From ultra-devel-owner@ultra.jcu.cz  Sat Feb 28 11:51:36 1998
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Date: Sat, 28 Feb 1998 11:51:29 +0100 (MET)
From: Jaroslav Kysela <perex@jcu.cz>
To: MATTHEW ETTUS <matthew.ettus@Sun.COM>
cc: ultra-devel@ultra.jcu.cz
Subject: Re: Why a new sound driver
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On Fri, 27 Feb 1998, MATTHEW ETTUS wrote:

> You talk of fixing the problems with the current sound driver, but have
> no list of problems with it. 

OK. I'll try write some document about bugs / missing things in OSS/Lite,
but I'm working on code rather. For example: You can't open full duplex
capable soundcards with two open (O_RDONLY, O_WRONLY) calls.
Note: I'm talking about OSS/Lite, not commercial OSS - this is another
thing.

> Why make a new api when there is nothing wrong with the current one. 

??? Have you tried make some program for example for synthesizer
on InterWave based soundcards? OSS driver doesn't solve any problem with
its instrument format. This is only small example why we require new API.
I assume that most of OSS/Lite API (MIXER, PCM) will be emulated in new
driver, but it will be hidden for programmer, which want write native
program.

> The current one also fits well with other versions unix.  The only thing
> you are likely to accomplish is pissing off the developers of the
> current driver, and make them not want to give away their drivers for
> free.

If you look to 2.1.80+ kernels, there are most changes in OSS/Lite driver
from another developers (to make driver modularized) than Hannu Savolainen
and I think that now is Linux's OSS/Lite sound driver separated from
commercial OSS.

-----
Jaroslav Kysela <perex@jcu.cz>
Academic Computer Centre, University of South Bohemia
Branisovska 31, C. Budejovice, CZ-370 05 Czech Republic


