Messages in this thread | | | Subject | Re: linux-kernel-digest V1 #3074 | Date | Wed, 30 Dec 1998 14:31:18 -0500 | From | Paul Barton-Davis <> |
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>From: Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> >Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1998 08:25:01 -0500 >Subject: [linux-audio-dev] ISA Plug & Play support in kernel > >I agree, it is high time that ALSA was made the standard sound driver >in Linux. The existing sound module is limited; even worse, it >advertises a proprietary freedom-subtracted software package as the >remedy for its limitations.
ALSA isn't ready yet, as Jaroslav has pointed out (no working sequencer, inadequate current H/W support). It will be soon, and I intend to help by porting my WaveFront driver to ALSA once the sequencer appears stable-ish. But I also want to disagree with your next paragraph:
>When such an important piece of free software as Linux contains ads >for proprietary software, it gives the whole community an unfortunate >message--not the sort of message will inspire people to write >additional free drivers.
On the contrary. Its *exactly* the fact that there wasn't a good *free* driver for the Turtle Beach WaveFront soundcards that made me write one. I think that many of the potential device driver writing community are of a similar bent: the existence of a proprietary non-open-source driver acts as a stimulant to produce an open source one so that we can all benefit. I also feel similarly about the use, for example, of a DOS-boot-thru that uses some existing DOS utility to configure a card: yes, its there and it works, but its also a great reason for figuring out how to do it from Linux. Yes, not many people think this way, but I'd wager many Linux device driver writers do.
--p
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