On Fri, 28 Jul 2006, Sergei Steshenko wrote: > On Fri, 28 Jul 2006 11:07:51 -0400 > Lee Revell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> On Fri, 2006-07-28 at 12:47 +0200, Eduard Bloch wrote: >>> Yes, I talk about useability which just sucks. I imagine a more clear >>> frontend/backend infrastructure, an ultimate solution: >>> >>> - access to all backend settings is exported with consistent, fixed >>> names >>> (keywords) >>> - a wrapper in the library has a database of sound cards and of >>> applicability of particular controls to it >>> - an UI control layer would have a database of possible >>> "end-user-to-control-setting" wrapper. There may be different >>> schemes >>> of such kind, where compatibility with drivers is documented as >>> well. >>> - HMI related issues like the grouping hints for the particular >>> controls in the schemes, the kind of control (binary/discrete/ >>> stepless) >> >> Probably impossible to implement without full hardware specs for all >> supported cards. >> >> Lee >> >> > > If you, the developers, have already written the driver and know > how it works, what hardware specs do you need ?
So you know how the drivers are written? They get some card, which the manufacturer refuses to tell them anything about. The manufacturer will even claim that the dimensions of the card ( which you can measure with a ruler) are a trade secret which they will not divulge to you. Eg, Maudio refused to tell me which of the files in theirs Windows disk was the firmware for their card. This they said was a trade secret, a trade secret which was revealed by looking in the .inf file.) They then take that card and the windows drivers and try to figure out how the hell it works. They manage, but and write a driver with their knowledge, but they are never sure that under some situations the card will not behave as they thought it did from their study. Or there are features they are simply unable to figure out by the above procedure. So NO. Having written a driver does NOT mean that they know how it works. They simply know enough to write the driver and it seems to work. > > It's the documentation issue and/or HAL issue. The guy expresses my > thoughts very well. > > I'm glad yet another end user speaks out about ALSA user friendliness. Alsa does leave something to be desired on the documentation level. However this is largely because they are wasting huge amounts of their time trying to figure out what the hell these new cards are doing and how they do it, when a brief note from the manufacturers would save weeks of time. Now if you want to volunteer writing documentation, and are competent at it, I am sure that the alsa people would be more than happy to give you the job. > > -- William G. Unruh | Canadian Institute for| Tel: +1(604)822-3273 Physics&Astronomy | Advanced Research | Fax: +1(604)822-5324 UBC, Vancouver,BC | Program in Cosmology | [EMAIL PROTECTED] Canada V6T 1Z1 | and Gravity | www.theory.physics.ubc.ca/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share your opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys -- and earn cash http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV _______________________________________________ Alsa-user mailing list Alsa-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/alsa-user
