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

[Zsolt Barat]

Rich Felker schrieb:

>> Even if 4Front Technologies would suddenly decide to make their code 
>> available under the GPL it would be too late - had they done it five 
>> years ago, or if anyone else would have been an active maintainer for 
>> the in-kernel OSS speaking loudly for OSS at that time, it could be that 
>> ALSA would have never entered the kernel.
>>
>> At the right time, the ALSA people were the ones who had code to offer, 
>> and their code was accepted.
> 
> You're repeating the standard fallacy of ALSA: assuming the drivers
> have anything to do with the API. They don't. The ALSA drivers are
> perfectly usable with the OSS API, and the opposite is also true if
> anyone cared to write an ALSA wrapper for OSS drivers (either the old
> OSS-free ones or the nasty 4front binaryware).
> 
> The internal kernel API for sound drivers is the kernel developers'
> business. They're free to choose whatever they like. But the external
> API for applications must be one that's
> 
> 1) most portable between unix platforms to minimize the bloat of
> supporting multiple unices
> 2) most in harmony with the unix philosophy of device access
> 3) actually convenient and reasonable for developers to use
i don't think you know what you are supporting here.
you are suporting a stonaged driver model, which was good for simple
audio devices but can't catch up with soundsystems we have nowadays, at
least it didn't. it is like saying: "let's go back to a drivermodel for
monochrome displays, because it's so simple and fits so well into the
unix philosophy of device access"
First of all, UNIX is dead and OSS is dead. We don't have to discuss it,
it's just a fact. We have three UNIX systems today GNU/LINUX, Apple and
Sun. Nothing stops them (sun/apple) to port and support ALSA to their
systems. They simply don't want it because they are afraid of the GPL.
At least it is true that there will be no way back OSS, and OSS will be
removed from the kernel soon (or it is allready?). Using the
oss-emulation-layer of ALSA just for protest is really braindead.

i don't know what kind of guy you are rich, but your overall opinion
about other software-projects, other developers and other opinions makes
me wonder about your personal philosophy. just to summarize what
software-projects you are against: gnu-stuff, kernel, libc and now alsa.
so please start to make your own libc and kernel, without gnu-tools of
course and don't forget the soundsystem.

best

zsolt




> 
> In all 3 areas, this is OSS. ALSA fails miserably in them all.
> 
> Rich
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