From: Fred Maxwell <rockbox_at_anti-spam.org>
Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2003 10:01:19 -0500

Johan wrote:

> > Stop with the FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt). EAC is distributed
> > free of charge and has no hidden spyware, etc. [...] EAC has been
> > widely used for years and it doesn't call home, store undocumented
> > data, etc.
>
> You want me to believe this on _your_ word?

No. I want you to consider that it's been used by so many people and not a
one has reported anything suspicious. Why do you open source zealots think
that everyone has some great interest in the data on your hard drives? Ever
heard of Ethereal or Zonealarm? See what the program does if you are so
concerned.

> > The guy who distributes it is one of the nicest, most decent people
> > you'll meet.
>
> What's keeping him from open sourcing it?

Common sense. He's developing a commercial SDK that he wants to sell. Yes,
I know the open source argument: "Anyone who wants to make money from their
software is evil -- but, oh, by the way, I want to get a paycheck for
writing software."

Also, he may not want a bunch of hacks who know little about CD hardware
mucking up EAC and giving the program a bad name.
 
> The 'nice guy' even forbids trying to disassemble/decompile the
> program.

Duh! He wants to sell a commercial SDK. You may like your work being
stolen, but he does not like his to be. That doesn't mean he's not a nice
guy.

> > It simply works better than anything else.
>
> It does not work for me, since I don't run Windows.

That's your choice. If you choose to run an OS which is incompatible with
the best app available, it's not a bad reflection on the app. We're talking
about what program is the best ripper, not which OS you like to run.

> Tools like cdparanoia[1] are well-known for the extreme amount of
> effort they put in trying to get an errof-free rip. I wouldn't be
> surprised if EAC used a cdparanoia derivate. Of course, there's no way
> to find out.

So now you're implying that Andre Wiethoff might have violated the GPL
copyright on cdparanoia? You open source zealots have no shame. 'Anyone
who won't give away his software must be suspected of being a criminal.'
Yeesh!

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that you lure children into your home where
you molest and kill them. But since you won't 'open-source' your home and
install web cams in every room, there's no way to find out. So I'll just
cast aspersions in a public forum suggesting that you're engaging in
criminal activity. Gee, it doesn't look so fair when it's done to you, does
it?
 
> > It doesn't automatically invoke the MP3 encoder. It does not do
> > Freedb title lookups.
>
> Although all this is undisputably an advantage, it is minor. E.g.,
> this is how I do it (from the Linux command prompt):
>
> % rip
>
> This invokes the ripper, then the encoder, and then tags the files
> with ID3 info. All free, open source, platform independent tools.

And all put together using skills that many computer users (rather than
programmers) lack. Or it's using time that others do not wish to spend.

Want some other EAC advantages? I put in the CD and EAC queries the
database. If it gets multiple matches (happens occasionally), it asks which
one to use. Then I can edit the artist, genre, album title, and year fields
before hitting the MP3 icon. Or I can select the tracks I want to convert
(if I don't want a whole album) using the standard GUI interface.

After the ripping, if there are ever suspect sections where errors could not
be resolved, EAC cues up the tracks at each error and lets me listen. If I
want to, I can use its wave editor to correct the problem.

When I install a new drive, EAC tests it to find out whether it has accurate
stream, whether it caches audio data, and whether it returns C2 error
information, letting me override its detection should I choose to. I can
test the quality of the C2 error info and use that for error detection if I
choose. I then put in my EAC Offset Test CD and EAC figures out the read
offset for the drive. I can configure it to allow or disallow speed
reductions when errors are encountered (since many drives won't speed back
up). It figures out the proper read command and lets me choose a different
one of my choice. It lets me easily change any option with a few clicks and
keystrokes. If I want to see how the program is configured, I hit the F9
key. If I want to see how the drive is configured, I hit the F10 key. If I
want to see how the compression is configured, I hit F11. If I want to see
the FreeDB server configuration, I hit F12. If FreeDB isn't responding, I
just change it right there. If I want to save the WAV files after the MP3
conversion, I just uncheck one box.

I'm happy for you that you've cobbled together multiple open source programs
so that you can rip CDs under Linux, but comparing that to EAC is silly.
EAC has features and functionality that no command-line ripper will probably
ever have.

Regards,
  Fred Maxwell
Received on 2003-12-20