On Mon, 8 Oct 2001, mjo wrote: > I was trying to avoid reverting to the 2.2 kernel, but I don't really > need 2.4 on this machine, and if Ben says 2.2 works, well... I can't > live without my stereo.
I am told that (a) Linux 2.4.10 has a much-improved user experience over prior 2.4.x releases, and (b) switching from OSS to ALSA will solve all one's sound problems. Note well: I have not verified either claim, although I consider both to be in the "worth checking out" category. The suggestion of favoring 2.2.19 over 2.4.x in this case was driven mainly by convenience: Mandrake includes a 2.2.19 RPM (several, actually), and, if selected during install, will even put them on the boot menu for you. This makes switching to 2.2.19 a relatively quick and painless operation, which is a primary decision factor for many people. I chose this solution at home for this reason. I spend all day fixing broken computers (or finding new ways to break them). When I go home, I just want the damn thing to work. :-) > (and if anyone made it this far down cares to explain the practical > differences between ALSA and OSS, I'd love to know) OSS = Open Sound System ALAS = Advanced Linux Sound Architecture OSS (now properly called "OSS/Free") is the "classic" sound implementation for Linux, and was long the only one available. A company called 4Front Technologies (http://www.opensound.com) has a commercial version of OSS available for a number of platforms, and at one time maintained the OSS/Free version. These days, Alan Cox maintains OSS/Free (http://www.linux.org.uk/OSS/). ALSA (http://www.alsa-project.org) is the "next generation" sound system for Linux. It is supposed to be faster, smoother, better, longer, lower, wider, and so on. It has more features, more functions, more options, and so on. It used to fall in the "unproven" category, though not so much anymore. ALSA may work better for certain sound cards or applications, not as well for others. You can look on their web page for more information, and/or try it and find out. Hope this helps! -- Ben Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> | The opinions expressed in this message are those of the author and do not | | necessarily represent the views or policy of any other person, entity or | | organization. All information is provided without warranty of any kind. | ********************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the following text in the *body* (*not* the subject line) of the letter: unsubscribe gnhlug **********************************************************
