Re: [linux-audio-dev] synthesis on gp2x .. (was Fwd: RE: [gpx-dev] hardware interfaces)

From: David Olofson <david@email-addr-hidden>
Date: Thu Jan 12 2006 - 19:26:13 EET

On Thursday 12 January 2006 16:56, Jay Vaughan wrote:
> >
> >exciting, but it will be completely divergent from the intel/ppc
> >world because of the floating point issue.
> >
>
> so? any particular reason a linux hacker should give a damn? are
> intel/ppc the only CPU's worth writing audio software for? should
> linux become platform-homogenized, just because of this issue? i
> think not!

Well, the only problem is that you have to write all DSP code twice,
basically.

Then again, the DSP code usually accounts for just a fraction of the
code of a full application. And heavy duty, DSP centric applications
(ie ones with lots of DSP code) probably won't be of much use without
a GFLOPS class CPU anyway.

> >this is really a great shame.
>
> its not a shame, its an opportunity. nothing less!
>
> >floating point versus fixed point samples
> >will reach deep into most audio/music software, and certainly deep
> >in JACK. i can just about begin to imagine how one might write a
> >JACK and a JACK client that could run on fixed or floating point,
> >but beginning is where i give up.
>
> good thing you aren't the only one writing code then, isn't it .. i
> mean, sure, JACK is lovely, Ardour too, but its really a shame you
> can only run them on intel/ppc ..
>
> </CHEtongueEEK>

I would think you can compile and run them on just about anything -
but without proper FP support (that is, an extremely fast integer CPU
+ FP emulation, or "anything" with a proper FPU), they won't run fast
enough to do anything useful, unless all DSP code is translated to
integer/fixed point.

I can certainly understand why someone who isn't seriously interested
in the odd few platforms with enough oomph but no FP, would lack the
motivation to write and/or maintain code that is relevant only on
these platforms.

//David Olofson - Programmer, Composer, Open Source Advocate

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Received on Thu Jan 12 20:15:09 2006

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