[gst-devel] Plugin categorization

[Erik Walthinsen]

OK, um...  First thing I'm gonna suggest is something I just thought of:
we should maybe stop thinking about plugin directory hierarchy for a
second, and deal with a much more solvable problem that will be the basis
for anything we do with directories: element classification.

Since the beginning of time, there's been a 'class' field in the
ElementDetails structure, which we've kinda ignored, and which are totally
inconsistent with each other (just try to find an element in the editor's
list, igoring the lack of consistent sorting...).  We should start by
reworking all the element class values, into a hierarchy that makes sense.
This may help us think out a good way of dealing with plugin packages
later.

I'm gonna start off with a chunk from a notes file of mine:

---
As for general categories, some obvious ones are:

codecs:
        audio (mad/lame, vorbis, gsm, etc.)
        video (mpeg1, mpeg2, jpeg, etc.)
        ....?

formats:
        muxers/demuxers (avi, qt, mpeg, etc.)

I/O:
        disk (gnomevfs, dvd)
        network (udp, rtp)
        audio (oss, esd, etc.)
        video (sdl, x, dfb, etc.)

filters/effects:
        audio (ladspa, etc.)
        video (median, fade, etc.)

As a general categorization, these seem to work quite well.  The last
category might have arbitrary subcategories, because there's all sorts of
effects and filters one might want to create.
---

I'll go work up a list of plugins (following the re-sorted plugins of a
much previous mail -
http://www.geocrawler.com/archives/3/1504/2001/11/0/7172997/) and possible
classes for them, then post it here for comment.  As long as we all
discuss this list without thinking about directories or modules or build
systems, we can settle on that, and maybe something will magically appear
to solve the other problems...

      Erik Walthinsen <omega at temple-baptist.com> - System Administrator
        __
       /  \                GStreamer - The only way to stream!
      |    | M E G A        ***** http://gstreamer.net/ *****
      _\  /_