Subject: Re: [linux-audio-user] Pro Audio Software RANT!!!
From: Jason (hormonex_AT_yankthechain.com)
Date: Sat Jan 26 2002 - 01:06:23 EET
I think most of us would probably agree with you, Frank, I think the
frustration that you're seeing oviced comes from the fact that as audio
people, we're a bit of an isolated community. We see the potential in Free
software to make our professional or semiprofessional or hobbyist lives
easier and
more productive. But we also see a massive splintering of limited
resources that seems to be sort of counter-productive, and the fact that
there isn't yet an integrated suite of applications that can do what the
commercial
programs do is frustrating in that light. SOme of the programs outthere
look like they're getting kind of close, until you realize just what they
aren't capable of, that you will have to use other software for.
It's almost like someone should start a LInux Audio group to coordinate
all these different projects and canonize certain applications, just as a
method of focusing developer efforts until we have baseline usability on
every front.
Once that exists it will be so much easier for other people to develop
their own applications, because of the nature of Open SOurce. I think
that's the thing that attracted me to linux in the first place. The fact
that if I found some software that did everything I wanted, but that did
in an inneffective way, or didn't do it efficiently enough, or whatever
then with a little
knowledge and effort I could fix it, and create something different that
worked the way I wanted it to
without having to reinvent the wheel.
It seems like other areas of the linux community have gotten to that point
with some projects, and I really wish the audio community would get there
as well.
On Fri, 25 Jan 2002, Frank
Barknecht wrote:
> Well, I can understand your frustration and of course the current state
> of audio software on linux simply cannot rival that on windows or mac.
> So if you need Cakewalk, you have no choice but to install a commercial OS.
>
> But as Linux and most of the software running on Linux is not "just
> another operation system", but instead lives by a certain spirit, I
> think you're unfair. What we are talking about on this list is free
> software. Software that you can give to your friends without any
> problems, software, that you can change, if you know how to, and
> software, that is not controlled by some money-eating major enterprise.
>
> No, our software is written by students, by scientists or by hobbyists,
> who want to learn things, who want to share things and to free things.
> To achive this, we have to re-write a lot of things, that the commercial
> vendors already wrote. They keep it their trade secret and hold it
> closed, we have to do things, that were already done, again. Why do we do
> it, then? Why write a midi sequencer like MusE, when there already are
> at least three midi sequencers for Mac or Windows, that are a lot better?
> It surely sounds pathetic, but this is about freedom.
>
> If one wants to be free, there currently is no other choice than Linux
> and all its cousins. If one just wants free "as in beer" software, one
> could of course search those warez sites and crack shareware serials.
>
> But real freedom is here.
>
> Rant closed,
-- YankTheChain.com - You can pretend we're not here. That's what I do.,
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