[linux-audio-user] Complete Linux Audio System

[Chris Cannam]

On Saturday 07 Jan 2006 23:27, Christoph Eckert wrote:
> > A bootable/installable CD based on Knoppix, put together by the
> > core Rosegarden developers.  It "just works" (for the most
> > part)...Knoppix is a hassle to make changes to (it's basically a
> > partially broken version of Debian), but Studio To Go! works like a
> > charm.
>
> Just for clarification: if you use Linux because it is free software,
> you'll not be happy with the non-free parts of Studio to go.

Studio to Go includes non-free documentation, tutorials etc, provided 
under default copyright -- just the same as a traditional book.  The 
only non-free binaries are a couple of example VST plugins, the VSTSDK 
header code, and the uploadable firmware for some pieces of hardware.  
There is no end-user license agreement.

Whether you think that is reasonable or not is up to you -- if you 
don't, that's fine.  But given that you care about free software, and 
specifically about free software music applications for Linux, it's not 
unreasonable to care that the development of that software can be 
funded somehow.  Studio to Go is nowhere near a complete answer to that 
problem, but it is an honest attempt.  I don't believe it's any more
contentious in this respect than Paul Davis's former plan to sell a
non-free Ardour manual would have been.

(disclosure: I am a Rosegarden developer and one of the people behind 
Studio to Go.)


Chris