Subject: RE: [linux-audio-dev] Still I cannot understand why...
From: Ivica Bukvic (ico_AT_fuse.net)
Date: Sun Dec 16 2001 - 06:01:51 EET
> And I'm pointing out again: that will not work! Low latency sharing
> isn't of much value by itself if the data from different sources is
> not in sync. The data can only be in sync with a model that:
>
> 1) periodically waits idly for every process using the daemon to
> have the correct amount of data - this will lead to
> dropouts at low latency settings.
>
> OR
>
> 2) periodically and actively tells each process using the daemon
> that its time to produce (or consume) a the correct amount
> of data.
>
> If you or anyone else knows another way, please tell me, Steinberg,
> MOTU, Digidesign, Apple, Propellerheads, and Emagic about it.
>
> I also say again, and this REALLY IMPORTANT for people to understand
> and know: ALSA *already* has a sound server daemon, 1 per
> declared-and-used PCM "shared" device. ALSA apps need do *nothing*
> except be correctly written to use the daemon - there is no difference
> in using it to using a PCM "hw" device or any other kind of ALSA
> device.
>
> The problem is that most people are running OSS-API apps, and getting
> those apps to use a "shared" PCM device is, while not particularly
> complex, not what you'd call "trivial" (it requires an LD_PRELOAD
"hack")
>
> --p
So what you are saying is "if we get everyone to switch to alsa and use
alsa properly, (i.e. writing apps which send buffered audio data to the
alsa-server in a timely fashion)" the need for a separate sound daemon
will disappear. Right?
If that is so, let's tout and advertise Alsa for what it is -- a
God-sent thing to all Linux Audio users, and make a lot of noise around
it. I don't know about you, but I am pretty convinced that having a lot
of advertising works, free market is the best proof of that, so I
suggest: let's advertise the "crap" out of Alsa, write Alsa-specific
apps and contribute our alsa-related useful code chunks to a some kind
of code repository/docs site, while the docs are catching up. On top of
that, it seems that 2.5 kernels will already come equipped with them, so
we're surely on the right track.
Ico
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