[linux-audio-user] Re: RME is no more

[Mark Knecht]

On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 13:20:58 +0100, Marek Peteraj <marpet at naex.sk> wrote:
> On Tue, 2004-11-30 at 06:20, tim hall wrote:
<SNIP>
> >
> > I've been a vegetarian most of my adult life,
> 
> Me too.

Not me. Where's my burger...

> 
> >  so I'll compare proprietary
> > software to meat for the purposes of this analogy. If anyone wants to flame
> > me for this, I'll have mine chargrilled. Food is an interesting analogy as
> > for years manufacturers have had to print their specs (i.e. ingredients) on
> > the wrapper, not the whole recipe, just the ingredients
> 
> Not the ALSA driver, just the specs. To me.

And why would anyone do this? What do they gain? 1 (potentially) happy
customer? And a risk that you'll give the info away and whatever their
secret is will be out of the bag.

There's no value for them in doing this. If they don't want the
ingredients for their secret sauce known by other burger makers then
you cannot release the driver as Open Source, can you? It only helps
you and not the community at large.
 
> > Over twenty years this basic policy, started by a small bunch of nutters, has
> > resulted in much tighter legislation about what food companies have to
> > disclose about their products, meat-free products can now be found in
> > high-street shops instead of just specialist stores and people now accept
> > that being vegetarian is a healthy thing (more or less). In all this time, I
> > haven't once insisted that you stop eating meat or send letters to food
> > producers insisting that they comply with vegetarian principles, much as I
> > think that would be a good idea.
> 
> Lots of people do that. I've seen many food products having a 'suitable
> for vegetarians' sticker on them. Besides, if it's a market that, even
> though seems to be small, is very likely to grow, i'd definitely invest.
> It's a continuous process of looking for new business opportunities.

And yours had one. It said 'suitable for Windows and Mac operating
system users'. Nothing more.

> 
> But let's look at it from the card manufacturers perspective. He wasn't
> involved in the community for several years, doesn't know its evolution,
> nuances etc. He takes a look here, sees a few people saying "we're just
> 10 people here, guys let's give up anyway, it's not worth it".
> Consequences are worse because there's little action going on.
> Perhaps i'd be nice to start a petition of all rme and maudio users. But
> we'd need to widely promote such activity so that we can reach almost
> every rme or maudio / linux audiop user in the world.

Go for it. I'll sign up, depending on what the petition actually says.
I won't take part in threatening RME or any other company. The world
is too small and life is too short. I've been very impressed with RME
so far.

> 
> >  I'm quite happy munching through my bar of
> > Green&Black's chocolate, they don't release their recipe
> 
> ALSA driver.
> 
> > either, so I can't
> > make my own or send it to you; are they violating my consumer rights?
> > They're giving me yet another reason
> 
> Specs.
> 
> > not to buy Hershey's.
> 
> Digidesign.
> 
> >  Mmm consumer
> > choice, tastes good.
> 
> Yeah. :)
> 
> >
> > > What if there's nothing else you can buy? Which very much seems to be
> > > the situation with linux audio (expect egosys) in the next 2 years or so
> > > when all already supported cards will be discontinued. The future seems
> > > to be firewire. Presonus, mackie, apogee, maudio, echo, TC, edirol,
> > > digidesign, motu, terratec, metric halo, egosys, tascam,
> > > ......................... ;)
> >
> > Give up chocolate.
> 
> Give up linux audio? I really hope i won't be forced to do that.

You're not being forced to. You're being forced to find a supported
piece of hardware. Unfortunately there aren't that many hence my and
Lee Revell's earlier threads on doing an Open Source hardware
solution.

(Oh, by the way, if RME is reading this and other similar threads then
they probably don't like us making our own and that would't be helping
you get any specs at all from them. For that I apologize.)

<SNIP>

> >
> > Rudeness puts people on the defensive and makes them close ranks. It's a
> > natural response.
> 
> Never if it comes to corporations.
> They either:
> 1. ignore you if their position is strong enough(sometimes even if they
> have no such position, but there are successful and unsuccessful
> companies)
> 2. accept your requirements

Wow! It appears that there are very few options in your world.

> 
> > > is just
> > > boosting their egos so that they can show you their finger next time you
> > > need something. It happens always.
> > To you? always? Hmm.
> 
> I'd be glad to learn it's the opposite. A few exceptions just prove that
> rule.

We can work together to find them I think...

- Mark