Idea #1856: All applications can use all file formats

-48

Written by Eldmannen the 29 Feb 08 at 21:41. Category: System.
Related to: Nothing/Others. Status: New

Description

GIMP can open lots of file formats.
But Eye of GNOME can open less, why?
This is dumb.

I propose some kind of framework or library in the system that applications can use to access file formats.

This would make all applications be able to support all file formats, and would make it easier to code application software, because it would require less time and code since the developer wouldn't have to use different libraries and write support for file formats manually himself.

All audio software can handle all audio file formats.
All graphics software can handle all graphics file formats.
All video software can handle all video file formats.

Then I can download an update for the system library which adds support for new file formats, and suddenly my old applications gained support for new file formats without I even have to update them.

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Comments

Lee wrote on the 29 Feb 08 at 21:44

Agreed. Amigas could do this almost two DECADES ago. Its time linux got with the program.

smartboyathome wrote on the 29 Feb 08 at 21:48

This would require all the applications to use the same libraries and such, which leads to all of them becoming basically copies of each other.

bigdufstuff wrote on the 29 Feb 08 at 21:52

This is already happening in the AV world with gstreamer; which is a good thing. The more apps taht use gstreamer, the more they will consistantly open the same files.

If there is a bug in opening a file, it gets fixed in gstreamer and then all the apps get a free update.

twright wrote on the 29 Feb 08 at 21:53

maybe a converter, if eye of gnome can't open something it just asks some other program to convert it

ximen wrote on the 29 Feb 08 at 21:55

Not a converter, but a real library like gstreamer. Of course it is not easy, but it's worth it.

Ssdg wrote on the 29 Feb 08 at 23:37

Gimp is not used to do the same stuffs than Eog, so it's "show me an image" framework allows both showing and editing, how long would it take to show an image if you have to load and process lots of calculations aimed at moving, painting or calculating alpha rations for each color?

winter wrote on the 1 Mar 08 at 02:21

Crappy integration. Crappy dev environment. You should try... actually, I won't say it. ;)

Eldmannen wrote on the 1 Mar 08 at 13:07

Ssdg, they are just load/save image handlers.

They load the image from the image handler into another class which does the editing, then save it again with the image handler.

So it never needs to load stuff for calculations and moving, painting and calculating alpha rations and each color.

nitrofurano wrote on the 21 Sep 08 at 11:17

well, on Gimp you can't open .cin, .mag, etc...

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