[LAD] alsa and OSS (again?)

[Albert Graef]

Jay Vaughan wrote:
> Well I have it working fine on both 2.4 and 2.6 kernels, so I don't know
> what the dilemna is here, really ..

Judging from what I read on the Midishare list, most Linux users of
Midishare indeed have trouble dealing with compilation probs in the
kernel module. Not you and me, but you can't expect end users to be able
to handle problems due to the ever-changing kernel API. This stuff isn't
trivial. You don't have to be a kernel hacker (I'm certainly not), but
you really need to understand the Midishare code if you have to sift the
kernel headers for a replacement for some kernel routine which just
miraculously disappeared, thanks to your friendly kernel dev cleaning up
the kernel code. I've done it more than once...

> And actually I really like the Midishare design

Nobody argues that. I'm also using it for all my MIDI needs.

>> Another issue, also related to the kernel module, is that the necessary
>> init.d logic and kernel devices support (udev et al) varies among
>> different distros, and sometimes even between different minor versions
>> of the same distro.
> 
> This is not MidiShare's fault.

Of course not. But you still have to deal with it. :)

> There are no kernel drivers in MidiShare, only kernel modules.

That's what I call the Midishare driver. As I said, the userspace stuff,
Midishare library and all that, compiles quite easily on almost any
Linux system.

Albert

-- 
Dr. Albert Gr"af
Dept. of Music-Informatics, University of Mainz, Germany
Email:  Dr.Graef at t-online.de, ag at muwiinfa.geschichte.uni-mainz.de
WWW:    http://www.musikinformatik.uni-mainz.de/ag