"Deciding on a single codec that everyone should use for everything, forever (or until we get to have the same discussion again with HTML6) is the only way forward. Which is just stupid and ignorant."
Mozilla never dictated that there should _be only one codec_. It's my understanding that they are happy to support any coded, which is not encumbered by patents.
You're putting words into their mouth, which they never said in this form.
Not quite. Mozilla was one of those pushing for the HTML5 spec to require support for Ogg Theora. Fortunately, saner minds prevailed and explained what a stupid thing it would be for a spec with an expected lifetime of a decade or so to mandate a 2009-era (when this first started being an issue) codec.
However, because they have that stipulation, instead of having championing for the browser to use any and all OS codecs, they have declared that only Theora and WebM shoul be part of the standard.
Actually, they just wanted Theora (now WebM) blessed as the one codec you knew would always be available. They were quite happy for "better" codecs to be provided in specific circumstances as long there was a baseline that would be guaranteed to be supported everywhere. It was Apple & Nokia that pushed for only one codec (namely H.264, which coincidentally couldn't be mandated as part of the standard and implemented everywhere because of patents).
Firefox does not support OS provided codecs. Not that it's not possible, but they don't. Regardless of what Apple/Nokia do, Mozilla is very much pushing to not support h264.
If they were being open about it, we'd already be able to do it.
Mozilla never dictated that there should _be only one codec_. It's my understanding that they are happy to support any coded, which is not encumbered by patents.
You're putting words into their mouth, which they never said in this form.