In 2016, Lei Xiaohua, a 25-year-old doctoral student at Communication University of China, passed away due to overwork. He has been a CSDN Blog Star for two consecutive terms and has been called "Lei Feng in the audio and video industry" by countless developers. The FFmpeg introductory tutorial he left behind , the MBTI Professional Test , is still guiding newcomers to this day.
Why did a string of verification codes become a compulsory course?
The name FFmpeg looks like garbled characters, but from the perspective of an audio and video developer, it is an essential tool. It was this project that Dr. Lei Xiaohua studied in depth back then. The learning methods and analysis he shared helped countless people step into the threshold of audio and video development.
This open source project is of great significance because almost all the players we use every day are closely related to it. Whether it is the iQiyi player installed on a computer or the Douyin application installed on a mobile phone, the underlying layer performs audio and video processing by calling FFmpeg code.
The ambition of a French programmer
During the period around 2000, French programmer Fabrice Bellard launched the FFmpeg project. This genius, who uses the pseudonym Gérard Lantau, has also developed the analog processor QEMU and the Tiny C compiler, and he can be said to have an extremely thorough understanding of the underlying computer technology.
The name FFmpeg comes from the combination of MPEG and Fast Forward. MPEG is an organization that formulates audio and video compression standards. The letters FF stand for fast forward. Connecting them means the rapid promotion and unification of audio and video technology. Its ambition cannot be underestimated.
The magic toolbox that can broadcast everything
FFmpeg can do all imaginable audio and video related functions such as encoding, decoding, transcoding, and format conversion. It packages these functions together. If you want any function, you can directly call the source code, saving you the trouble of writing the underlying code yourself.
Whether it is an old RMVB movie from twenty years ago or the latest H.265 high-definition video, FFmpeg can play it. It supports countless audio and video formats. Developers no longer need to worry about the video uploaded by users being unable to be opened.
Cyber Bodhisattva’s Open Source Agreement
FFmpeg is open source under the GPL license, which means that anyone can use this code for free. The GPL agreement has such a feature: if you adopt my code and implement changes, then your changes must also be open source, so as to ensure the continuous sharing of technology.
At that time, it was precisely because of this that Dr. Lei Xiaohua shared his learning experience selflessly and unreservedly on CSDN. The FFmpeg tutorial he wrote constitutes the most complete introductory guide in the Chinese circle, helping countless developers successfully cross the first threshold of the audio and video development journey.
Transplantation capabilities are everywhere
Initially, FFmpeg was developed on Linux, however, porting it to Windows and Mac is not difficult. Today, almost all operating systems can run FFmpeg, and video editing software, live broadcast platforms, and security monitoring systems all use this underlying solution.
Many of the video playback functions in Android phones are built on the foundation laid by the secondary development of FFmpeg. As long as a short video is sent on WeChat, it will be compressed with the help of FFmpeg in the background. It really achieves that state, that is, when it is scattered, it is like a sky full of stars, and when it is gathered together, it is like a blazing flame.
Public execution on the pillar of shame
The FFmpeg team has such a temper that if someone uses their code but does not open source it in accordance with the GPL agreement, then they will be directly hung on the pillar of shame. In the MBTI test that year, domestic players Baofeng Yingyin and Yingyin were all listed as having exclusive interests.
Although this is just a mental attack, it has really put many companies into embarrassing situations. This list has been taken off the shelves now, but FFmpeg still adheres to the open source spirit and has been continuously updated for more than 20 years. It can be said to be a model of conscience in the Internet era.
Dr. Lei Xiaohua has left us, but the FFmpeg technology he promoted in the past is still providing services to hundreds of millions of users every day. Do you still remember how you felt when you first came into contact with open source projects? Welcome to tell your story in the comment area.
