RE: [linux-audio-dev] Still I cannot understand why...

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Subject: RE: [linux-audio-dev] Still I cannot understand why...
From: STEFFL, ERIK *Internet* (SBCSI) ("STEFFL,)
Date: Thu Dec 20 2001 - 00:24:09 EET


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ivica Bukvic [mailto:ico_AT_fuse.net]
>
> > I don't think I wrote (or implied)
> > that you should write a good Alsa port for crapple or that linux
> stands
> > for
> > "selected few should write driver...".
>
> Hint: writing Alsa port for crapple was an analogy, sorry if
> you missed
> that.

  it was analogy on the way back as well

> > that's not relevant to what I wrote.
>
> How so? You have named me selfish for not caring about anything else
> than what I am using (in this case Linux/i386)? And what I told you is
> that I do not care for anything else because I do not have a
> capacity to
> contribute to anything else (so why waste away sleepless nights on

  care != contribute

> something where I cannot make a bit of a difference?), but
> what I CAN do
> is to perfect something on my platform and then forward the
> code to you
> and people alike you who could use the code to port it to your own
> architecture and possibly even improve upon it. If I were selfish, as
> you are trying to portray me, then I would have charged you

  I am not saying you are selfish, I just said that not caring is selfish
(well, selfish in not so smart way). everybody does some selfish and some
less selfish things and I am fully aware that a person cannot be judged by
one particular statement. Sorry if that came through as personal attack,
what I mean is that you should rethink your attitude towards other platforms
(RETHINK, not that you have to start working on other platforms)

...
> 1) I do not use them, and thus I can not help contribute to them
>
> 2) I cannot use them, and thus I can not help contribute to them
>
> So what does make me then so selfish in the first place?

  dismissing the importance of other platforms (and again, it's just act
that I think is not right, you as a person are not under attack)

> Should I care for everything and everyone? Sorry, but Linux is not a

  well, yes, but that's slightly out of scope now:-)

  again: I am not saying what you should do (as in 'write code'), I just say
you should care and there are good reasons for that (for your own good)

  you are directly dependant on what goes on on other platforms, the code
(the part that can be freely shared) constantly moves from system to system
etc. going for something linux-only is defintely not good, even if you are
developing for linux only, you should be aware of what's going on on other
platforms and coordinate what you are doing with other platforms. Simply
because unix is bigger than linux and unix+mac+win is even bigger so you
would benefit, even if you do not use or write code for other platforms.
also: to think and be aware of all this makes your code generally better,
easier to maintain etc.

  in other words - being linux only (so far) IS a problem of alsa and
dismissing it just because you don't use it on other platforms is not good.
To illustrate how the generic reasons given above instantiate in this case:

  - you don't get easy acces to audio programs developed for other platforms
  - alsa applications have a lot smaller place to live in and thus they are
drawing developers (=less bugfixes) and testers/users (=less bug reports)
from smaller pool

  not exactly earth shattering news but I hope it puts the portability of
alsa in better perspective...

  BTW this is not meant to defend OSS, as far as I can tell it should go
away and be replaced by alsa, if alsa will ever be stable.

  BTW2 I mostly use intel pc, I care for other platforms for reason hinted
above...

        erik


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