James McDermott wrote:
Dave Phillips wrote:
I can honestly say that
jwz appears to have no influence at all within this community.
Well, that's exactly the point, isn't it. Within this enlightened,
favoured and lucky community, no-one needs convincing - that would be
preaching to the choir. The original poster wants to change opinions
*outside* the community, where some people do think Linux audio's not
up to scratch - or that it's hard to configure - or whatever. If
they're wrong, the original poster was saying, let's change their
minds.
Agreed, but as I tried to indicate, there's a boatload of helpful
information out there. jwz writes *as if it doesn't exist*. He doesn't
avail himself of the available resources, and he discredits himself and
his opinions by just that failure. His articles show little evidence of
background research and/or communication with the developers. And
whether anyone in Linuxland likes it, this communication is still an
integral and necessary aspect of the system's success (past, current,
and future).
I've written one book and about fifty articles and columns about Linux
audio-related topics. I've maintained the site at linux-sound.org for
nearly ten years, so I'll say it again: If someone complains that
there's insufficient resources on this topic, then I say they're just
not looking very hard. Wikis, blogs, mail lists, chat sites, soft & hard
copy print material, instructional videos, it's all available to anyone
who will take the time to look.
The points made about educating people are good points, but I feel as if
I and many others have been doing exactly that for the last decade. We
shall continue to do so, despite the jwz's of the world. And yes, it
would a Very Good & Helpful Thing if there were a few more writers
dedicated to the cause.
How many of you are aware of the Linux audio forums on SoS and TapeOp ?
There *is* interest out there, and venues already exist for
disseminating facts and advice re: Linux sound and music software.
I still feel that the best representation of Linux audio will be the
music made with the software. Plenty of excellent examples already exist.
Oh btw: I happened to re-read jwz's whinefest re: Linux video apps,
right after I finished watching my Criminal Intent DVDs with xine. The
irony was delicious.
Best,
dp
