[MPlayer-dev-eng] [patch] prefer ALSA over OSS

[Nicolas George]

Le quartidi 14 floréal, an CCXV, Ivan Kalvachev a écrit :
> ALSA project haven't publically documented the API they use to
> communicate with the ALSA kernel modules. So it is not standard and
> ALSA could decide to change it at any moment.

Well, that is the whole point. They do not want to make it standard because
they want the users to go through the library only. There are two reasons to
that:

- For one, they think that

  snd_pcm_hw_params_set_rate(pcm, params, 48000, 0);

  is a cleaner way to talk than

  int rate = 48000;
  ioctl(dsp, SNDCTL_DSP_SPEED, 48000);

- For two, having an userland library allows to do some things that it would
  be very bad taste to go in kernelspace, like parsing a configuration file,
  loading plugins or altering the audio stream.

I have programmed a little both with OSS and ALSA, and I find that neither
is really more agreeable than the other. And there is this huge point for
ALSA: I do not have to worry whether the device will support the particular
sample rate / channel count / sample format I need to use: the library will
convert it on the fly if needed.

And as a user with a somewhat exotic hardware configuration (an integrated
8-channels chipset connected to 5.1 speakers, an old PCI sound card
connected to headphones (less plugging and unplugging late at night), an USB
webcam with microphone), I like being able to control the sound output
through environment variables, for programs that lacks an ergonomic way to
set it up.

Regards,

-- 
  Nicolas George
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