fox2mike 05/06/06 20:23:12 Modified: xml/htdocs/doc/en alsa-guide.xml Log: #92622, New Updated ALSA Guide
Revision Changes Path 1.51 +561 -268 xml/htdocs/doc/en/alsa-guide.xml file : http://www.gentoo.org/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/xml/htdocs/doc/en/alsa-guide.xml?rev=1.51&content-type=text/x-cvsweb-markup&cvsroot=gentoo plain: http://www.gentoo.org/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/xml/htdocs/doc/en/alsa-guide.xml?rev=1.51&content-type=text/plain&cvsroot=gentoo diff : http://www.gentoo.org/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/xml/htdocs/doc/en/alsa-guide.xml.diff?r1=1.50&r2=1.51&cvsroot=gentoo Index: alsa-guide.xml =================================================================== RCS file: /var/cvsroot/gentoo/xml/htdocs/doc/en/alsa-guide.xml,v retrieving revision 1.50 retrieving revision 1.51 diff -u -r1.50 -r1.51 --- alsa-guide.xml 24 Apr 2005 09:14:23 -0000 1.50 +++ alsa-guide.xml 6 Jun 2005 20:23:12 -0000 1.51 @@ -1,379 +1,734 @@ -<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> -<!-- $Header: /var/cvsroot/gentoo/xml/htdocs/doc/en/alsa-guide.xml,v 1.50 2005/04/24 09:14:23 swift Exp $ --> +<?xml version='1.0' encoding="UTF-8"?> + <!DOCTYPE guide SYSTEM "/dtd/guide.dtd"> <guide link="/doc/en/alsa-guide.xml"> <title>Gentoo Linux ALSA Guide</title> + <author title="Author"> - <mail link="[EMAIL PROTECTED]">Vincent Verleye</mail> -</author> -<author title="Author"> - <mail link="[EMAIL PROTECTED]">Grant Goodyear</mail> -</author> -<author title="Author"> - <mail link="[EMAIL PROTECTED]">Arcady Genkin</mail> -</author> -<author title="Author"> - <mail link="[EMAIL PROTECTED]">Jeremy Huddleston</mail> -</author> -<author title="Editor"><!-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] --> - John P. Davis -</author> -<author title="Editor"> - <mail link="[EMAIL PROTECTED]">Sven Vermeulen</mail> -</author> -<author title="Editor"> - <mail link="[EMAIL PROTECTED]">Benny Chuang</mail> -</author> -<author title="Editor"> - <mail link="[EMAIL PROTECTED]">Tiemo Kieft</mail> -</author> -<author title="Editor"> - <mail link="[EMAIL PROTECTED]">Erwin</mail> + <mail link="[EMAIL PROTECTED]">Shyam Mani</mail> </author> <abstract> -This guide will show you how to set up the Advanced Linux Sound Architecture -(ALSA) on Gentoo Linux. In addition to the Gentoo Linux Desktop Configuration -Guide, this guide is supposed to give you more information on this subject. +This document helps a user setup ALSA on Gentoo Linux. </abstract> +<!-- The content of this document is licensed under the CC-BY-SA license --> +<!-- See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 --> <license/> -<version>1.5.12</version> -<date>2005-04-24</date> +<version>2.0</version> +<date>2005-06-07</date> <chapter> -<title>The Advanced Linux Sound Architecture</title> +<title>Introduction</title> <section> <title>What is ALSA?</title> <body> <p> -ALSA is the <e>Advanced Linux Sound Architecture</e>, a project dedicated to the -development of a high-quality Linux sound subsystem. It has replaced OSS -(<e>Open Sound System</e>) as default sound subsystem in the 2.6 kernel series. +ALSA, which stands for <e>Advanced Linux Sound Architecture</e>, provides +audio and MIDI (<e>Musical Instrument Digital Interface</e>) functionality to +the Linux operating system. ALSA is the default sound subsystem in the 2.6 +kernel thereby replacing OSS (<e>Open Sound System</e>), which was used in the +2.4 kernels. </p> <p> -ALSA provides efficient support for all types of audio interfaces, is fully -modularized, is SMP and thread-safe and provides a high-quality user space -library called <e>alsa-lib</e> to simplify application programming. It also -provides a backwards compatibility layer with OSS. +ALSA's main features include efficient support for all types of audio +interfaces ranging from consumer sound cards to professional sound +equipment, fully modularized drivers, SMP and thread safety, backward +compatibility with OSS and a user-space library <c>alsa-lib</c> to make +application development a breeze. +</p> + +</body> +</section> +<section> +<title>ALSA on Gentoo</title> +<body> + +<p> +One of Gentoo's main strengths lies in giving the user maximum control over +how a system is installed/configured. ALSA on Gentoo follows the same +principle. There are two ways you can get ALSA support up and running on your +system. We shall look at them in detail in the next chapter. </p> </body> </section> </chapter> + <chapter> <title>Installing ALSA</title> <section> -<title>USE Flags</title> +<title>Options</title> <body> +<warn> +The methods shown below are mutually exclusive. You cannot have ALSA compiled +in your kernel and use <c>media-sound/alsa-driver</c>. It <e>will</e> fail. +</warn> + +<impo> +<c>genkernel</c> users have their config built such a way that the ALSA +sub-system in the kernel is active. Therefore <c>genkernel</c> users can +proceed to the <uri link="#alsa-utilities">ALSA Utilities</uri> section +directly. +</impo> + +<p> +The two options are : +</p> + +<ol> + <li> + Use ALSA provided by your kernel. This is the preferred/recommended + method. + </li> + <li> + Use Gentoo's <c>media-sound/alsa-driver</c> package. + </li> +</ol> + +<p> +We shall take a peek into both before finally deciding on one. +</p> + +<p> +If you were to use ALSA provided by the kernel, the following are the pros and +cons : +</p> + +<table> +<tr> + <th>Kernel ALSA</th> + <th>Pros and Cons</th> +</tr> +<tr> + <th>+</th> + <ti>Pretty stable as drivers are integrated into kernel.</ti> +</tr> +<tr> + <th>+</th> + <ti>One shot solution, no repeating emerges.</ti> +</tr> +<tr> + <th>-</th> + <ti>Might be a slightly older version than <c>alsa-driver</c>.</ti> +</tr> +</table> + <p> -Gentoo provides an <c>alsa</c> USE flag which you should set in -<path>/etc/make.conf</path> to allow our available packages to compile with -ALSA support. If you have <c>oss</c> in your USE variable as well, ALSA will -compile with OSS backward compatibility. +And, if you were to use alsa-driver, </p> +<table> +<tr> + <th>alsa-driver</th> + <th>Pros and Cons</th> +</tr> +<tr> + <th>+</th> + <ti>Latest drivers from the ALSA Project.</ti> +</tr> +<tr> + <th>-</th> + <ti>Every kernel recompile requires a re-emerge of <c>alsa-driver</c>.</ti> +</tr> +<tr> + <th>-</th> + <ti>Needs certain kernel config options disabled to work correctly.</ti> +</tr> +</table> + </body> <<Truncated>> -- [email protected] mailing list
