nu774
Upload binaries to Github Releases?
Would you mind uploading compiled binaries to Github Releases?
It seems like this project is pretty much complete, so it's probably not worth worrying about setting up any sort of automated build process since just one upload every few years would seem to suffice.
Build Instructions
I have some instructions for how to build on Mac and Linux, and I'd be happy to supply binaries for those two (including Apple Silicon M1).
(my process is documented here: https://github.com/coolaj86/fdkaac/releases/tag/v1.0.1-pre-1)
Trustable 1st Party Builds
I realize that I could host these on my own Github page (which I'm doing for a client currently), but I'd like to get this up on Webi (webinstall.dev) as well, and we try to avoid 3rd party builds whenever possible since people generally trust 1st party builds more (and they generally work as documented).
I'm not distributing binary build because of this (quoted from NOTICE of FDK-AAC library):
3. NO PATENT LICENSE
NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED LICENSES TO ANY PATENT CLAIMS, including without
limitation the patents of Fraunhofer, ARE GRANTED BY THIS SOFTWARE LICENSE.
Fraunhofer provides no warranty of patent non-infringement with respect to this
software.
You may use this FDK AAC Codec software or modifications thereto only for
purposes that are authorized by appropriate patent licenses.
Yuck.
For some reason I was under the impression that AAC was owned by Apple and that it was royalty free. Maybe that's just m4a... or maybe I just dreamed it up.
Additional resources, for others following:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Audio_Coding#Licensing_and_patents
- https://www.via-corp.com/licensing/aac/license-fees/
- https://www.via-corp.com/licensing/aac/
- https://www.via-corp.com/licensing/aac/aac-faqs/
(Apple isn't even on the list of owners, oddly enough)
Here: https://www.mediafire.com/file/09lrxx3gznosk8h/FDK-AAC-1.0.1-Git-2020-11-30_Win_GCC102.7z/file
AAC was owned by Apple and that it was royalty free. Maybe that's just m4a... or maybe I just dreamed it up.
M4A is just a container. AAC implementation in FDK-AAC is not even compatible with ffmpeg license. But a lot of people/distros are violating it just like openssl's. I do not think you should care. Ideally you should compile it while installing to not violate it.
wrt patents:
- On one hand, it's probably not as bad as Wikipedia says. FFmpeg is now perfectly happy to link to Windows builds with its own aac codec.
- On the other, the ffmpeg encoder is old tech (but decoder isn't!), so the timeframe might not align perfectly. FFmpeg takes the easy way though: https://ffmpeg.org/legal.html just says "they probably won't sue you".
The patent terms are funny. It covers encoders and decoders equally. Although FFmpeg does not have the ability to encode all the fancy ELD, HE, whatever stuff, it can decode all of them, and hence should be hit as hard as fdkaac.
Maybe I can find a stronger argument. Debian is perfectly happy to distribute fdk-aac https://packages.debian.org/source/sid/fdk-aac despite its qualms about the "oh no it's banning people from charging for the code so it's non-free" business. Debian, as in the linux distribution more serious about license issues than the FSF.