[linux-audio-user] Free Software vs. Open Source: Where do *you* stand?

[Russell Hanaghan]

> WHAT is your NAME?
>   

I have to check my drivers license each morning to figure that out anymore!
> WHAT is your QUEST?
>   

To understand Women ( a life times work )
> WHAT is your FAVORITE ALBUM?
>   
Hmmm.  Get back to you on that!

Man, this has been a busy list lately...but interesting topics.

After looking through the long list of emails surrounding moral, ethical 
and legal issues...I want to stay well clear of those! But I offer 
this...the last perfect man to walk the earth...(well crap...into a 
religious argument now! :) ) Um....I'll leave it at this;  I don;t care 
if you steal, beg borrow, plunder, demoralize, make a deal with the 
devil at the crossroads..(Hmmm...neat idea for a song!) etcetera, 
etcetera. I'll let *that* judgement be between you and your God, Idol, 
Supreme being, Dash board Ornament..whatever. 

That said, I have had experience with a fairly wide variety of Linux 
Audio apps since around 2001. I'm easily distracted and at times, as I 
dug into the linux audio world I found it very intriguing to try to 
solve the problems that stopped my newly built or pre packaged app  from 
working.  I learned a lot about how Linux worked as a result. It was a 
good motivator to make me do this. I had been a dedicated user of 
Cakewalk products, namely Sonar XL after trying Cubase, Logic and a few 
others. At that time my needs were mostly for a solid Midi / Sequencer 
app for modfying existing midis and convenient playback with stability 
for live use. But Windows offered no real new challenges from the OS 
standpoint.  One fact remains...I did not produce a whole lot of music 
at this time (as in original or covered recorded material). I did 
desperately seek a Linux alternative for Sonar and although RG and Muse 
were coming along, they did not offer the same ease of use. My desire to 
be revolutionary on a live stage is NOT that great. I'd rather have 
equipment do *exactly* what I expect it to do because the audience gives 
not a rats butt as to what software or OS you are using. I did realize a 
novel liveFX system through the use of the RT kernels (not really 
available in M$ OS) that provided low latency on an old SBLive card and 
gave me excellent reverbs, delay and chorus / modulation fx on PA and 
acoustic guitars. But it too has been side lined because it's cumbersome 
and not practical. I have some nice hardware solutions instead.

For the recording I have done, I think Ardour, JAMin & the myriad of now 
stable audio tools are as good as anything out there for someone doing 
"non pro" or "semi pro" work. And this not to imply they are not good 
enough for the pro world...I think they might well be but I'm not a part 
of that world anymore and it has changed SO much in the last 10-15 yrs.

I still use Sonar for live midi playback and still desperately wish that 
we had Muse or RG at that point because if I am going to utilize a PC in 
my act, frankly I'd rather use Linux on it...but that is simply because 
it's cheap, it's at least some kind of challenge to the M$ world and, 
well...I have invested a lot of bloody time into it to boot!