hi guys, i just installed redhat linux8 in my system..how to play mp3 and mpeg players in my system. is it necessary to download any tools for that. or it contain default tool like media player in windows... so plese help me thnx in advance babu

First, forget about the Windows Media Player crap, okay!!! This is Linux and you use xmms to play your mp3s and either xine or mplayer to play your video files. As far as I remember, RedHat Linux doesn't ship a working version of xmms so you need to head over to http://www.xmms.org and download the latest version of xmms for RedHat Linux 8.0. Install it as root and off you go... rpm -Uvh filename.rpm taurus

WARNING!!! Skip this post unless you want to listen to me ramble on forever about nothing You know it's kind of funny, Microsoft just was sued from including its own media player. I have tried all of the main media players and I still prefer WMP 6.4 for movies. I use Winamp for audio though. Microsoft did not keep me from using a different player. I hated having to install a media player. It would not have minded it if it wasn't such a hassle. I went into rpmdrake and tried to install mplayer and BAM it tells me I need to install around ten dependences. I just sat there with my jaw hanging open, drooling slightly, and thinking to myself "ok...go get that for me". I know about apt-get (I wonder if I would have to download that too :|) and such programs, but again that is an extra hassle. I do not want to have to download ten extra files on dialup just to watch a movie. I for one was very glad to see Mandrake 10 at least comes with a media player installed. I think the whole case with EU was a complete waste of time and money. Don't get me wrong, I know Microsoft needs to be tamed but come on. I also know there is an easy way to remove WMP from Windows. I just wish they would just make it public so everyone can be happy :\. I cannot understand why something like this even matters though. No one is forced to use Windows. There are other viable options available. If you don't like Windows don't use it right? My phone carrier does not have a monopoly because I have a choice of different carriers. Why doesn't the same apply for Microsoft? So what if someone may have to learn how to use their computer. I fail to see how that is Microsoft's fault. Microsoft's new slogan should read "Software so easy, we have to be a monopoly. We just have to be" Do you know something Microsoft definitely has going for it? It's something I wish Linux had. A shared vision. Having a huge number of *nix distro's is a plus. I just wish everyone in the Linux community would band together and work on one truly awesome distro. Ok I've gotten carried away and WAY off topic. I blame you Taurus :) "First, forget about the Windows Media Player crap, okay!!!" <-- that did it right there LOL Sandman An Official Microsoft Minion. ÿ

Blah, blah, blah... Would you like any CHEEEEEEEEEESE with that "whine?" taurus

"I went into rpmdrake and tried to install mplayer and BAM it tells me I need to install around ten dependences." - I guess you tried the wrong distribution. On some, it's as easy as one command. Even with the dependencies hassle, compare its features to a Windows player. Mplayer does DVD, [S]VCD, [S]VCD from bin/cue images, Quicktime, WM[AV], DiVX, Xvid, Ogg audio, MPEG 1 and 2, Real, and probably more. As I count it, you would need at least 5 programs to get that support from proprietary Windows players. If it's built with mencoder support, you get the features of another few programs. Also, I don't know if any Windows players have post-processing filters for better quality. "No one is forced to use Windows." - Sure, but if you don't build your own computer, you're often forced to buy it. "...band together and work on one truly awesome distro." - If they did that, I'd probably switch to FreeBSD. I want a traditional distro that's more difficult to use but gives me more control.

"Would you like any CHEEEEEEEEEESE with that "whine?"" Yes a grilled cheese sandwich sounds rather good right about now :) ""I guess you tried the wrong distribution." I was using Mandrake 9.1 at the time, a distro that is often recommended for its ease of use. "Mplayer does DVD, [S]VCD, [S]VCD from bin/cue images, Quicktime, WM[AV], DiVX, Xvid, Ogg audio, MPEG 1 and 2, Real, and probably more" I'm guessing you haven't heard of Media Player Classic. This one player supports all of these formats (you have to have images turned on in My Computing.net to see the image), while only using one executable file. "Sure, but if you don't build your own computer, you're often forced to buy it." I may be wrong on this, but it seems like this is, at least in part, the manufactures fault. Aren't they the ones signing the deals with Microsoft? No one is forcing this on them but the truth is Windows makes money. A non-Windows user unfortunately has to pay for this but who should really get the blame? "If they did that, I'd probably switch to FreeBSD." I have to admit that was not one of my best thoughts. The one distro idea is a bad one. All of the flavors of Linux is one of the great things about it. I just wish they had more things that were common amongst the various distros. If the various distros worked together a little more everyone would be better off. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with a little uniformity within a community. It's not that I want to see another Microsoft, that certainly isn't the case. Microsoft is learning a lot from Linux (here is one small example of this), Linux needs to do the same. Sandman An Official Microsoft Minion. ÿ

"I was using Mandrake 9.1" - Strange, Mandrake 10 includes MPlayer. "I may be wrong on this, but it seems like this is, at least in part, the manufactures fault. Aren't they the ones signing the deals with Microsoft?" - Yes, but those deals are unfair. The antitrust settlement is supposed to prevent this, but in the past, Microsoft would tell companies that if they didn't put Windows on all their desktops, they couldn't put it on any of them. I've been looking for a media player to recommend to my friends who use Windows. So far I've been telling them to use VLC, but MPC might be better. I did a search for it, and some sites turned up "This program can play DVDs with help of external decoders like WinDVD and it can also play Realmedia files, if realplayer one is installed." Is this true?