On Launchpad: https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/404778

1. istanbul is a python application that sits in the system notification area; gnome-screensaver is a simple C application that is only called when needed

2. desktop recording applications have a sketchy record *at best*: they don't always record GL-based applications, the performance implications have not been fully evaluated; and they don't work reliably on every system (istanbul is fine on my x60 but it doesn't work on my collegue's thinkpad with an ati card - whilst gtk-recordmydesktop works fine on his system and not on mine).

personally, I don't want to complicate gnome-screenshot to the point of including video capturing.

1. Then perhaps they can't be merged, but istanbul can still be included in gnome-utils
2. I'm aware of this. I thought part of the problem might be that istanbul just needs more work, and including it in gnome-utils would give it more attention from developers. 

Gnome-screenshot could have a button in it to launch istanbul just like PiTiVi does

(In reply to comment #3)
> 1. Then perhaps they can't be merged, but istanbul can still be included in
> gnome-utils

the istanbul maintainer will have to ask this.

> 2. I'm aware of this. I thought part of the problem might be that istanbul just
> needs more work, and including it in gnome-utils would give it more attention
> from developers. 

actually, it won't, because instead of building a single project now you have to build gnome-utils instead.

> Gnome-screenshot could have a button in it to launch istanbul just like PiTiVi
> does

this might be doable.

See also http://mail.gnome.org/archives/usability/2005-June/msg00030.html, where such a merge was proposed before.

Thanks for that link, it looks like this was going to be implemented, but somehow never was. This is a good mockup of how that launcher could look in gnome-screenshot: http://www.xs4all.nl/~jeroen/screenshots/Screenshot-Screenshot-2.png

> actually, it won't, because instead of building a single project now you have
> to build gnome-utils instead.

What? I don't understand...

(In reply to comment #6)
> Thanks for that link, it looks like this was going to be implemented, but
> somehow never was.

nobody stepped up to actually do it.

> > actually, it won't, because instead of building a single project now you have
> > to build gnome-utils instead.
> 
> What? I don't understand...

if istanbul becomes part of gnome-utils it will be part of the gnome-utils repository and build; you will need to build the whole gnome-utils in order to get istanbul.

Yeah, somebody said they were going to but apparently never did. With an implementation similar to the screenshot/mockup couldn't istanbul just be a dependency of gnome-screenshot so it could still be installed separately, but still come with gnome-utils? Also, isn't gnome-utils more popular than istanbul alone anyway? 

Not a gnome-screenshot bug at all. gnome-screenshot won't gain video recording abilities. There are other utilities for that, including one built-in with gnome-shell now.

Kazaam might me worth looking at now that it has switched from ffmpeg to gstreamer and records in WebM instead of h.264 by default.

Please don't reopen this bug, gnome-utils is dead and has been split into different projects for each module.