Why Linux Multimedia Hacks?

The term hacking has a bad reputation in the press, where it is often to refer to someone who breaks into systems or wreaks havoc, with computers as their weapon. Among people who write code, though, the term hack refers to a "quick-and-dirty" solution to a problem, or a clever way to get something done. And the term hacker is taken very much as a compliment, referring to someone as being creative, having the technical chops to get things done. The Hacks series is an attempt to reclaim the word, document the good ways people are hacking, and pass the hacker ethic of creative participation on to the uninitiated. Seeing how others approach systems and problems is often the quickest way to learn about a new technology.

Multimedia programs under Linux are incredibly powerful and lend themselves to all sorts of clever hacks. That said, these programs often mystify people, so Linux Multimedia Hacks takes the best of Linux's multimedia tools and shows you step by step how to use these tools to do cool things you not have thought possible with images, audio, and video.