (patented) H.264 codec, so you won't be able to use these players in Firefox. This is because Mozilla believes (and I agree) that H.264 is not suitable for the open Web.

If you have not read, I recommend reading:

• Robert O'Callahan writes about his conversation in LCA about open video and Mozilla
• His other blog is where he compares H.264 and ActiveX
• Mike Shaver writes about H.264 licensing
• Christopher Blizzard writes about the history of the Web, about network effects, and the long-term effects

Yeah, I know this is a mass of reading. But worth it.
')
Be that as it may, individuals suggested the following solutions:

• Use the codec that comes with the operating system (if there is one).
• To license H.264 and deliver it only with binary versions of Firefox (and leave other vendors and implementers and developers with lower finances aside).
• Supply H.264 in Firefox to people living in countries where software patents are not protected by law (live in the US? No luck!).

Frankly, these decisions are selfish . They assume that this is normal when only a select few have access to the Web. And this is no good. It is not good to exclude people from the Web. Neither because of their hardware , nor because of the operating system they use, nor because of the client they use, nor because of their place of residence, nor because of how much money they have. For no reason. The web was conceived as open for participation in it - let's save it with such one.