All the giant companies used ffmpeg (2020) (twitter.com)

Article summary

John Carmack mentions that all major companies use the open-source ffmpeg project in their backends. He expresses surprise at this, having expected a unique combination of commercial and custom solutions. The use of ffmpeg by large companies highlights its importance and versatility. Carmack's comment sparks a discussion about the project and its creator, Fabrice Bellard.

Main themes

• ffmpeg and its use by major companies
• Fabrice Bellard's talent and work ethic
• approaches to coding and development
• the importance of planning and thoughtfulness in coding
• the potential risks of dogma in development methodologies
• the impact of open-source projects on the industry

What commenters say

• The creator of ffmpeg, Fabrice Bellard, is exceptionally talented and prolific, leading some to jokingly speculate that he might be multiple people.
• Analyzing git commits could provide insight into whether the code seems to be made by different people, but this is largely a humorous suggestion.
• Bellard's success can be attributed to starting with simple projects, understanding his entire codebase, and planning carefully before writing code.
• Some argue that the key to success lies in taking a thoughtful and planned approach to coding, rather than rushing into development.
• The idea of a 'Think before code' manifesto is proposed as a counterpoint to agile development methodologies.
• Others caution that such a manifesto could become dogma and lead to an overly rigid approach to development.
• The discussion around Fabrice Bellard's abilities and work ethic is not just hype, but based on the real impact and quality of his work.
• The level of praise for Bellard is unusual, but may be due to the fact that his work has had a significant and tangible impact on the industry.