Tentative roadmap for mrv2

[ggarra13]

BSD-3 source code for both the latest version of Vulkan and OpenGL will remain always available on GitHub.

If all goes well around August 2025, it will be the last release of the OpenGL binaries to coincide with the latest version of OpenEXR with its new codec, assuming it all compiles properly. This will be my gesture towards Florian Kainz as a way to say sorry for oposing OpenEXR while I was at ILM. From then on, the OpenGL branch of mrv2 will be considered frozen and no more binaries will be provided. Only the last binary will be kept in the repository. All previous versions will be removed from Github and sourceforge (with identical features, not nightly builds), as I abused Microsoft's good will in keeping ALL binary versions on both Github and Sourceforge (something like 200TB!). Microsoft free binaries will avoid SmartScreen warnings while Apple's won't, due to how the companies have dealt with open source developers.

Depending if the adoption of Vulkan fails and how nice U.S. AIs allow me to learn new APIs, more FLTK drivers might end up being added (ie. Metal and DirectX12). Vulkan and other drivers' binaries will not be provided free of charge. This is my gesture to provide work for developers that have fallen out of a job. You will be able to:

Buy mrv2 (either Vulkan or an updated OpenGL) from me directly by using a Paypal donation and an email account with a tailored request of what codecs and features you want (ie. select mrv2 a la carte). This will be the most expensive option to basically NOT undercut the salary difference between developed countries and undeveloped ones. How much will I charge will depend on multiple factors that are unknown at this point in time like competition, so we'll see. There are two licensing issues to be resolved AFAIK: Prores and NDI licensing which may increase the price even more, if the companies involved (Apple and Vizr) decide to exercise their rights to their IP.

Compile mrv2 yourself or hire an out of job developer or a good friend to do it for you. This is my gesture against Gordon Gekko's "greed is good" capitalism and having the good side of socialism (collaboration among people). The bad side of socialism has always been the lack of innovation and an increase in corruption, at least in my country.
If you need suggestions for a developer on how to compile mrv2, I have two to four persons in mind that should be able to do it with no issues so you can get different quotes.

Choose another player. I recommend tlplay, plplay, mpv or OpenRV. If you need the best performance, choose plplay.

Pirate it. This used to be the only way in the past to compete in under developed countries but I think this is the time to change things and start respecting IP at a global scale, as prices now have leveled the field. I would love to have a BMW, but I cannot afford it. I don't go around stealing one.

FFmpeg will, most likely, stay at its current version as the 7.4+ versions are way buggy currently and are mainly targetting AR/VR.

OpenUSD support will continue on the OpenGL branch but NOT on the Vulkan one due to problems with Pixar's API. This may change in the future as Vulkan evolves or if I decide to mess (again) with Hydra and moonray (ie. that would bring a new meaning to the "mr" in mrv2 -- I did try to make it obvious just as mrViewer was, originally, mentalray viewer).