Subject: Re: [linux-audio-dev] What about debian tasks? [was: Audio distribution revisited]
From: Benno Senoner (sbenno_AT_gardena.net)
Date: Sat Sep 16 2000 - 01:45:45 EEST
I still do not get the "audio distro" point ...
I think everyone with a bit of a brain agrees that maintaining a WHOLE distro is
a HUGE task, (and even big corporations like Redhat seems to be in trouble
sometimes)
thus the only remaining viable way is to use an existing one and
provide audio-distro "add-ons". (eg one single big package or several smaller
ones).
I think for an audio distro one of the key issues is EASE OF USE (for the
Desktop), and I think Mandrake is perhaps one of the best out here.
What's missing for the audio distro, are packages which need to be very
easy to install, and that add the audio stuffs.
( low-latency kernel , proper drivers (like ALSA), some autodetection tools,
middleware (eg soundservers), all kinds of sopensource audio software, documentaton
etc etc)
Then repackage all the audio packages for different distros
(RPMs and DEBs would cover almost the whole linux distros).
Of course we can build an "audio distro",
but that will be nothing more than let's say a Mandrake CD with the
audio packages on it (with a modified installer which allows to install them
(or installs them by default) during the installation process).
Then make an ISO image and make it available to download.
I'm sure that within short time Cheapbytes-like stores would sell them.
Or alternatively you could sell the CDs along with a printed manual/book which
covers the audio related stuff.
(And the funds would of course go to the linux-audio-dev project :-) )
If you agree or disagree with my points let me know
Benno.
On Fri, 15 Sep 2000, Patrick Shirkey wrote:
> Wouldn't it be easier to jump on the band wagon of a distribution designed specifically for music.
>
> I envision a fusion of the linux music environments with all the affilliated software. If it comes as one package then it would greatly assist the publicity of the Linux music community and generally in terms of multimedia on Linux.
>
> So many people are scared of Linux because they don't want to spend all the time installing and fixing bugs. It seems absolutely stupid to me but they think Linux is too difficult. They will still invest years of their lives learning the ins and outs of a package designed by a company who may not even listen to their problems when they arise.
>
> If the linux music commmunity can make a distribution happen then we will be saving a lot of people everywhere a lot of time and frustration. We will also be giving another big finger to the closed source market and allowing musicians to get down to what we really want to do, which is to make music and for some of us, to make money off our music.
>
> It has taken long enough to get to this stage where something designed for the people and by the people (granted some of the more alternative minds) has the possibility of being accessible to the people.
>
> Please don't fuck around with Debian if you have the ability to help on a more streamlined distribution for music. You could save a lot of people a lot of time if you joined in on the m-station project.
>
> I don't want to offend I just want to get this thing burning.
>
> Patrick.
>
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