(I was assuming this would be an easy question to answer, but I can’t find it on the forum. If you can point me to a thread, please do.)
I remember reading about a year ago that Audacity needed files from Quicktime (codecs? libraries?) to run certain operations. Since Quicktime is a security nightmare in Win 7 the advice was to keep it but never actually run it. Is there any truth to this? Does it still apply (if it ever did)?
There’s a slight chance that my memory is playing tricks on me and that it was some other program that depended on those files. If so, please feel free to set me straight…
Thanks.
I’m running:
Win7/64 Home
Audacity 2.1.2 (.exe installer)
Quicktime 7
Audacity for Macs runs on QuickTime Services as does every other video and audio application on Macs. You might want QT in Windows if you export or manage files in one of the odder file formats, but QT7 is an odd duck. That was the last QT version that offered full import/export services as normal. The QT after that was officially “Quick Time Player” and all the advanced, handy portions went missing—or at least were still available at extra cost. QT7 and its tools could be purchased and it installed itself as a Utility so it didn’t conflict with QuickTime Application. I’ve done that multiple times.
So QT7 (still available) is unusual and out of the mainstream, and I would be really surprised if any normal Audacity function or job depended on it.
What I’m doing with Audacity right now is editing and mixing podcasts, then exporting as .mp3 for publishing on iTunes or Stitcher. Other projects include recording and mixing music tracks. Nothing that would require any odd file formats, so you’ve answered my question quite well.
If you’re sufficiently obsessive, you will have retained your QT7 License Key, so even if you do deep six the application, you can install it again at no cost.
I don’t actually remember how QT7 landed on my computer, but I know for darn sure I didn’t buy it. I did download iTunes a long time ago to listen to podcasts, so maybe QT came with it. (?) I am sufficiently obsessive, but I have no license key for it.
My understanding is that as long as you don’t actually open QT you’re safe from the security threats, so I don’t see any harm in keeping it just in case.
QT comes with iTunes, and with every other Apple software for Windows. AFAIK there never was a QT Pro for Windows.
And yes, it is a security nightmare on Windows. It’s a bit less now, since Apple started including some Microsoft DLL’s that are newer. Has taken them only five years or so…
But it’s still not a real safe product. It seems Apple doesn’t really care about Windows security, just like MS is always late with patches for their Mac products. Fortunately, the Mac versions of Office and a few other packages seem to lack the most dangerous features (VB scripting, macro’s, OLE…).
“If you want iTunes, you’ll have to keep it. I suspect iTunes doesn’t work without QT?”
OOOh kay. You’re right - iTunes and QT work together, and appear to be inextricably linked. If I feel the need to verify that what I produce has been presented as I produced it, I’ll need to keep iTunes and QT. >damn<
QuickTime 7??? Really???
Not the domesticated version of QTX or whatever the latest version is?
Of course, we don’t know how old the machine is. Windows 7 goes back…what, five years? Six? I guess it could be QuickTime 7. That may have been current when this iTunes went live.
Any benefit to blowing it all away and installing the latest iTunes? Might that resolve some of the security holes?
QuickTime is categorically not needed for Audacity on Windows.
There was QuickTime Pro for Windows.
QuickTime’s browser plugin is dangerous if you use a browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox that supports it - you don’t have to have QuickTime open to be exposed.
Modern iTunes for Windows does not need QuickTime. Some other older software might do, for example applications that encode MP4 videos. But it would be better to use applications that do not need QuickTime.
