X-Git-Url: http://review.tizen.org/git/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=README;h=08b2e1b7457d7f80e80cc08768e391cc2d9c661d;hb=dac5966da6a0f53d0443dfa1ac239289028c415d;hp=12c0836526578112db2c0534da363d7d1ca5c655;hpb=602821bcefab53b4ad13b1f14b1a05a436c66192;p=platform%2Fupstream%2Fgstreamer.git diff --git a/README b/README index 12c0836..08b2e1b 100644 --- a/README +++ b/README @@ -1,71 +1,255 @@ +GStreamer 1.16.x stable series + WHAT IT IS ---------- -This is GStreamer, a framework for streaming media. The -fundamental design comes from the video pipeline at Oregon Graduate -Institute, as well as some ideas from DirectMedia. It's based on plug-ins -that will provide the various codec and other functionality. The -interface hopefully is generic enough for various companies (ahem, Apple) -to release binary codecs for Linux, until such time as they get a clue and -release the source. - -COMPILING FROM SOURCE ---------------------- + +This is GStreamer, a framework for streaming media. + +WHERE TO START +-------------- + +We have a website at +http://gstreamer.freedesktop.org/ + +You should start by going through our FAQ at +http://gstreamer.freedesktop.org/data/doc/gstreamer/head/faq/html/ + +There is more documentation; go to +http://gstreamer.freedesktop.org/documentation + +You can subscribe to our mailing lists; see the website for details. + +We track bugs in GNOME's bugzilla; see the website for details. + +You can join us on IRC - #gstreamer on irc.freenode.org + +GStreamer 1.0 series +-------------------- + +Starring + + GSTREAMER + +The core around which all other modules revolve. Base functionality and +libraries, some essential elements, documentation, and testing. + + BASE + +A well-groomed and well-maintained collection of GStreamer plug-ins and +elements, spanning the range of possible types of elements one would want +to write for GStreamer. + +And introducing, for the first time ever, on the development screen ... + + THE GOOD + + --- "Such ingratitude. After all the times I've saved your life." + +A collection of plug-ins you'd want to have right next to you on the +battlefield. Shooting sharp and making no mistakes, these plug-ins have it +all: good looks, good code, and good licensing. Documented and dressed up +in tests. If you're looking for a role model to base your own plug-in on, +here it is. + +If you find a plot hole or a badly lip-synced line of code in them, +let us know - it is a matter of honour for us to ensure Blondie doesn't look +like he's been walking 100 miles through the desert without water. + + THE UGLY + + --- "When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk." + +There are times when the world needs a color between black and white. +Quality code to match the good's, but two-timing, backstabbing and ready to +sell your freedom down the river. These plug-ins might have a patent noose +around their neck, or a lock-up license, or any other problem that makes you +think twice about shipping them. + +We don't call them ugly because we like them less. Does a mother love her +son less because he's not as pretty as the other ones ? No - she commends +him on his great personality. These plug-ins are the life of the party. +And we'll still step in and set them straight if you report any unacceptable +behaviour - because there are two kinds of people in the world, my friend: +those with a rope around their neck and the people who do the cutting. + + THE BAD + + --- "That an accusation?" + +No perfectly groomed moustache or any amount of fine clothing is going to +cover up the truth - these plug-ins are Bad with a capital B. +They look fine on the outside, and might even appear to get the job done, but +at the end of the day they're a black sheep. Without a golden-haired angel +to watch over them, they'll probably land in an unmarked grave at the final +showdown. + +Don't bug us about their quality - exercise your Free Software rights, +patch up the offender and send us the patch on the fastest steed you can +steal from the Confederates. Because you see, in this world, there's two +kinds of people, my friend: those with loaded guns and those who dig. +You dig. + +The Lowdown +----------- + + --- "I've never seen so many plug-ins wasted so badly." + +GStreamer Plug-ins has grown so big that it's hard to separate the wheat from +the chaff. Also, distributors have brought up issues about the legal status +of some of the plug-ins we ship. To remedy this, we've divided the previous +set of available plug-ins into four modules: + +- gst-plugins-base: a small and fixed set of plug-ins, covering a wide range + of possible types of elements; these are continuously kept up-to-date + with any core changes during the development series. + + - We believe distributors can safely ship these plug-ins. + - People writing elements should base their code on these elements. + - These elements come with examples, documentation, and regression tests. + +- gst-plugins-good: a set of plug-ins that we consider to have good quality + code, correct functionality, our preferred license (LGPL for the plug-in + code, LGPL or LGPL-compatible for the supporting library). + + - We believe distributors can safely ship these plug-ins. + - People writing elements should base their code on these elements. + +- gst-plugins-ugly: a set of plug-ins that have good quality and correct + functionality, but distributing them might pose problems. The license + on either the plug-ins or the supporting libraries might not be how we'd + like. The code might be widely known to present patent problems. + + - Distributors should check if they want/can ship these plug-ins. + - People writing elements should base their code on these elements. + +- gst-plugins-bad: a set of plug-ins that aren't up to par compared to the + rest. They might be close to being good quality, but they're missing + something - be it a good code review, some documentation, a set of tests, + a real live maintainer, or some actual wide use. + If the blanks are filled in they might be upgraded to become part of + either gst-plugins-good or gst-plugins-ugly, depending on the other factors. + + - If the plug-ins break, you can't complain - instead, you can fix the + problem and send us a patch, or bribe someone into fixing them for you. + - New contributors can start here for things to work on. + +PLATFORMS +--------- + +- Linux is of course fully supported +- FreeBSD is reported to work; other BSDs should work too +- Solaris is reported to work; a specific sunaudiosink plugin has been written +- MacOSX works, binary 1.x packages can be built using the cerbero build tool +- Windows works; binary 1.x packages can be built using the cerbero build tool + - MSys/MinGW builds + - Microsoft Visual Studio builds are not yet available or supported +- Android works, binary 1.x packages can be built using the cerbero build tool +- iOS works + +INSTALLING FROM PACKAGES +------------------------ + +You should always prefer installing from packages first. GStreamer is +well-maintained for a number of distributions, including Fedora, Debian, +Ubuntu, Mandrake, Gentoo, ... + +Only in cases where you: +- want to hack on GStreamer +- want to verify that a bug has been fixed +- do not have a sane distribution +should you choose to build from source tarballs or git. + +Find more information about the various packages at +http://gstreamer.freedesktop.org/download/ + +COMPILING FROM SOURCE TARBALLS +------------------------------ + +- again, make sure that you really need to install from source ! + If GStreamer is one of your first projects ever that you build from source, + consider taking on an easier project. + - check output of ./configure --help to see if any options apply to you - run ./configure make to build GStreamer. -- if you want to install it (not required), run +- if you want to install it (not required, but what you usually want to do), run make install -- You should create a registry for things to work. - If you ran make install in the previous step, run - gst-register - as root. - - If you didn't install, run - tools/gst-register - as a normal user. - try out a simple test: - gst-launch fakesrc num_buffers=5 ! fakesink - (If you didn't install GStreamer, again prefix gst-launch with tools/) + gst-launch -v fakesrc num_buffers=5 ! fakesink + (If you didn't install GStreamer, prefix gst-launch with tools/) If it outputs a bunch of messages from fakesrc and fakesink, everything is ok. + If it did not work, keep in mind that you might need to adjust the + PATH and/or LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variables to make the system + find GStreamer in the prefix where you installed (by default that is /usr/local). + - After this, you're ready to install gst-plugins, which will provide the functionality you're probably looking for by now, so go on and read that README. -COMPILING FROM CVS +COMPILING FROM GIT ------------------ -When building from CVS sources, you will need to run autogen.sh to generate -the build system files. - -GStreamer is cutting-edge stuff. To be a CVS developer, you need -what used to be considered cutting-edge tools. -ATM, most of us have at least these versions : +When building from git sources, you will need to run autogen.sh to generate +the build system files. -* autoconf 2.52 (NOT 2.52d) -* automake 1.5 -* libtool 1.4 (NOT Gentoo's genetic failure 1.4.2) -* pkg-config 0.8.0 +You will need a set of additional tools typical for building from git, +including: +- autoconf +- automake +- libtool -autogen.sh will check for these versions and complain if you don't have +autogen.sh will check for recent enough versions and complain if you don't have them. You can also specify specific versions of automake and autoconf with --with-automake and --with-autoconf Check autogen.sh options by running autogen.sh --help -autogen.sh can pass on arguments to configure - you just need to separate them -from autogen.sh with -- between the two. -prefix has been added to autogen.sh but will be passed on to configure because -some build scripts like that. +autogen.sh can pass on arguments to configure When you have done this once, you can use autoregen.sh to re-autogen with the last passed options as a handy shortcut. Use it. After the autogen.sh stage, you can follow the directions listed in "COMPILING FROM SOURCE" + +You can also run your whole git stack uninstalled in your home directory, +so that you can quickly test changes without affecting your system setup or +interfering with GStreamer installed from packages. Many GStreamer developers +use an uninstalled setup for their work. + +There is a 'create-uninstalled-setup.sh' script in + + http://cgit.freedesktop.org/gstreamer/gstreamer/tree/scripts/ + +to easily create an uninstalled setup from scratch. + + +PLUG-IN DEPENDENCIES AND LICENSES +--------------------------------- + +GStreamer is developed under the terms of the LGPL (see COPYING file for +details). Some of our plug-ins however rely on libraries which are available +under other licenses. This means that if you are distributing an application +which has a non-GPL compatible license (for instance a closed-source +application) with GStreamer, you have to make sure not to distribute GPL-linked +plug-ins. + +When using GPL-linked plug-ins, GStreamer is for all practical reasons +under the GPL itself. + +HISTORY +------- + +The fundamental design comes from the video pipeline at Oregon Graduate +Institute, as well as some ideas from DirectMedia. It's based on plug-ins that +will provide the various codec and other functionality. The interface +hopefully is generic enough for various companies (ahem, Apple) to release +binary codecs for Linux, until such time as they get a clue and release the +source.