[LAU] Linux Audio podcast. episode002

[Barney Holmes]

Using FLOSS can have its frustrations. Especially in the electronica realm
its important to be extra strict. A very logical approach to studio set up
is required especially as there are so many options out there (this is why
there are companies like, forget the name, but the company who sells pre
FLOSS loaded laptops to musicians who just want to hit the road running).
This carries through to the Linux/FLOSS ecosystem. A few companies have
made the mistake of misunderstanding this ecosystem and have been
criticised for not passing bug fixes downstream - look up a few talks by
Linux Kernel developer Greg Kroah-Hartman for the low down on that.

Linux development is also dependent on the approach of the developers. We
all know projects that are difficult to work with or took inadvisable
development directions. Some of this is sometimes in response to users
misunderstanding of FLOSS. Developers can fall for constant user requests
for features based on the user wanting a "free" piece of software as a
replacement for a commercial applications. Of course "free" ain't free. A
lot of people give a lot of their time - all man hours that could be given
a financial value if someone wanted to do the figures !

See this page from the Handbrake project (a video transcoder) for an
example of a response to this kind of problem -
https://trac.handbrake.fr/wiki/IsIsnt

On Wed, August 14, 2013 10:29 am, Dan MacDonald wrote:
> Hi Louigi!
>
> You're definitely on the money but at the same time I'm sure you know the
> reasons behind your unhappiness with LA's glacial progress.
>
> No good bug reports = No free software community. Its as vital as people
> writing and using the actual code.
>
> All non-trivial software is buggy. Even the simpler stuff has bugs, just
> maybe no-ones found them yet. As you are well aware, software developed by
> volunteers in their spare is obviously likely to have a few more but
> research has shown that over time FLOSS software can become more stable
> and
> secure than non-FLOSS.
>
> Due to this fact, when I go using FLOSS, I expect to and and feel it is my
> duty to report bugs much more so than for something I have paid a decent
> amount of money for. If I know they are making a living out of their
> software, I'm much less forgiving.
>
> So the choice becomes this, you can either forget about FLOSS music making
> and just get down to it with known working, maybe non-free software or
> attempt FLOSS music making but expect to spend time reporting bugs.
>
> I agree that making music with Linux is still problematic and some way off
> competing with the non-free platforms in many respects but Linux is in
> many
> ways a superior OS and you know as well as I do the slow but steady
> improvement that is happening here and just how cool it will all likely be
> in a few years time when we have even less to moan about. That's why we
> persist, isn't it?
>
>
>
> On Wed, Aug 14, 2013 at 9:00 AM, Louigi Verona
> <louigi.verona at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> Hey fellas!
>>
>> This time talking of getting tired to file bug reports, get the
>> podcasthere:
>> http://www.louigiverona.ru/?page=projects&s=writings&t=linux
>> &a=linux_podcast
>>
>>
>> Would be interested in what you think!
>>
>> --
>> Louigi Verona
>> http://www.louigiverona.ru/
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Linux-audio-user mailing list
>> Linux-audio-user at lists.linuxaudio.org
>> http://lists.linuxaudio.org/listinfo/linux-audio-user
>>
>>
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>


~~~
Home site - http://djbarney.org