11 ms·

Linux becoming a professional multimedia platform

33 points by _benj 10y ago

_benj 10y ago
With Apple's outdated Pro hardware this only seems logical.
- alexkavon 10y ago
  I'm actually surprised that Adobe never did this when Creative Cloud came out.
  - camus2 10y ago
    Adobe could do that, it's just that the graphic (print) industry isn't on Linux but on Mac and PC. Why bother when 99% of your users aren't on Linux? It doesn't make sense financially. Adobe often discontinue software even when still in use, just because there is not enough paid users to justify development cost.
pcr0 10y ago
Why do commercial Linux products only target specific distros? E.g. Steam on Debian/Ubuntu, Davinci on RedHat/CentOS. Is it just to reduce support costs or are there other technical differences in play here?
- killjoywashere 10y ago
  I think this is the way to go actually: start at the really high end. Who has Linux desktops? Google engineers and professional video color people. Maybe the Mazzaratti engineers will be allowed to play next.
  - erichocean 10y ago
    Most professional 3D apps also run natively on Linux.
- figgis 10y ago
  I imagine it's much easier to maintain a working release for one distro and allow the package maintainers for other distros to package it how they need. Than it is to provide support for the endless amount of distros out there.
- JoshTriplett 10y ago
  Proprietary software can't follow the "here's the source, let distributions package it or users build it for any platform they like" approach. They have to build it for target platforms, so they pick a few and target those. Products with non-upstream kernel modules have a similar problem, but they additionally have to support a range of kernels, and it's easier to just say "we support RHEL and SLES" if they think that will suffice for their customers.
  - thinkmassive 10y ago
    To be fair though, there are multiple distro-agnostic package platforms becoming available. For example flatpak, snap, and even electron. I realize this last one is essentially a webapp build tool, but that's sufficient for a number of tasks. The first two can package nearly anything, and can even offer additional benefits (principal of least privilege) on top of a typical deb/rpm. Edit for clarification: it should be feasible to target libraries rather than full distributions.
- Sanddancer 10y ago
  Both. Good support is expensive and rarely a "just". Adding a new supported platform means having to train your support techs in all the quirks that come out in using said platform, and those little things add up in a hurry. On the technical side, each distro has their own similar, but not quite the same, different set of patches against base software and build options which can potentially interact with your software, etc, all of which will need to have regression testing done against before release. Furthermore, software like RHEL itself is supported for a known duration of time, so developers can build their own release and support schedules and not have to worry about getting the rug pulled under them.
- paridae 10y ago
  In the case of Steam they have SteamOS, which is Debian-based, and hardware products. But the client itself is agnostic and packaged in lots of distros.
hoodoof 10y ago
Every now and then some major desktop application is released for Linux and seems to hang around for a while before being discontinued. I wonder if same will happen here. It's hard to see the pressing need to support anything except Windows or OSX - what don't they provide?
- mixmastamyk 10y ago
  Studio VFX has been done on Linux for the last decade or two, since SGI went belly up.
  - sien 10y ago
    Yep. It was easier to convert stuff that targeted IRIX to Linux than Windows and it fitted into VFX Unix filesystems and such more easily. Nvidia used to make their Linux drivers in part because the studios and creators of 3D software would pay them to and users requested it. This may still be the case.
  - adw 10y ago
    I work in a VR cinema company and the back-end render nodes are certainly all Linux; there are many workstation-level products (eg Nuke, industrial-strength compositing software, https://www.foundry.com/products/nuke https://www.foundry.com/products/nuke) which are primarily found on Linux desktop.
- _benj 10y ago
  It seems like Linux is doing not too bad in the high end use of software. I mean, DaVinci is not a prosumer software. Lightworks seems to fall into that category and even thought I can remember the source I believe I read somewhere that Pixar used Linux for their render farms. Blender, even thought not as high end, is more at home in Linux than anywhere else...
- jeffjose 10y ago
  DreamWorks Animation uses RHEL exclusively for production. That means all your favorite movies such as Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon were all made on Linux Ninja edit to add high end software that runs on Linux that were used - Autodesk Maya, SideFX Houdini, Foundry {Mari,Nuke}, Pixologic ZBrush. This is in addition to the proprietary packages such as Premo (Animation) and Torch (Lighting)
KerrickStaley 10y ago
Post title does not match article.
- _benj 10y ago
  Agreed... it's quiet opinionated
  - grzm 10y ago
    I don't know if this rendering of the title is appropriate for HN. The submission is a product announcement press release, while the title here implies it's more of an article. The guidelines ask "please use the original title, unless it is misleading or linkbait." https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
    - _benj 10y ago
      first post I'm sorry. Can the title be changed?
      - grzm 10y ago
        You can contact the mods via the Contact link in the footer. They can update it for you.
- grzm 10y ago
  Actual title: "Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 12.5 for Linux Now Available"
shams93 10y ago
Bitwig is another important piece although it's not Foss it's as powerful as ableton and protocols but runs on Linux as well.
- npolet 10y ago
  Ableton live was the last thing that made me keep a Windows install alongside Linux. I switched to bitwig and never looked back. Took a few weeks to become fully natural with it, but that probably has something to do with years of muscle memory from ableton live. While I don't do it often, video editing is something that is still lacking in Linux. I have tried a few options, but none of them feel quite right. There are always strange workflow patterns, or missing features that I think are crucial.
- _benj 10y ago
  I didn't knew about this! I would need to research pro audio interface hardware manufacturers that support Linux
- jonathonf 10y ago
  I upgraded to 2.0 specifically (and despite the new "12 months of updates" license) because they do Linux. Reaper is good, but Bitwig is much easier to get into. Also, if anyone doesn't know about Airwave [1] they should check it out for running their Windows VST instruments (or those from e.g. vst4free.com [2]). What annoys me about music software, though, is the way the authors/companies have special offers which are time-bound. Free u-he VST instruments if bought within a two-week window? Eh? What about the people who already bought the software? Or did beta testing? Or... ? [1] https://github.com/phantom-code/airwave/ https://github.com/phantom-code/airwave/ [2] http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?plugin=TAL-Elek7ro&id=600 http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?plugin=TAL-Elek7ro&id=6...
sathishvj 10y ago
I've been looking for an option beyond iMovie on my mac (and also linux). Is this product equivalent? Also, it says that there is a free version. But how long is it free for? And what features are missing in the free version? p.s. I looked at the site for answers, but couldn't find any.
- herbst 10y ago
  Lightworks. Pretty much the best video cutting software i ever used and its free
  - dddw 10y ago
    looks nice, but only exports to youtube and vimeo?
- _benj 10y ago
  this is WAY more powerful than iMovie. It takes the training wheels off from video editing but is actually very easy to learn. A good resource if a udemy course for it. That was the training that, not just for this video editor but for video un general, stepped up my game!
- _benj 10y ago
  this is WAY more powerful than iMovie. It takes the training wheels off from video editing but is actually very easy to learn. A good resource if a udemy course for it. That was the training that, not just for this video editor but for video un general, stepped up my game!
- Veratyr 10y ago
  DaVinci Resolve is mainly for colour grading and basic shuffling around of video and audio. It's also a very advanced (read difficult) piece of software and is very much not aimed at home movies. I wouldn't recommend it as an iMovie alternative. The free version is free as long as you have it. There's no registration or keys or anything. There is the chance that future versions won't be free though. The main differences between the free and paid versions are mainly collaboration stuff like sharing things between systems and doing things remotely. There are a few other things like real time noise reduction and automatic 3D alignment but nothing a home user is likely to notice.

33 points by _benj 10y ago

_benj 10y ago

With Apple's outdated Pro hardware this only seems logical.

alexkavon 10y ago
I'm actually surprised that Adobe never did this when Creative Cloud came out.
- camus2 10y ago
  Adobe could do that, it's just that the graphic (print) industry isn't on Linux but on Mac and PC. Why bother when 99% of your users aren't on Linux? It doesn't make sense financially. Adobe often discontinue software even when still in use, just because there is not enough paid users to justify development cost.

pcr0 10y ago

Why do commercial Linux products only target specific distros? E.g. Steam on Debian/Ubuntu, Davinci on RedHat/CentOS. Is it just to reduce support costs or are there other technical differences in play here?

killjoywashere 10y ago
I think this is the way to go actually: start at the really high end. Who has Linux desktops? Google engineers and professional video color people. Maybe the Mazzaratti engineers will be allowed to play next.
- erichocean 10y ago
  Most professional 3D apps also run natively on Linux.
figgis 10y ago
I imagine it's much easier to maintain a working release for one distro and allow the package maintainers for other distros to package it how they need. Than it is to provide support for the endless amount of distros out there.
JoshTriplett 10y ago
Proprietary software can't follow the "here's the source, let distributions package it or users build it for any platform they like" approach. They have to build it for target platforms, so they pick a few and target those. Products with non-upstream kernel modules have a similar problem, but they additionally have to support a range of kernels, and it's easier to just say "we support RHEL and SLES" if they think that will suffice for their customers.
- thinkmassive 10y ago
  To be fair though, there are multiple distro-agnostic package platforms becoming available. For example flatpak, snap, and even electron. I realize this last one is essentially a webapp build tool, but that's sufficient for a number of tasks. The first two can package nearly anything, and can even offer additional benefits (principal of least privilege) on top of a typical deb/rpm. Edit for clarification: it should be feasible to target libraries rather than full distributions.
Sanddancer 10y ago
Both. Good support is expensive and rarely a "just". Adding a new supported platform means having to train your support techs in all the quirks that come out in using said platform, and those little things add up in a hurry. On the technical side, each distro has their own similar, but not quite the same, different set of patches against base software and build options which can potentially interact with your software, etc, all of which will need to have regression testing done against before release. Furthermore, software like RHEL itself is supported for a known duration of time, so developers can build their own release and support schedules and not have to worry about getting the rug pulled under them.
paridae 10y ago
In the case of Steam they have SteamOS, which is Debian-based, and hardware products. But the client itself is agnostic and packaged in lots of distros.

hoodoof 10y ago

Every now and then some major desktop application is released for Linux and seems to hang around for a while before being discontinued. I wonder if same will happen here. It's hard to see the pressing need to support anything except Windows or OSX - what don't they provide?

mixmastamyk 10y ago
Studio VFX has been done on Linux for the last decade or two, since SGI went belly up.
- sien 10y ago
  Yep. It was easier to convert stuff that targeted IRIX to Linux than Windows and it fitted into VFX Unix filesystems and such more easily. Nvidia used to make their Linux drivers in part because the studios and creators of 3D software would pay them to and users requested it. This may still be the case.
- adw 10y ago
  I work in a VR cinema company and the back-end render nodes are certainly all Linux; there are many workstation-level products (eg Nuke, industrial-strength compositing software, https://www.foundry.com/products/nuke https://www.foundry.com/products/nuke) which are primarily found on Linux desktop.
_benj 10y ago
It seems like Linux is doing not too bad in the high end use of software. I mean, DaVinci is not a prosumer software. Lightworks seems to fall into that category and even thought I can remember the source I believe I read somewhere that Pixar used Linux for their render farms. Blender, even thought not as high end, is more at home in Linux than anywhere else...
jeffjose 10y ago
DreamWorks Animation uses RHEL exclusively for production. That means all your favorite movies such as Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon were all made on Linux Ninja edit to add high end software that runs on Linux that were used - Autodesk Maya, SideFX Houdini, Foundry {Mari,Nuke}, Pixologic ZBrush. This is in addition to the proprietary packages such as Premo (Animation) and Torch (Lighting)

KerrickStaley 10y ago

Post title does not match article.

_benj 10y ago
Agreed... it's quiet opinionated
- grzm 10y ago
  I don't know if this rendering of the title is appropriate for HN. The submission is a product announcement press release, while the title here implies it's more of an article. The guidelines ask "please use the original title, unless it is misleading or linkbait." https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - _benj 10y ago
    first post I'm sorry. Can the title be changed?
    - grzm 10y ago
      You can contact the mods via the Contact link in the footer. They can update it for you.
grzm 10y ago
Actual title: "Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 12.5 for Linux Now Available"

shams93 10y ago

Bitwig is another important piece although it's not Foss it's as powerful as ableton and protocols but runs on Linux as well.

npolet 10y ago
Ableton live was the last thing that made me keep a Windows install alongside Linux. I switched to bitwig and never looked back. Took a few weeks to become fully natural with it, but that probably has something to do with years of muscle memory from ableton live. While I don't do it often, video editing is something that is still lacking in Linux. I have tried a few options, but none of them feel quite right. There are always strange workflow patterns, or missing features that I think are crucial.
_benj 10y ago
I didn't knew about this! I would need to research pro audio interface hardware manufacturers that support Linux
jonathonf 10y ago
I upgraded to 2.0 specifically (and despite the new "12 months of updates" license) because they do Linux. Reaper is good, but Bitwig is much easier to get into. Also, if anyone doesn't know about Airwave [1] they should check it out for running their Windows VST instruments (or those from e.g. vst4free.com [2]). What annoys me about music software, though, is the way the authors/companies have special offers which are time-bound. Free u-he VST instruments if bought within a two-week window? Eh? What about the people who already bought the software? Or did beta testing? Or... ? [1] https://github.com/phantom-code/airwave/ https://github.com/phantom-code/airwave/ [2] http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?plugin=TAL-Elek7ro&id=600 http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?plugin=TAL-Elek7ro&id=6...

sathishvj 10y ago

I've been looking for an option beyond iMovie on my mac (and also linux). Is this product equivalent? Also, it says that there is a free version. But how long is it free for? And what features are missing in the free version? p.s. I looked at the site for answers, but couldn't find any.

herbst 10y ago
Lightworks. Pretty much the best video cutting software i ever used and its free
- dddw 10y ago
  looks nice, but only exports to youtube and vimeo?
_benj 10y ago
this is WAY more powerful than iMovie. It takes the training wheels off from video editing but is actually very easy to learn. A good resource if a udemy course for it. That was the training that, not just for this video editor but for video un general, stepped up my game!
_benj 10y ago
this is WAY more powerful than iMovie. It takes the training wheels off from video editing but is actually very easy to learn. A good resource if a udemy course for it. That was the training that, not just for this video editor but for video un general, stepped up my game!
Veratyr 10y ago
DaVinci Resolve is mainly for colour grading and basic shuffling around of video and audio. It's also a very advanced (read difficult) piece of software and is very much not aimed at home movies. I wouldn't recommend it as an iMovie alternative. The free version is free as long as you have it. There's no registration or keys or anything. There is the chance that future versions won't be free though. The main differences between the free and paid versions are mainly collaboration stuff like sharing things between systems and doing things remotely. There are a few other things like real time noise reduction and automatic 3D alignment but nothing a home user is likely to notice.