Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1751485AbWAFO5e (ORCPT ); Fri, 6 Jan 2006 09:57:34 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1751482AbWAFO5e (ORCPT ); Fri, 6 Jan 2006 09:57:34 -0500 Received: from dspnet.fr.eu.org ([213.186.44.138]:5899 "EHLO dspnet.fr.eu.org") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1751217AbWAFO5d (ORCPT ); Fri, 6 Jan 2006 09:57:33 -0500 Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 15:57:23 +0100 From: Olivier Galibert To: Diego Calleja Cc: Marcin Dalecki , rlrevell@joe-job.com, jengelh@linux01.gwdg.de, tiwai@suse.de, jesper.juhl@gmail.com, bunk@stusta.de, zdzichu@irc.pl, s0348365@sms.ed.ac.uk, ak@suse.de, perex@suse.cz, alsa-devel@alsa-project.org, James@superbug.demon.co.uk, sailer@ife.ee.ethz.ch, linux-sound@vger.kernel.org, zab@zabbo.net, kyle@parisc-linux.org, parisc-linux@lists.parisc-linux.org, jgarzik@pobox.com, linux@thorsten-knabe.de, zwane@commfireservices.com, zaitcev@yahoo.com, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: [2.6 patch] schedule obsolete OSS drivers for removal Message-ID: <20060106145723.GA73361@dspnet.fr.eu.org> Mail-Followup-To: Olivier Galibert , Diego Calleja , Marcin Dalecki , rlrevell@joe-job.com, jengelh@linux01.gwdg.de, tiwai@suse.de, jesper.juhl@gmail.com, bunk@stusta.de, zdzichu@irc.pl, s0348365@sms.ed.ac.uk, ak@suse.de, perex@suse.cz, alsa-devel@alsa-project.org, James@superbug.demon.co.uk, sailer@ife.ee.ethz.ch, linux-sound@vger.kernel.org, zab@zabbo.net, kyle@parisc-linux.org, parisc-linux@lists.parisc-linux.org, jgarzik@pobox.com, linux@thorsten-knabe.de, zwane@commfireservices.com, zaitcev@yahoo.com, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org References: <20060103215654.GH3831@stusta.de> <9a8748490601031411p17d4417fyffbfee00ca85ac82@mail.gmail.com> <0D76E9E1-7FB0-41FD-8FAC-E4B3C6E9C902@dalecki.de> <1136486021.31583.26.camel@mindpipe> <20060106034026.c37c1ed9.diegocg@gmail.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20060106034026.c37c1ed9.diegocg@gmail.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.1i Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1811 Lines: 35 On Fri, Jan 06, 2006 at 03:40:26AM +0100, Diego Calleja wrote: > Amazing - even windows is getting sound mixing out of the kernel > in windows vista because they've learnt (the hard way) that it's > the Right Thing and linux people is trying to get it in? You misread. Most people just want to have things work like they should have for years. Technical people, at least Marcin and I, want a documented kernel interface with optional libraries over it (think libX11 vs. the X Protocol, or glibc/klibc/uclibc/libc5 vs. the system calls), and then behind that have the kernel route the data to userspace demon(s) or the hardware depending on root-level setup and configuration. ALSA does not have a documented kernel interface nor an optional library but a mandatory library. A highly complex, ipc-using library with no security audit that I could find with google. A library for which people do not seem to care about compatibility with previous or future kernel versions, which means it _has_ to be shared. And shared libraries are just unacceptable in some contexts, like distributing binaries outside of a specific linux distribution[1]. At least OSS, with all its flaws, is a documented kernel interface. You can static link a oss-using program, whether it uses it directly or through interfaces like sdl-audio, and it will just work. OG. [1] And that does not necessarily means commercial and/or proprietary. "Just recompile" does not always work either, think missing libraries, headers, and version drift (snd_pcm_hw_params_set_rate_near anybody?). - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/