mplayer has a hardcoded directory that it searches for codecs...i believe it is /usr/lib/codecs
Quote (mikshaw @ Sep. 20 2005,12:18)
It won't seems so strange as you get to better understand how DSL and myDSL work. Since DSL loads into RAM when it boots, everything that is not saved to a permanent location is wiped out when you shut down.
I installed GNU utils and Synaptic, only to see it all disappear on reboot. Now I am starting to understand what a frugal install is.
I found an interesting thread on understanding frugal at:
I can see the advantage of frugal over using other disros such as Fedora, which are a full HD install.
Running DSL as frugal is like having permanent data files with a "throwaway operating system". The hard part is learning where and how to setup and use persistent partitions and directories.
After 20 years of using MS products, the terminology is double-dutch to me. I've learnt so many "languages" with computers, my brain is fused.
I think I can see the big picture of how running DSL as frugal is a quantum leap in operating systems, but it is going to take a while to figure it out.
Like most Windows users, moving past Win98SE and Office 2000 is costly and you enter the nightmare of "activation" codes, which means you pay for each OS you install on each computer - not likely! Moving to Linux will be the only option for most people.
DSL seems to have a niche market here, making other distros seem "old-fashioned". It would be great if more emphasis could be put on the benefits of frugal for new users and more "how to's" to explain directory structure.
I've got a lot of learning to do if I want to migrate from Windows!
AussieAcually, the mplayer codecs directory IS NOT hardcoded. The default directory is "/usr/local/lib/codecs", and I'm pretty sure this can be changed with an environment variable or a command line option or a mplayer config file option. Wouldn't you know it, I pass by this variable all the time when I'm searching the mplayer docs for something else, but today, of course I can't find it in the man pages. And the mplayerhq site is down.
Coincidence? Or conspiracy to make me look stupid?You can specify a codecs directory while you compile the program, but i don't see anything about a runtime variable or option.
original here.