videolan: qt & the open-source cross-platform vlc softwarean

VLC and QtHow VLC moved to Qtnessby JB Kempf

16/11/09

Plan

• What is VideoLAN

• What is VLC

– Numbers, Platforms

– Framework

• Moving to Qt, a success story

– Reasons

– Development, results and issues

• Conclusions

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What is VideoLAN

• Software project

– Started in Ecole Centrale Paris, 1996

– Various projects for video streaming

• Non profit organisation

– Back up the VideoLAN project

– 2009

• Software started by VideoLAN

– VLC, VLS, x264, libdvbpsi, libdvdcss, libdca &

libdvdplay, liba52, libmpeg2, VLMa, MiniSap Server,

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VideoLAN Solution

VLC

• Platforms

– Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Unix, Solaris, Syllable, BeOS,

WinCE, Maemo, QNX

– x86, x86_64, PowerPC, ARM, MIPS, SPARC

• Numbers

– 0.8.6 versions: 110 millions

– 0.9.x versions: 70 millions

– 1.0.0: 6,5 million downloads in 1 week for 1.0.0 release,

15 million downloads/month

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VLC framework

• Multimedia Framework

– Small Core

– ~380 Dynamic Modules

– Most codecs and format distributed

• Features

– Playback from various medium

– Encoding, Streaming

– Live Editing, PiP, Mosaic generator

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VLC move to Qt

• Interfaces are modules

– Gtk, wx, Kde, BeOS, html, Carbon, Cocoa, ncurses, WPF

– 0.8.6 based on wxWidgets on Linux and Windows

• Decision to change

– Cross-Platform toolkit

– Open Source compatible

– UTF-8 and RTL+Asian friendly

• Recode the UI from scratch

– Same look → Improvements

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VLC move to Qt

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VLC port

• History of the port– Qt Developer left project early 2007

– New developer took the port

– Finished mid-2008

– 0.9.x transitions

• Rejections– Noone wants to do UI

– GNOME people upset → QGtkStyle

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Qt success

• 1.0.0– Huge success, mainly due to interface

– New team of developers

• Issues– Started with Qt 4.1.3 → 4.5.2

– Skills required

– Team rebirth at the same time

• Consensus– Developers are happy with the new UI

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Quotes

• Quotes from VLC devs– « The problem with Qt is that you spend more time thinking about your

problem than coding the solution :) », jb

– « Once you've seen Qt Documentation, you can't read any other

documentation without being ashamed for other people », Nefrir

– « I hate C++ mess, I love Qt », anonymous

– « I can't use Qt at work, they count productivity by LoC », Vincent

– « Qt let us code for boring platforms (ie: non-Linux), from Linux with one

of the best Design on the target platforms », jb

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Demos

Demos of VLC

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Questions

Questions

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