[Libcdio-devel] UDF libdvdnav and libcdio

[R. Bernstein]

Folks: 

Something that some folks want is UDF support in libcdio.  See for
example:

   http://savannah.gnu.org/support/?func=detailitem&item_id=103793

As I've written there, I hope someone will volunteer to do whatever is
lacking. However on reading this recently posted comment:

   Please port dvd_udf.h and dvd_udf.c from dvdread (libdvdnav) to
   read DVD-Video UDF

I got to thinking. For UDF support, why not use libdvdnav? 

I realize some may think of libcdio as a hodge-podge of
loosely-related stuff.  In fact this was an uncharitable criticism by
someone who maintains an even bigger hodge-podge of loosely-related
stuff.

But collecting together possibly cool stuff is not the intent libcdio:
libcdio was created out of some specific needs BECAUSE THERE WASN'T AN
EXISTING LIBRARY. If there had been a multi-platform library for
reading CDs in mode 2 format (and not just audio which wasn't of
initial interest), or a multi-platform library for issuing SCSI/MMC
commands, or a library for working with ISO-9660 filesystems, then in
the media-player plugins I worked on I would have probably just used
those. Just as I use libcddb for CDDB things - you don't find CDDB
things in libcdio.

The one situation where I see some duplication is the cdparanoia
library. But the reason for this is because any real application that
uses the paranoia library has to also use CD-reading routines as well;
In libcdio this is called libcdio_cdda and in cdparanoia it is called
libcdda_interface. But cdparanoia's libcdda_interface is OS-specific.

In sum, although it may look to the contrary I see libcdio as not
really trying to compete with other libraries - if those other
libraries do the job, then why not use them? In some cases, such as
libcddb (and also libmusicbrainz), I've contributed to those other
projects to correct small bugs or fill omissions which might have
prevented use. Possibly the same could be done for libdvdnav.