[linux-audio-dev] KEYBOARDS: Linux is not suited for audio applications ...

Dave Phillips dlphilp at bright.net
Fri Sep 5 08:33:00 UTC 2003


Stefan Nitschke wrote:

> [snip]
> Please dont misunderstand me, i love audio on Linux but there is still
> some work to do until its is ready for "anyone". And i think thats what
> the answer was about.

Hi Stefan:

I agree with you regarding the work we still have to do. But with all
respect, I disagree regarding the editor's reply. That answer was a
poorly formed response that reiterated outmoded perceptions.

<rant>
When was the last time anyone on this list dealt directly with a M$
application problem and ended up calling tech support ? Is telling
someone how to repair something in the registry really very different
from telling someone how to edit a makefile ? And is telling someone how
to run './configure; make; make install' all that fabulously difficult ?
Are the Linux GUIs for handling RPM packages awfully awkward to employ ?
My god, what do Windozers do when faced with (*gasp*) a zipped file ?

And has anyone else noted that PlanetCCRMA makes available a *complete*
Red Hat distribution, i.e. *not* an add-on, apt-getted for the greatest
ease selecting and installing Linux audio applications ? And with a
low-latency kernel ? And capabilities enabled ? IIRC the end user needs
to do very little beyond installing the system and installing his
selected apps (or he can install the whole set at once, if preferred)
before he's ready to rock. 

I believe Demudi is very similar.

I was surfing Patrick Shirkey's excellent Linux audio user's guide
yesterday and discovered his manifesto on promoting Linux audio :

	http://www.djcj.org/LAU/openads/main.php

I quote from the page:

"There is a problem in the Linux Audio community. We are in general
agreement that the image that the mass market has of Linux Audio is not
consistent with the work that is being done."

He then goes on to describe various ways which we, as a community, can
help change that image. Perhaps someone could advise the editor of
Keyboards that he needs to do a little better research ?
</rant>

Sorry for the rant, I haven't had my coffee yet this morning... :-\

Best regards,

== Dave Phillips

	The Book Of Linux Music & Sound at http://www.nostarch.com/lms.htm
	The Linux Soundapps Site at http://linux-sound.org



More information about the Linux-audio-dev mailing list