[LAD] aBLETON lINK

[Patrick Shirkey]

> On Fri, Sep 23, 2016 at 6:00 AM, Patrick Shirkey
> <pshirkey at boosthardware.com
>> wrote:
>
>>
>> I suppose that their marketing department has decided that Linux
>> Developers/Users don't represent a big enough share of the market to
>> justify committing more resources to the platform.
>>
>
> You have no idea what their marketing department has decided. Admit it.
>

One can draw reasonable conclusions based on the evidence at hand.

>
>>
>> However JACK also runs on the other two main platforms so what is their
>> rational behind completely ignoring it altogether while committing
>> resources to creating a competing API?
>>
>
> How many times is it necessary for someone to explain that JACK and AL are
> NOT competing APIs ?
>

Sorry, if I can't just trust you on that statement. Only time will tell
but from my perspective they are currently in an aggressive position
against JACK.


>
>>
>> Keep in mind that they have explicitly stated that Ableton Live will
>> NEVER
>> run on Linux. It seems a bit hypocritical to me that highly regarded
>> people from this community are proposing to add support for the new
>> protocol and at the same time questioning why there is (still)
>> antagonism
>> towards Ableton.
>>
>
> I have no idea what statement you are referring to, but if I was to guess
> it might be when Gerhard Behles, one of the company's (and software's)
> founders was at LAC in Berlin in 2007. Which means basically before
> Android
> took over the world and Chromebooks and ...
>

To paraphrase Peter Pan, "NEVER is an awfully long time..."

They haven't made any public announcements to the contrary, corrections or
retractions and they certainly haven't released a Linux port of AL so as
far as I (and I presume many others) are concerned the statement still
stands. The proof is in the pudding really.

Quite simply:

Do they have an official Linux port? Do they officially support JACK?

Now that it is cool to release Open Source products they appear to have
jumped on the band wagon but until they actually bite the bullet and
release their Linux port of AL and integrate with JACK on all platforms
then it shouldn't offend anyone if I am (or anyone else from round here
is) suspicious of their intentions.


> If so, this is a statement that is getting on for a decade of aging, and
> it
> is absurd to view this as policy. You have absolutely no idea what Ableton
> is and is not doing with Linux, or what its policies (if there are indeed
> any) toward Linux are. I suggest you regard that statement as a bit of
> off-its-time sensible marketing wisdom from nearly a decade ago, and move
> on.
>
>
>>
>> Other proprietary companies have no problems releasing their software to
>> run on Linux.
>
>
> And many others are NOT.  So what would that mean? (that's a rhetorical
> question)
>

If Harrison, Autodesk and others CAN do it then why "CAN'T" Ableton
especially now that they are "apparently" embracing Open Source, devoting
resources and even have some "good will" from some highly regarded Linux
Audio Developers.

Seems like a marketing blunder on their part in regards to winning hearts
and minds in the overall Linux sector but other people view the situation
with more sinister implications.

On the flipside if adopting Link into the Linux Audio Stack means Ableton
feels more committed to LINUX and makes some tangible movements in this
direction then we might have a publicity coup on our hands. However I'm
not betting on that outcome due to their record so far.

IMO, the time/effort required to support Link across the board could be
better spent on fixing the looping issue in JACK.

If/When there is some momentum for Link adoption I will update the Linux
Audio Stack diagram to maintain transparency but I am not sold on the real
value of Link to Linux Audio at this point. Seems like a one sided affair
where they get brand promotion without having to actually commit to Linux
Audio.

Or to quote from Captain Hook this time "Bad form Peter".


-- 
Patrick Shirkey
Boost Hardware Ltd