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Idea #19820: Install Moonlight plugin by default

Written by petrosyan@gmail.com the 14 May 09 at 12:54. Category: Usability. Related project: Nothing/Others. Status: New
Rationale
Silverlight technology is very widespread on the Internet.

Moonlight is an open-source implementation of Silverlight.

Installing Moonlight browser plugin by default would make Ubuntu a lot easier to use.
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-35
votes
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Solution #1: include moonlight-plugin-mozilla on installation LiveCDs
Written by petrosyan@gmail.com the 14 May 09 at 12:54.
Installation LiveCD should include moonlight-plugin-mozilla package.
16
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Solution #2: Stay away from "safe for novel clients" patents.
Written by Ssdg the 17 May 09 at 15:36.
Moonlight include a lot of M$ patented technologies and using them on a non-novel distribution is legally hazardous for every single user. Imagine the cost for a company using ubuntu...

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fizyk wrote on the 16 May 09 at 20:18
It's not open source, even though Novell team develops that: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverlight#Mono_Moonlight_implementation that's the first place I checked this. So I guess it shouldn't be accessible in any other way than flash is.

And why in general installing Moonlight makes it easier to use Ubuntu? are there any apps written in Moonlight/Silverlight for Ubuntu? ;)

sf_007 wrote on the 16 May 09 at 23:46
Microsoft does not make Silverlight cross-platform: that sucks. Moonlight is just a kinda-sorta-like compatible with Silverlight, but it just doesn't work properly... Formats like this are bad for the web, avoid them!

Anyway, if you really need this by default, Super OS includes it on the DVD:

http://hacktolive.org/wiki/Super_OS

sf_007 wrote on the 16 May 09 at 23:46
Microsoft does not make Silverlight cross-platform: that sucks. Moonlight is just a kinda-sorta-like compatible with Silverlight, but it just doesn't work properly... Formats like this are bad for the web, avoid them!

Anyway, if you really need this by default, Super OS includes it on the DVD:

http://hacktolive.org/wiki/Super_OS

sf_007 wrote on the 16 May 09 at 23:47
crap, double-post... sorry.

ushimitsudoki wrote on the 18 May 09 at 08:43
Moonlight is NOT "open-source", despite Novell apologists' claims otherwise.

1. The Microsoft covenant ONLY covers distributing directly from Novell.com - it explicitly excludes non-Novell distributions.

2. The Microsoft covenant ONLY covers Moonlight 1.0 and 1.1.

3. The Microsoft covenant ONLY covers PC-type devices, not "mobile devices".

Those are just 3 clear points where Moonlight undeniably fails the "open source" name.

(Please check the actual Microsoft covenant if you like: http://www.microsoft.com/interop/msnovellcollab/moonlight.mspx)

Just like mono - but even more so - Moonlight is an agressive move against the open source community in general by Microsoft and supported by Novell.

If a user understands these issues and decides Mono/Moonlight is right for them - that is fine. But under no circumstances should such things be included by default in any distribution.

directhex wrote on the 20 May 09 at 06:26
I disagree with installing browser plugins by default. Voted down.

ml2 wrote on the 20 May 09 at 15:27
@ Ushimitsudoki:

Very well said!

Beside that, I don't know a single website which uses Silveright content, other than Microsoft, who must eat their own dog food of course.

[quote]Silverlight technology is very widespread on the Internet.[/quote]

No, it's certainly not. It is just as widespread as Microsoft BOB, the Zune, OOXML and Vista.

directhex wrote on the 20 May 09 at 15:59
@AndrewLuecke - does visiting http://retro.apebox.org/test.html work for you?

directhex wrote on the 20 May 09 at 19:33
The above is non-standard - almost every Silverlight site uses the same plugin-sniffing tech to display a link rather than the object if you don't have the plugin - which prevents the Plugin Finder Toolbar from running. A workaround may be needed, and test.html is the beginnings of a workaround

directhex wrote on the 22 May 09 at 11:36
One more comment to make on this one. As-is, Moonlight CANNOT go onto the Live CD - it is compiled against FFmpeg for codec support, and FFmpeg is barred from inclusion on the CD, so the dependencies cannot be satisfied. I won't build packages without Free codec implementations, and I doubt Canonical will bother, so...


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