[LAD] [ANNOUNCE] Safe real-time on the desktop by default; Desktop/audio RT developers, read this!

[Fons Adriaensen]

On Tue, Jun 23, 2009 at 11:59:19AM +0100, Bob Ham wrote:

> It's great that all these new Kits are putting free software in the
> hands of average users.  What isn't great is that they seem to be
> hastily developed and without concern for the wider free software
> community.  There will be consequences of this lack of concern.

And not only for audio production users.

In a previous life I designed space telecom equipment.
A lot of it was based on Linux. Basic techniques are the
same as for audio: you have some interface card with
AD/DA converters and RF circuits, and a number of RT
apps processing blocks of samples. Typical systems
are headless and remote controlled, usually from the
other end of the world.

The difference is that customers are very picky on
reliability and security, and such systems get audited,
both during the design phase and before final acceptance.

I can easily imagine what would happen with today's
typical Linux distros:

Auditor: OK, show me a list of all processes on this system.

System engineer: <ps -ef>

A: Mmmm. What is this console-kit-daemon ?

S: It's something added apparenlty related to authentication
   of desktop users. According to its documentation it manages
   seats.

A: Seats ? Do you require it ?

S: No.

A: It's not POSIX, is it ?

S: It isn't.

A: Then it's in conflict with Requirement SR0000813, don't
   you agree ?

S: Yes. In previous versions of the OS we could remove it,
   but that seems no longer possible. It's not clear why
   the changed this, and we didn't expect this to happen.

A: Then we have a non-conformity w.r.t. SR0000813.
   You will have to solve this.

S: <Sigh>
 
A: And what about this RealtimeKit process here... ?

... etc.

Ciao,

-- 
FA

Io lo dico sempre: l'Italia è troppo stretta e lunga.