Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying Linux has more powerful video tools than Windows (or Mac) because it doesn't. But it is developing rapidly and it's only a matter of time before the tools are just as good as anything else out there. (if not better)  But for some of the more bizarre things I'm doing it is probably easier to do it via the CLI than via a GUI. (for me anyway)  Just like it is easier to do filesystem changes via a command-line than it is to do via a GUI file-manager. (It's tought scripting a GUI.) But you are right, it all depends on your level of experience. 

Once the underlying libraries are stable, it will only be a matter of time before the GUI apps start to appear. Once that happens, watch out.

One thing that I have gotten out of using the Linux command-line tools is knowledge of the video technology. I've learned a lot about different video formats, audio formats, framerates, compressions, conversions, etc. Things I would never have even thought about using a GUI. For some a GUI app is a blessing. For me, it's a roadblock.

-- Clay

On Mon, 14 Jan 2002, Rodd Ahrenstorff wrote:

> Clay I'll play devils advocate here for the moment.  As powerful as the 
> command-line is, very few people unfamiliar with it would use it to actually 
> burn a video encoded dvd.  Especially a video editor.  Most are not geeks, 
> their artists in need of an easy to use software tool.  I could be wrong, but 
> I bet the things your doing on the command-line can and are reproduced in a 
> gui.  They may not exist in Linux now, but they are available in Mac or 
> Windows.  I work as a Broadcast Engineer at the O&O Fox-29 in Minneapolis.  
> Video editing software on Mac/Windows is literally years ahead in development 
> compared to Linux.  I'm not trying to bash Linux here, but I would simply ask 
> why?  Video editing on the desktop could have been a "killer app" for Linux, 
> but it completely missed the boat.  I hope it will catch up to competitors 
> soon.  You are certainly right about newbies not knowing the potencial of 
> Linux.  But they expect (demand) a gui interface not the command-line.
> 
> Having said all that, I would love to see a demo sometime.   
> 
> On Tuesday 15 January 2002 4:48 am, you wrote:
> <snip>
> 
> > Yea, you're probably right. This is the kind of stuff that really shows the
> > power of Linux/UNIX and the command-line. Some of the stuff I'm doing would
> > be difficult/impossible to do in a GUI. And since a lot of it is
> > bleading-edge and just-recently developed, most of it isn't documented yet.
> > Makes it really hard for newcomers to realize the capabilities and the
> > potential of Linux.
> >
> > I will try and schedule this topic for a future meeting.
> >
> > -- Clay
> <snip>
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