[linux-audio-dev] GMPI - requirements

[Joern Nettingsmeier]

Tim Hockin wrote:
> One of my tasks as part of GMPI is to provide a draft of the requirements
> doc.  I turn tp you all.  If you have requirements that you think should be
> in GMPI - please let me know.  These have to be requirements.  Not
> handwaving though explosions, and not wishful dreaming.  Things that are
> required or desired that will make GMPI be the open music platform we need.
> 
> Feel free to email me privately or publicly.  I'll be happy to condense
> ideas and to extract requirements from whatever you have for me.
> 
> Trying to get the ball rolling again...

not exactly requirements, but thinking about ladspa and jack lead me to 
a couple of important meta-features for every new killer API:

technical:

* it should be elegant, or even beautiful
* it should be fun to program with
* as an extra bonus, it should be easier than programming on a lower 
level (as with jack vs. alsa)
* it *must* be easy to support in host applications
* it *must not* force any particular choice of toolkit or language upon 
the implementer of either the host or the plugin
* it should work ok right now, instead of being perfect never

social:

* it must be free without loopholes (bsd or lgpl)
* specs and sdk must be available free-of-charge
* the surrounding community must be hospitable towards non-professional 
developers
* both the licensing and the community atmosphere should not discourage 
closed-source commercial implementations while still conveying enough 
"free spirit" to make commercial vendors play fair and participate in or 
even donate something back to the community


i have not followed gmpi at all, and some of these points may not be 
applicable. but they are what puts the "yeeeeeeeeehah!" factor in 
today's linux audio, and have definitely lifted our community to a level 
where almost everything is possible.

best,

jörn


-- 
Progress (n.):  The process through which the Internet has evolved from
smart people in front of dumb terminals to dumb people in front of smart
terminals.
	- stolen from Steve Meuse's sig

Jörn Nettingsmeier
Kurfürstenstr 49, 45138 Essen, Germany
http://spunk.dnsalias.org (my server)
http://www.linuxdj.com/audio/lad/ (Linux Audio Developers)