15 Sep
2003
15 Sep
'03
4:34 a.m.
-------- directBOX Reply ---------------
From: harold_zhu(a)hotmail.com
To : linux-audio-dev(a)music.columbia.edu
Date: 15.09.2003 04:13:24
<p>Hi, Folks: <p>I am new here and I am also kind of new to Linux, so I have
a basic question. I have worked on a multi-media project on Windows platform, and I used
WaveIn and WaveOut functions as audio IO interface to capture and playback real-time
audio. Now, I need to do a port to Linux.......so what's the best audio IO API on
Linux? <p>In my search so far, I understand that both OSS and ALSA can do the job
(real-time audio capture/play).......but what's the difference? Stability wise?
Ease-of-use? Performance wise? Also any other candidate, in particular, cross-platform
wrapper API? <p>Thanks Express yourself with MSN Messenger 6.0 -- download now!
----
Hi!
Well, the main differences between the OSS-Layer and ALSA are:
1.) alsa is the new driver in linux kernel >= 2.6.X
2.) oss-layers need ioctl() - calls to manage/configure sound devices (and ioctl() calls
are just possible for root-users !!!!!),so oss is really user-unfriendly if you want to
programm a application
3.) alsa is easier to use for midi / pcm capturing/playback
4.) both are less documentated ( I can tell you that !!! :) ) , but alsa
has a few basing programming tuts for C ( c++)
5.) alsa is basicly said a "wrapper", a front-end of the oss-arch and it is
highly recommended to use alsa at all.
I hope this helps,
Sascha Retzki
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15 Sep
15 Sep
9:32 a.m.
New subject: [linux-audio-dev] What's the best audio IO API on Linux
a few corrections:
Well, the main differences between the OSS-Layer and
ALSA are:
1.) alsa is the new driver in linux kernel >= 2.6.X
2.) oss-layers need ioctl() - calls to manage/configure sound devices (and ioctl()
calls
are just possible for root-users !!!!!),so oss is really user-unfriendly if you want
to programm a application
this isn't true. any user that can open a device can call ioctl on the
device. the real difference in the API design between the two is that
in OSS, you make system calls (open/read/write/close/ioctl/mmap etc)
directly, which means that any transformation of the data or other
"clever" stuff has to happen inside the device driver as part of the
kernel. in ALSA, you make library calls (snd_pcm_open, etc), which
allows ALSA to have a rich set of "plugins" that can transform the
data, virtualize the device, and do all kinds of other things, all in
a user-space library where it can do no harm to anything except your
application.
but i'll put it a little more strongly: NOBODY in 2003 should start a
new application using the OSS API. NOBODY.
5.) alsa is basicly said a "wrapper", a
front-end of the oss-arch and it is highly r
ecommended to use alsa at all.
its not a wrapper. the low level kernel drivers are completely
different implementations compared to the OSS ones. its just that ALSA
provides the old OSS API for compatibility.
anyway, as others noted, you'd probably be much better using either
PortAudio or JACK (jackit.sf.net). they both encourage the "correct"
programming model for your application, and JACK in particular removes
all of the endless grunt work of setting up the audio interface
parameters, figuring out how to get data to/from the card, etc.
--p
2:41 p.m.
New subject: [linux-audio-dev] What's the best audio IO API on Linux
On Mon, 2003-09-15 at 04:28, Paul Davis wrote:
a few corrections:
I'd also like to chime in that OSS is not being worked on by anybody, as
near as I can tell. If you want any audio hardware supported, the action
is in ALSA.
- mo
Well, the main differences between the OSS-Layer
and ALSA are:
1.) alsa is the new driver in linux kernel >= 2.6.X
2.) oss-layers need ioctl() - calls to manage/configure sound devices (and ioctl()
calls
are just possible for root-users !!!!!),so oss is really user-unfriendly if you want
to programm a application
this isn't true. any user that can open a device can call ioctl on the
device. the real difference in the API design between the two is that
in OSS, you make system calls (open/read/write/close/ioctl/mmap etc)
directly, which means that any transformation of the data or other
"clever" stuff has to happen inside the device driver as part of the
kernel. in ALSA, you make library calls (snd_pcm_open, etc), which
allows ALSA to have a rich set of "plugins" that can transform the
data, virtualize the device, and do all kinds of other things, all in
a user-space library where it can do no harm to anything except your
application.
but i'll put it a little more strongly: NOBODY in 2003 should start a
new application using the OSS API. NOBODY. 
19 Sep
19 Sep
2:09 p.m.
New subject: [linux-audio-dev] What's the best audio IO API on Linux
On Mon, 2003-09-15 at 19:26, Michael Ost wrote:
I'd also like to chime in that OSS is not being
worked on by anybody, as
near as I can tell. If you want any audio hardware supported, the action
is in ALSA.
Maybe you should take a look at http://www.4front-tech.com
It's still the only cross platform API. ALSA is Linux only.
--
Jussi Laako <jussi.laako(a)pp.inet.fi>
3:08 p.m.
New subject: [linux-audio-dev] What's the best audio IO API on Linux
On Fri, Sep 19, 2003 at 06:53:39PM +0300, Jussi Laako wrote:
On Mon, 2003-09-15 at 19:26, Michael Ost wrote:
OSS is not the only cross-platform API.
portaudio is quite a bit MORE portable!
--
Paul Winkler
http://www.slinkp.com
Look! Up in the sky! It's SALESMAN MAN PSEUDO-TREE!
(random hero from isometric.spaceninja.com)
I'd also like to chime in that OSS is not
being worked on by anybody, as
near as I can tell. If you want any audio hardware supported, the action
is in ALSA.
Maybe you should take a look at http://www.4front-tech.com
It's still the only cross platform API. ALSA is Linux only.
3:44 p.m.
New subject: [linux-audio-dev] What's the best audio IO API on Linux
I'd also
like to chime in that OSS is not being worked on by anybody, as
near as I can tell. If you want any audio hardware supported, the action
is in ALSA.
Maybe you should take a look at http://www.4front-tech.com It's still the only cross platform API. ALSA is
Linux only.
PortAudio is the only cross-platform API worth considering, IMHO. Its
correctly designed, and works on more platforms that anything else.
--p
6:26 p.m.
New subject: [linux-audio-dev] What's the best audio IO API on Linux
you might also want to check out Gray Scavone's RtAudio, which is C++
where PortAudio is C, and it provides both blocked and callback based
I/O.
"RtAudio is a C++ class which provides a common API (Application
Programming Interface) for realtime audio input/output across Linux
(native ALSA and OSS), Macintosh OS X, SGI, and Windows (DirectSound and
ASIO) operating systems. RtAudio significantly simplifies the process of
interacting with computer audio hardware."
http://ccrma-www.stanford.edu/~gary/rtaudio/
maarten
9:22 p.m.
New subject: [linux-audio-dev] What's the best audio IO API on Linux
On Fri, 2003-09-19 at 20:42, Paul Davis wrote:
PortAudio is the only cross-platform API worth
considering, IMHO. Its
correctly designed, and works on more platforms that anything else.
What drivers it uses on Solaris, AIX and Tru64 platforms? If it uses OSS
I don't see much point in putting some extra overhead and code to audio
chain.
Are there any other drivers to get any decent PCI soundcard to work on
those platforms?
--
Jussi Laako <jussi.laako(a)pp.inet.fi>
10:50 p.m.
New subject: [linux-audio-dev] What's the best audio IO API on Linux
On 20 Sep 2003 02:07:08 +0300
Jussi Laako <jussi.laako(a)pp.inet.fi> wrote:
On Fri, 2003-09-19 at 20:42, Paul Davis wrote:
I don't know about AIX and Tru64, but on Solaris it is definitely not
OSS, but somehitng that looks a little similar.
PortAudio is the only cross-platform API worth
considering, IMHO. Its
correctly designed, and works on more platforms that anything else.
What drivers it uses on Solaris, AIX and Tru64 platforms? If it uses OSS
I don't see much point in putting some extra overhead and code to audio
chain. Are there any other drivers to get any decent PCI
soundcard to work on
those platforms?
For Solaris on Sparc hardware, Solaris already comes with suitable drivers.
On x86, I doubt that there is much support for anything more than the most
generic of cards.
Erik
--
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
Erik de Castro Lopo nospam(a)mega-nerd.com (Yes it's valid)
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
"Ever since GNOME development began, I have urged people to aim
to make it as good as the Macintosh. To try to be like Windows
is to try for second-best." - Richard Stallman
20 Sep
20 Sep
10:58 a.m.
New subject: [linux-audio-dev] What's the best audio IO API on Linux
On Sat, 2003-09-20 at 03:35, Erik de Castro Lopo wrote:
I don't know about AIX and Tru64, but on Solaris
it is definitely not
OSS, but somehitng that looks a little similar.
4front-tech does OSS drivers for Solaris, AIX and Tru64.
For Solaris on Sparc hardware, Solaris already comes
with suitable drivers.
On x86, I doubt that there is much support for anything more than the most
generic of cards.
It comes with drivers for Sun hardware, not for example M-Audio
Delta1010. I don't know of any other driver for those operating systems
that supports for example Delta1010.
This is why I continue to support OSS. And I still recommend it for
users because it's easy to install. Just do "./oss-install" and then
just OK-OK-Exit&Save and that's it.
--
Jussi Laako <jussi.laako(a)pp.inet.fi>
15 Sep
15 Sep
2:39 p.m.
New subject: [linux-audio-dev] What's the best audio IO API on Linux
On Mon, 2003-09-15 at 09:18, hexe_2003(a)directbox.com wrote:
2.) oss-layers need ioctl() - calls to
manage/configure sound devices (and
ioctl() calls are just possible for root-users !!!!!),so oss is really
user-unfriendly if you want to programm a application
This is not true.
3.) alsa is easier to use for midi / pcm
capturing/playback
I can't say anything about MIDI, but not true for pcm capture/playback.
OSS takes about 4-5 lines of code vs ALSA ~30 lines.
My software supports both and I still recommend using the commercial OSS
drivers for it over ALSA because installing and configuring ALSA can be
PITA.
4.) both are less documentated ( I can tell you that
!!! :) ) , but alsa
has a few basing programming tuts for C ( c++)
There is a good PDF manual of OSS including tutorials and code samples.
5.) alsa is basicly said a "wrapper", a
front-end of the oss-arch and it is
highly recommended to use alsa at all.
ALSA has it's own drivers and it's own native interface. It's able to
emulate OSS at driver level.
--
Jussi Laako <jussi.laako(a)pp.inet.fi>
7673
days inactive
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linux-audio-dev@lists.linuxaudio.org
10 comments
7 participants
participants (7)
-
Erik de Castro Lopo -
hexe_2003＠directbox.com -
Jussi Laako -
Maarten De Boer -
Michael Ost -
Paul Davis -
Paul Winkler