Ubuntu Restricted Extras is a software package for the computer

operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also i ...

Ubuntu Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. Ubuntu is officially released in three editions: '' Desktop'', ''Server'', and ''Core'' for Internet of things devices and robots. All ...

that allows the user to install essential software which is not already included due to legal or copyright reasons. It is a meta-package that installs: *Support for

MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...

and unencrypted

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

playback * Microsoft TrueType core fonts * Adobe Flash plugin *

codec A codec is a device or computer program that encodes or decodes a data stream or signal. ''Codec'' is a portmanteau of coder/decoder. In electronic communications, an endec is a device that acts as both an encoder and a decoder on a signal or ...

s for common audio and video files

Background

The software in this package is not included in Ubuntu by default because Ubuntu maintainers want to include only completely

free software Free software or libre software is computer software distributed under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, and distribute it and any adapted versions. Free software is a matter of liberty, no ...

in out-of-the-box installations. The software in this package may be

closed-source Proprietary software is software that is deemed within the free and open-source software to be non-free because its creator, publisher, or other rightsholder or rightsholder partner exercises a legal monopoly afforded by modern copyright and inte ...

, encumbered by

software patents A software patent is a patent on a piece of software, such as a computer program, libraries, user interface, or algorithm. Background A patent is a set of exclusionary rights granted by a state to a patent holder for a limited period of time, u ...

, or otherwise restricted. For example, the Adobe Flash plugin is a closed-source piece of software. Additionally, many multimedia formats such as

and

H.264 Advanced Video Coding (AVC), also referred to as H.264 or MPEG-4 Part 10, is a video compression standard based on block-oriented, motion-compensated coding. It is by far the most commonly used format for the recording, compression, and distr ...

are patented. In countries where these patents apply, legally distributing software that use these formats may require paying licensing fees to the patent owners.

The Ubuntu Restricted Extras is a metapackage and has the following dependencies:Package: ubuntu-restricted-extras in Maverick Meerkat
/ref> * flashplugin-installer * gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg * gstreamer0.10-fluendo-mp3 * gstreamer0.10-pitfdll * gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad * gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly * gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad-multiverse * gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly-multiverse * icedtea6-plugin * libavcodec-extra-52 * libmp4v2-0 * ttf-mscorefonts-installer * unrar Starting with Ubuntu 10.10, several of these dependencies are included indirectly via another meta-package ''ubuntu-restricted-addons'' which is included by default.

Inclusion

Due to the legal status of the software included in Ubuntu Restricted Extras, the package is not included by default on any Ubuntu CDs.Ubuntu repositories and ISO inclusion
/ref> However, some distributions, such as Super OS, Pinguy OS and Revamplinux do bundle the package on their installation CDs or DVDs. For a listing of the formats offered via this repository, follow the link at the end of this paragraph to help/ubuntu.com, Ubuntu's official online wiki. Note that the above statement DOES NOT imply that the software is pirated or in any way illegal to download. Furthermore, it doesn't imply that Canonical is somehow breaking the law by offering the software. In fact, the _restricted_ repository exists for the sole purpose of making it easier to follow the law in the event that the software becomes unusable in its current form. That is what is meant by "Due to the legal status...". for an explanation of this concept, see this source.

References

Linux package management-related software Ubuntu {{Install-software-stub

Background

Contents

Inclusion

See also

References