@ dmj726, I'm using Linux Mint 7, which I believe is based on Jaunty Jackelope, aka Ubuntu 9.04, I believe. Glad to know I'm not crazy...

@ Jack6428, let me sort of stick up for joppu on this one, because I see where he's coming from. I'll explain his stance in a nutshell, so let me know, joppu, if I'm offbase.

One of the tenets of open source is to not do the same work twice. VLC reinvented the wheel instead of improving the proven and working gstreamer.They provided a great app experience, but at the expense of the OS's growth. They could've upgraded or added to gstreamer, but they kept the codecs closed only for VLC's usage.

Joppu wants all apps to work WITH the development previous devs have worked hard on to make it better. He is totally against splintering apps and doing work twice. I see his point, and look at VLC totally differently now. He's made a valid point, and we need to really look at how we choose and use code with the betterment of the OS in mind.

Had VLC done things right, most apps would work well, and it'd be all about the best interface. As they've done it, its the workability of the app that is its calling card, when they could've easily added them to gstreamer instead to improve the video experience on Linux across the board. It is a selfish move by VideoLan, but not a cardinal sin.

I'll continue to favor VLC because it is the best performing player for me. But I'll be looking for the same improvements to gstreamer to create the same experience in all players down the road, all for the betterment of the OS experience overall.