What Parts of Linux Audio Simply Work Great? (was Re: [linux-audio-dev] Best-performing Linux-friendly MIDI interfaces?)

[Jay Vaughan]

>
>I think we should take it for what it is:  a whiney rant from someone
>who is famous for whining about anything and everything.
>

sorry, but i don't agree.

>Why should we care what jwz thinks?

jwz, like it or not, leads opinion.  he makes news.  agree with him 
or disagree with him: you're still being led into an opinion on a 
subject as a result of his effort, either way.

such opinion-cults are all the FOSS world -has- for a PR front.  this 
one happens to be negative.  its quite possible, however, that a 
counter to his position would work *positively*, if we were prepared 
to organize it a bit.  i'd be quite happy, actually, to submit to /. 
a "never mind jwz, linux audio rocks!" style article which puts the 
actual -facts- on the table for anyone wanting to check out linux 
audio.  blowback PR works, if timed right, and delivered properly. 
maybe you'll be thanking jwz in a week or two ..

>Let him publicly cry and run to OSX
>- see if I care.
>

if we allow the falsehoods regarding linux audio to be spread by his 
infamy/fame, whiney or not, washed out or not, we're doing ourselves 
(audio hackers) a disservice.  is it not poignant enough for you that 
"the OSS guys" are using the jwz attack on ALSA to pimp their way of 
doing things?  should FOSS authors really eat themselves in such 
ways?  screw that!  just tell -me- what works, and i'll make sure 
folks know about it!

>Addressing the concerns of people looking for help on this list is a
>million times more important than some nonsense PR campaign to counter
>the rant of a whiney dotcom washout that happened to get slashdotted.
>

look, PR is a big problem with linux audio.  taking -some- degree of 
responsibility for it is a step to solve that.  not all problems with 
linux audio are purely technical; mostly, it seems, its education.

all good education efforts start with overt PR about the subject, 
presenting reasons why its worth educating oneself further .. a shiny 
boot-CD DAW 'That Just Works' (tm) will attract far more users than 
endless reams of archives describing 'how to fix things yourself'. 
hell, a list of known working configs from various well known 
individuals may just be all we need.  my audio system may not work 
right now, but a boot-CD/list of known working systems will serve to 
provide hope when there may be very little.

describe the working systems, promote the solutions not the problems.

continually working on a 'this is broke -> fix it' basis is one 
thing; working on a 'this works -> use it' basis is another thing 
entirely.  i happen to think the latter approach produces better 
results when it comes to getting people interested in fixing their 
tools themselves, especially when casual observers are tipped over 
the edge from "just looking at how bad things are" to "active 
participant actually -using- the tools to do something cool because 
it was demonstrated that such things can be done" ..

jwz -does- have a point.  its not the 90's.  he really shouldn't have 
had such problems with getting his freakin' audio working.  its not a 
technical issue; its an organizational one.  counter his argument 
with success, and the whole scene gets turned around: suddenly, linux 
audio is cooler than it was a week ago.

-- 

;

Jay Vaughan