Subject: Re: [linux-audio-dev] linux audio demonstrability: NOT!
From: Nicola Bernardini (nicb_AT_axnet.it)
Date: pe loka 01 1999 - 08:51:18 EDT
Sorry I entered this thread just on its end. The lad list has just
too much traffic these days for me to follow suit :))
Paul, I feel the problem should handled in a different way.
I use *exclusively* Linux in producing my music and for a very good
reason: I use a mix of texts (such as, for example, csound orc/scos, etc.)
together with perl/python/awk/prolog/sql/shell scripts
and I need software that handles ASCII texts and not proprietary
files, because I use a lot of algorithmic stuff in between applications,
and this way I realize cheap and easy inter-app communication.
Furthermore, yes, apps may crash, but 1) they don't lock my machine :)
2) they are just barely good enough, but if I need something real badly
I can add to them. No commercial application can do that for me, and
I cannot use them (it's not bigotry). Yes, perhaps there are very few
of us down here, but Linux commercials care for us too :))).
So, I don't expect software vendors to port stuff to linux, as I don't
expect commercial music impresarios to understand contemporary music.
On the other hand, if/when we'll have stabler apps in the audio/music
field, I know they are going to be much better than *any* closed software
developer team is able to develop in time.
Now, hardware vendors, that's another story. I am *POSITIVE* that we
don't have good drivers because we don't have adequate documentation.
But, as somebody said on this list some time ago, these guys will have
to understand sooner or later: audio cards have the shelf life of a banana,
so when they'll see that they can sell more cards, they'll provide
more info. Open source software seemed impossible some years ago, and
now it's a solid reality: onto open hardware now. I have heard a paper
on the Emu chip that is inside the SoundBlaster Live! and its potentials
are far more than what the current win drivers do with it (let alone
the linux ones, of course). It's their choice to limit the usage of the
card - what do you want to do about it?
The Creamware people were interested about linux a long time ago.
But they did'nt do much - writing for linux is probably tougher.
And now they're asking you. I have the feeling that they got the
right guy, and if you need the entire list to write mails supporting
you, I know that everybody will do it... *But* they have to understand
that open source is the way to go...
ciao
Nicola
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nicola Bernardini
E-mail: nicb_AT_axnet.it
Re graphics: A picture is worth 10K words -- but only those to describe
the picture. Hardly any sets of 10K words can be adequately described
with pictures.
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