e: [linux-audio-dev] The future of XAP? (was: fruityloops on linux?)

[David Olofson]

On Friday 31 January 2003 09.25, k 1 wrote:
[...]
> Should I feel guilt for not being interested in the closed source
> providers if they are not interested in working with us?

Not really, but there's a third party involved here as well; one that 
we to some extent, hope to share with the closed source guys; the 
users.

One though that keeps returning is "What difference does it make if we 
use one API on Linux, and the closed source guys use another API on 
some other platform?"

Of course, if we were all using the same API, porting would be easier, 
and there would be a slightly bigger chance of users actually running 
the same plugins in both environments. However, since even with the 
same API, porting to Linux requires a recompile, I have a feeling 
that it takes much more than a common API to bring proprietary/high 
end plugins to Linux. They're worried about copy protection issues 
and that sort of stuff, so the catch 22 situation caused by the 
abscense of a "big" user base on Linux is not the *only* issue.


That said, nothing is made *worse* by everyone using the same plugin 
API, provided it's truly Free/Open, and fits the bill from a 
technical POV. There's no point in us bending over backwards to get 
in on it for no return - but unless Free/Open Source audio software 
is a dead end, a common API *is* a Good Thing.


Now, when, what and how is another story...


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

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