GStreamer Plug-ins splitup

Here is some explanation regarding the split-up of plug-ins into separate modules. Without further ado ...

GStreamer - Hung by a Thread

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 Plugins 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

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