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SubjectRe: linux-kernel-digest V1 #3074
Date
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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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