[LINK] Ogg Vorbis and Theora removed from HTML5

[Alastair Rankine]

Rick Welykochy wrote:
> In move that can only be described as a FUD-driven attempt by Apple
> and other proprietary codec holders or supporters, the W3 has so far
> bowed to pressure to remove Ogg/Vorbis and Theora from the emerging
> HTML-5 specification.

I support the intent behind this change. It should not be up to the HTML 
spec to recommend (and it was only a recommendation) any specific video 
codec, regardless of the merits (or otherwise) of any one of them.

The HTML spec should be reasonably stable and not subject to the 
turbulence that exists around video compression technology and 
associated intellectual property issues. A change in technology or 
licensing could, for example, instantly render the Ogg recommendation 
obsolete (or at least a lot less clear-cut).

However it seems to me that the change to the HTML5 spec *is* making a 
codec recommendation, or at least a non-recommendation. By saying that 
none of the current codecs are suitable for various reasons, the 
document is straying outside of its (declared) scope.

This is particularly problematic when one of the reasons given for the 
non-recommendation is based on its assessment of Ogg's (actually 
unstated but obvious in the context of the change) exposure to submarine 
patent violation. This is *well* outside scope for the HTML spec IMHO.