[linux-audio-user] Common linux audio layer

[Christoph Eckert]

> So the *x community should invent yet another audio driver
> API (in addition to OSS and ALSA-driver). Isn't the
> situation already messy enough?

I do not see the necessarity of creating an other driver API.

But I see the necessarity to have a common audio API which is 
based on one of the two existing driver APIs.

> At this moment all Unix vendors (other than official Linux)
> are already behind OSS. esd works on top of it. artsd works
> on top of it. Jack works on top of it.

All of them also work with ALSA.

> All applications 
> (other than few alsa-* ones) are compatible with it. Even
> significant part of alsa-lib has been ported to work on top
> of OSS (this work started just about a month ago). So is
> there anything that is still missing from OSS?

Some features and the freedom to use it at any time in any 
environment.

> The current draft of the OSS 4.0 *) specification is
> available in http://www.fi.opensound.com/developer . If
> there is something important missing? We can consider
> adding such features in the near future. Comments are higly
> welcome.

Well, somehow ALSA has been developed with reason.

> *) The OSS version included in the Linux kernel as well as
> ALSA's OSS emulation are based on OSS v3.8 which is almost
> 10 years old. For this reason they lack all the new
> features we have implemented during past years.

10 years is simply a long time.

I understand your point of view, but the train is already 
running.


 Best regards


    ce