The recent thread about ALSA prompts me to ask something that I've wondered for some time.
What are the differences and relative merits (or otherwise) of ALSA and other ways of producing sound in linux? Is that even an accurate description of ALSA etc?
Syd
On 2004-01-24 18:29:03 +0000 Syd Hancock syd@toufol.com wrote:
What are the differences and relative merits (or otherwise) of ALSA and other ways of producing sound in linux? Is that even an accurate description of ALSA etc?
The ALSA Sound mini-HOWTO says "The ALSA sound driver was originally written as a replacement for the Linux kernel sound for Gravis UltraSound (GUS) cards. As this GUS replacement proved to be a success, the author started the ALSA project for a generic driver for several sound chips, with fully modularized design."
I find that ALSA gives me access to more of my sound system's features than OSS/Free (the old kernel drivers) did. People doing more sound-intensive work have reported better performance from it. It is the main sound driver system for kernel 2.6, but the ALSA project's own introduction didn't seem that good to me. They've recently moved to a wiki, which seems to have much better documentation in it.
References
Valentijn Sessink - "ALSA-sound-mini-HOWTO" 12 November 1999, currently available at http://webdocs.essex.ac.uk/LDP/HOWTO/Alsa-sound-3.html#ss3.2
Various - "ALSA HOWTO Wiki" currently available at http://alsa.opensrc.org/
Well its also being actively supported and developed still unlike the OSS(old kernel sound). Ive also found it easier to get an old card working with ALSA when OSS was giving me trouble, dam ISA CS324x chipset cards. The only problem until Linux 2.5 (or 2.6 is unstable's a bit hairy 4 you) was that installing ALSA ment setting up and compiling ALSA modules to work with the kernel. Maybe other people found this easy but it bugged me until quite recently but i guess thats my own fault for compiling my own kernels. (Could be wrong, couldnt find the site im sure stated it but) im sure i remember that Open Sound System(OSS) development was kinda discontinued, and now that 2.6 has ALSA included as standard OSS should be faded out quite quikly. Im guessing 2.7 may have no OSS.
ALSA: + Better support of existing cards + More cards supported(?) + Allows the use of more of the sound cards features + More development(who wants to develop/extend the smelly old way of doing things?)
Yes that big yellow thing may still be needed ;), - Dennis
On Sat, 2004-01-24 at 18:29, Syd Hancock wrote:
The recent thread about ALSA prompts me to ask something that I've wondered for some time.
What are the differences and relative merits (or otherwise) of ALSA and other ways of producing sound in linux? Is that even an accurate description of ALSA etc?
Syd
-
Dennis Dryden -
MJ Ray -
Syd Hancock