[icecast] ices 0.3 released

[Jack Moffitt]

> - Most listeners will have to upgrade to a new client or
> install a plugin.

I don't see a way around this in the general case, until Ogg is so
widely used that it would be a bad business idea not to support it.  I
think it will eventually happen, but it will take time (it took ~ 4-5
years for MP3 to achieve this).

That said, we are hoping to have RealPlayer auto-update support in the
near future.  We also hope to have some kind of simple to install WMP
integration (perhaps via ActiveX?).  iTunes and Quicktime seem to unable
to support Ogg playback, and it looks like it will be quite a while
before we get streaming in Apple's tools.  All of the other players I'm
aware of pretty much already support Ogg.

> - Most WinAMPers connect with v.3, which won't work with ogg
> principally because the icecast developers make no concessions
> for its mistaken mime-typing.

What?  Last I checked, the ogg plugin for winamp 3 threadlocked just
after connect.  As far as I know, any bugs there are not our fault.  If
they are, we'd appreciate a detailed description on icecast-dev.  

> - Mac users have to give up iTunes and install Whamb.

Blame Apple.  Quicktime doesn't support VBR audio playback (or at least
not the type that we need).  Also, all streaming in iTunes is handled
internally, and there is no public API for this.  Nor is there a public
API for supporting Ogg directly in iTunes (as opposed to via Quicktime).
Several developers have spent a lot of time trying, and we've had next
to zero success.

> - Effectively no hardware device support.

This is just wrong, and getting more so.  See
http://wiki.xiph.org/VorbisHardware.

> I realize all this is changing, and I'm doing whatever I can to
> get it there, but you can only force new standards and technologies
> on people if you're Steve Jobs.  Others should be as accomodating
> as possible. 

We're trying to be accomodating.  This is why icecast supports mp3 and
ogg formats (as was always planned) so that people have a nice easy
upgrade path.  It will take people producing content in Ogg for people
to demand content in Ogg... it's all a big catch-22, and we appreciate
your efforts to help out.

jack.
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