[PlanetCCRMA] latest kernel rocks

[Tracey Hytry]

Fernando says:

> Which 2.6.10 are you using? The 2.6.11 upgrade is an "edge" kernel, not
> a "stable" kernel (it is based in the stable 2.6.11 release but has Ingo
> Molnar's realtime preempt added).

Yes, this is an edge kernel for people who want to test out the cutting edge of kernel low latency developement.  My last post was about the latest kernel that Fernando has mixed together for us to try out.

I'm glad I have finally gotten a machine together again that I can use as both my desktop and testing machine.  I'm also glad that I can now get back to testing the newest stuff out that Fernando cooks up.  It's important to be able to give feedback on the new kernels, but it also is important to understand that these are experimental kernels.

The machine we have here in the "music room" still runs redhat 9 and the last stable low latency kernel.  It's important that that machine is stable and well tuned.  I'm sure it will be some time before that machine sees a 2.6.x kernel on it.

Many of us have been hoping to see better multimedia responce out of the linux kernel, but it has been slow coming and just dosen't seem to have the priority as the so called "desktop" does.  It's understandable that we as a minority who want linux to be able to compete in the audio market would like to see the energies of the kernel developers put toward our niche.  But the reality is that linux is somewhat bigger then it used to be now and all of the different folks need to get some attention.  There are the fast server people who need linux to put out max web pages, and there are the needs of the big distributors to put together a fine linux desktop system for use on business desktops.

I'm very excited to see people like Ingo helping us out to make linux one of the best operating systems for audio.  I was also happy to see just what the newest edge stuff could do.  Now I can watch a dvd movie on the computer and the movement of peoples mouths are pretty much in sync with the audio.  I can also be playing an online multipalyer windoze game while listening to the music of my choice without having the audio all chopped up when I move a few windows around on my desktop because I want to bring up a browser to check the news.

This is all getting real close to the making an ideal desktop computer system for everyday/almost everything use.  There are still glitches to be worked out, but it's getting there.  If we in the linux audio comunity want to see low latency error free audio, then we need to be able to show how our work is leading the way towards a great linux desktop system(which is what I'm saying in this post).

The majority of the time I will not be using this machine like the average home computer user would, but at least now I can say that linux will work just fine for the needs of the masses.  At one time I was a bit nervous when someone I would be talking to in the local music stores asked "how well" linux did for audio work, but that changed a while back.  Now I can point out all of the creative work being done in the linux audio community and how things like jack and quite a number of projects are showing up on the macOSX desktop.

Enough of this long post.

Tracey