[digiKam-users] Raw metadata files writing in incoming 6.0.0...

[Remco Viëtor]

On dimanche 1 avril 2018 11:19:48 CEST Gilles Caulier wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> I just responded to this entry in bugzilla about RAW metadata writing
> option :
> 
> *https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=387351#c9
> <https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=387351#c9>*
> 
> I vote to drop this dangerous option in incoming 6.0.0 release. See my
> viewpoints in bugzilla entry...
> 
> As it's always easy to cut source code than to add new implementation, i
> post this message here. Please continue the discussion in bugzilla as well
> for a better visibility.

Personally, I don't see any reason to write to raw files:
- it's the original data, that I cannot replace (in most cases).
- most raw formats are very poorly documented, so writing to them is at best a 
(very well educated) guess, as not all corner cases are known. This is 
especially bad for the "makernote" section. (I use Sony, so .ARW files...)

DNG is a bit of a special case. If it is generated directly in the camera, I 
don't know how well documented it is. But the DNG is still the unique original 
data, and basically irreplacable. So writing to them is (imo) bad.

If the DNG is produced from another raw format, it can be dealt with as any 
other derived file, and writing to it could be allowed (with the "experimental" 
note attached, if that's the status in the Exiv2 library).

Tl;dr: I vote to drop writing to RAW files completely, with a possible 
exception for DNG files.

Remco