46 ms·

The Future of Libjpeg-Turbo

158 points by tehnicaorg 6y ago

tehnicaorg 6y ago
A link to https://jpeg.rocks/ https://jpeg.rocks/ was posted here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25712301 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25712301 This is based on https://github.com/mozilla/mozjpeg https://github.com/mozilla/mozjpeg, which is a patched version of https://github.com/libjpeg-turbo/libjpeg-turbo https://github.com/libjpeg-turbo/libjpeg-turbo
- ghusbands 6y ago
  Libjpeg-Turbo is intended for general use for compression and decompression and from the list of users [1] is far more often used for decompression. Your mentioned projects are only for JPEG (re)compression, which is something else entirely. [1] https://libjpeg-turbo.org/About/Software https://libjpeg-turbo.org/About/Software
turbouser 6y ago
I would have a hard time convincing management to sponsor, but if there was an affordable support option, it would be easier.... We regularly pay 1k/year support for ‘mission critical’ systems.
- JNRowe 6y ago
  The vim docs on sponsorship raise that exact issue(:h register{,-faq}). Being able to claim a donation is registration did make getting a donation through my employer easier for me. Specifically, this part: What is the difference between sponsoring and registering? It has a different name. Use the term "registration" if your boss doesn't like "sponsoring" or "donation". The benefits are the same. I'm not sure if continuing to use the term register versus being "that guy who tries to sponsor projects" is what works now though ;)
ChrisMarshallNY 6y ago
LibJPEG-Turbo is a really great library. We tested a number of them, and wound up using it. It has a good, commercial-friendly license, and screams like a bat out of hell. I no longer work for the company that would have used it, but I'd gently suggest that it would not be a good idea to let it die.
- darknavi 6y ago
  Sounds like a perfect time for that company to sponsor the project financially!
  - ChrisMarshallNY 6y ago
    Yup, but not my problem, anymore...
mahmoudhossam 6y ago
Can someone please change the title so it reflects the content? This is libjpeg-turbo needing funding, the current title is clickbaity
- ChrisMarshallNY 6y ago
  That's literally the actual title of the posting. I've seen a number of similar postings here, with similar titles. I agree that it doesn't necessarily convey the stated goal of the posting, but I wouldn't call it "clickbaity."
  - jhy 6y ago
    To me, it was click-baity in the sense that from the title, I expected to get a product roadmap of the library. I think that if the title actually mentioned the need for funding, it would get more relevant eyeballs.
_Microft 6y ago
It feels like patio11‘s comment on donating vs. paying for open source software should be linked to from here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10863939 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10863939
- kelnos 6y ago
  For non-businesses, I think one thing that would make donations a lot more attractive is if they could be made to a tax-exempt org (that means I can donate more at the same cost to myself, or donate the same at lower cost). But I get that something like that is hard to set up for someone who is already under water funding-wise. It would be great if there was an umbrella org that could handle this, perhaps for a fee/percentage much lower than what is usually "lost" to taxes. patio11's comment is about donating vs. paying by a business entity. Something I hadn't considered is that a business (even if it's just a one-person developer who has incorporated) can pay for software tax-free to any org as long as it's an actual business expense, since businesses (at least in the US, and I assume in Japan as well) are taxed on their profits, not on their gross income. Patrick's issue with donating as a business makes sense: the tax authorities will look at a donation and think it's a part of a tax-avoidance scheme, but if the business pays for a license to software (even the payment is essentially a part of a custom license, and the software is also available for free under the same or similar terms), and has that payment documented, it's fine.
  - londons_explore 6y ago
    > and the software is also available for free under the same or similar terms This would be illegal in many countries. The business must behave in its best interests. If software is available for free, yet they choose to pay for it, they aren't acting in their own best interests in the eyes of the law....
    - Denvercoder9 6y ago
      Hence you pay for "support", not the software.
kelnos 6y ago
I would consider donating, but I'd frankly prefer to donate to tax-exempt orgs. That way I can donate more with the same effective "cost" to myself. I get that it's not trivial to set one of these up (especially for someone who is already in a funding deficit), but I think it would make donations a more attractive option for people. Additionally, the email talks about funding in hours of development work, but doesn't mention what each hour costs... would be helpful information to have in order to size a donation.
- TaylorAlexander 6y ago
  Strange thing: Open Collective's offers fiscal hosts for simplifying paperwork, but if you select the Open Source Collective as your fiscal host, donations are not tax deductible because they say "the IRS doesn't consider software development a charitable act" or something. But there's so many software non profits in the US and I really don't understand that claim. So Open Collective has another fiscal host for charities and those donations are tax deductible, and I'm now trying to figure out what the difference really is as I'd like to set up my own charitable organization to fund a farming robot I am developing. Anyway I could almost just say Libjpeg-turbo could set up an opencollective as their whole mission is to solve the paperwork problem for open source projects, but for whatever reason their open source software donations aren't actually tax deductible... Does anyone here know about this IRS issue?
  - wmf 6y ago
    IRS doesn't consider software development a charitable act This is correct AFAIK and Mozilla ran into the same thing years ago. Educational charities can be tax-exempt so you have to have an educational mission and develop software on the side. https://blogs.gnome.org/jnelson/2014/06/30/the-new-501c3-and-the-future-of-free-software-in-the-united-states/ https://blogs.gnome.org/jnelson/2014/06/30/the-new-501c3-and...
    - TaylorAlexander 6y ago
      Fantastic link thank you, I am reading it now!
tonyhb 6y ago
DRC is an absolute beast. I respect the author in every way - from his incredible work on LibJPEG-Turbo to his 5 year slog getting VirtualGL to work without an x-server (https://github.com/VirtualGL/virtualgl/issues/10 https://github.com/VirtualGL/virtualgl/issues/10). It's a shame he can't find support for this, because his projects truly are worth the effort for the niche they fill :(
pabs3 6y ago
I wonder if RedHat or Mozilla would consider employing him?
- rebelwebmaster 6y ago
  They received a MOSS grant once upon a time. https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2017/04/10/mozilla-awards-365000-to-open-source-projects-as-part-of-moss/ https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2017/04/10/mozilla-awards-3650... That said, given Mozilla's current financial troubles, it seems pretty unlikely they'd be in a position to hire.
londons_explore 6y ago
How much of a time saving is it for an open source project to stop writing code and simply switch to reviewing/accepting PR's from external contributors?

158 points by tehnicaorg 6y ago

A link to https://jpeg.rocks/ https://jpeg.rocks/ was posted here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25712301 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25712301 This is based on https://github.com/mozilla/mozjpeg https://github.com/mozilla/mozjpeg, which is a patched version of https://github.com/libjpeg-turbo/libjpeg-turbo https://github.com/libjpeg-turbo/libjpeg-turbo

ghusbands 6y ago
Libjpeg-Turbo is intended for general use for compression and decompression and from the list of users [1] is far more often used for decompression. Your mentioned projects are only for JPEG (re)compression, which is something else entirely. [1] https://libjpeg-turbo.org/About/Software https://libjpeg-turbo.org/About/Software

turbouser 6y ago

I would have a hard time convincing management to sponsor, but if there was an affordable support option, it would be easier.... We regularly pay 1k/year support for ‘mission critical’ systems.

JNRowe 6y ago
The vim docs on sponsorship raise that exact issue(:h register{,-faq}). Being able to claim a donation is registration did make getting a donation through my employer easier for me. Specifically, this part: What is the difference between sponsoring and registering? It has a different name. Use the term "registration" if your boss doesn't like "sponsoring" or "donation". The benefits are the same. I'm not sure if continuing to use the term register versus being "that guy who tries to sponsor projects" is what works now though ;)

ChrisMarshallNY 6y ago

LibJPEG-Turbo is a really great library. We tested a number of them, and wound up using it. It has a good, commercial-friendly license, and screams like a bat out of hell. I no longer work for the company that would have used it, but I'd gently suggest that it would not be a good idea to let it die.

darknavi 6y ago
Sounds like a perfect time for that company to sponsor the project financially!
- ChrisMarshallNY 6y ago
  Yup, but not my problem, anymore...

mahmoudhossam 6y ago

Can someone please change the title so it reflects the content? This is libjpeg-turbo needing funding, the current title is clickbaity

ChrisMarshallNY 6y ago
That's literally the actual title of the posting. I've seen a number of similar postings here, with similar titles. I agree that it doesn't necessarily convey the stated goal of the posting, but I wouldn't call it "clickbaity."
- jhy 6y ago
  To me, it was click-baity in the sense that from the title, I expected to get a product roadmap of the library. I think that if the title actually mentioned the need for funding, it would get more relevant eyeballs.

_Microft 6y ago

It feels like patio11‘s comment on donating vs. paying for open source software should be linked to from here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10863939 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10863939

kelnos 6y ago
For non-businesses, I think one thing that would make donations a lot more attractive is if they could be made to a tax-exempt org (that means I can donate more at the same cost to myself, or donate the same at lower cost). But I get that something like that is hard to set up for someone who is already under water funding-wise. It would be great if there was an umbrella org that could handle this, perhaps for a fee/percentage much lower than what is usually "lost" to taxes. patio11's comment is about donating vs. paying by a business entity. Something I hadn't considered is that a business (even if it's just a one-person developer who has incorporated) can pay for software tax-free to any org as long as it's an actual business expense, since businesses (at least in the US, and I assume in Japan as well) are taxed on their profits, not on their gross income. Patrick's issue with donating as a business makes sense: the tax authorities will look at a donation and think it's a part of a tax-avoidance scheme, but if the business pays for a license to software (even the payment is essentially a part of a custom license, and the software is also available for free under the same or similar terms), and has that payment documented, it's fine.
- londons_explore 6y ago
  > and the software is also available for free under the same or similar terms This would be illegal in many countries. The business must behave in its best interests. If software is available for free, yet they choose to pay for it, they aren't acting in their own best interests in the eyes of the law....
  - Denvercoder9 6y ago
    Hence you pay for "support", not the software.

kelnos 6y ago

I would consider donating, but I'd frankly prefer to donate to tax-exempt orgs. That way I can donate more with the same effective "cost" to myself. I get that it's not trivial to set one of these up (especially for someone who is already in a funding deficit), but I think it would make donations a more attractive option for people. Additionally, the email talks about funding in hours of development work, but doesn't mention what each hour costs... would be helpful information to have in order to size a donation.

TaylorAlexander 6y ago
Strange thing: Open Collective's offers fiscal hosts for simplifying paperwork, but if you select the Open Source Collective as your fiscal host, donations are not tax deductible because they say "the IRS doesn't consider software development a charitable act" or something. But there's so many software non profits in the US and I really don't understand that claim. So Open Collective has another fiscal host for charities and those donations are tax deductible, and I'm now trying to figure out what the difference really is as I'd like to set up my own charitable organization to fund a farming robot I am developing. Anyway I could almost just say Libjpeg-turbo could set up an opencollective as their whole mission is to solve the paperwork problem for open source projects, but for whatever reason their open source software donations aren't actually tax deductible... Does anyone here know about this IRS issue?
- wmf 6y ago
  IRS doesn't consider software development a charitable act This is correct AFAIK and Mozilla ran into the same thing years ago. Educational charities can be tax-exempt so you have to have an educational mission and develop software on the side. https://blogs.gnome.org/jnelson/2014/06/30/the-new-501c3-and-the-future-of-free-software-in-the-united-states/ https://blogs.gnome.org/jnelson/2014/06/30/the-new-501c3-and...
  - TaylorAlexander 6y ago
    Fantastic link thank you, I am reading it now!

tonyhb 6y ago

DRC is an absolute beast. I respect the author in every way - from his incredible work on LibJPEG-Turbo to his 5 year slog getting VirtualGL to work without an x-server (https://github.com/VirtualGL/virtualgl/issues/10 https://github.com/VirtualGL/virtualgl/issues/10). It's a shame he can't find support for this, because his projects truly are worth the effort for the niche they fill :(

pabs3 6y ago

I wonder if RedHat or Mozilla would consider employing him?

rebelwebmaster 6y ago
They received a MOSS grant once upon a time. https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2017/04/10/mozilla-awards-365000-to-open-source-projects-as-part-of-moss/ https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2017/04/10/mozilla-awards-3650... That said, given Mozilla's current financial troubles, it seems pretty unlikely they'd be in a position to hire.

londons_explore 6y ago

How much of a time saving is it for an open source project to stop writing code and simply switch to reviewing/accepting PR's from external contributors?