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Date: Sat, 09 Jan 1999 03:30:02 +0100 (CET)
From: Stefan Linnemann <mazur@xs4all.nl>
To: alsa-devel@alsa.jcu.cz
Subject: Re: serial midi
Reply-To: alsa-devel@alsa.jcu.cz
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On 08-Jan-99 Benjamin GOLINVAUX wrote:
> as some companies insist on having a NDA signed OR wish to develop their own
> Linux drivers (we've been talking about Yamaha DSP Factory and CreamWare
> Pulsar before which BTW are great cards), would it be possible to segment
> the ALSA directories for various licenses... One could try to convince high
> end card makers that ALSA is better than OSS to support their card
> functionalities (and it IS the truth) and have them make the ALSA driver on
> their own...

> Also, other licenses could lead us to code drivers but not being able to
> release the source code... It would be a pity not to release drivers
> anyway..

> Although I don't really agree with the reasons various companies claim they
> can't release driver source code, WE must admit some never will release it
> and so --> no ALSA driver ? (sob...)

> What do you think of this ?

Though I'm thankful for the support ALSA has for the onboard Yamaha OPL3/SA3 I
got on the computer my company provided for my work, my sentiment towards
manufacturers that don't disclose the data needed for writing a driver is:
forget them.

There are enough good cards out there that will provide anything you need from
manufacturers that do, and without the information to the world what drives the
card the drivers controlling them will always be annoyingly flawed, with the
bugs persisting into lenghts of time.  I'm a system programmer who has to work
professionally with Solaris, and I encounter bugs that must be as old as Solaris
0.0.  Or older, where they bought and stil use old Unix code.

Openness solves that, as Linux proves, any bug you encounter is a babyroach
making you smile upon discovery, and swatted into ohlivion just by announcing
it's existence to the world.  Patch the day after.

I'd rather buy an extra sound card from a manufacturer that does give the
specs, and have Jaroslav and the other ALSA guys write the driver, than rely on
a driver from same manufacturer.  It's worth the extra bucks, the driver will
get perfected.  I'm even jealouss at them because I can't contribute, my
expertise lies more in the bug detection area.  Still someday I will contribute
some program that will keep you all busy.  ;-)

Stefan.
---
Stefan Linnemann                Work:    mazur@sara.nl
Systems programmer Unix         Private: mazur@xs4all.nl
                                http://www.xs4all.nl/~mazur/

