Which sound system your distribution uses with each API?

[RedDwarf]

I saw "The bsnes UNIX audio thread"* and started looking in some detail what different distros do with different audio APIs.
* OpenAL (in Linux can use ALSA, ARTS, SDL, ESD, OSS or SDL)
- openSUSE 10.3
The package creates a /etc/openalrc file with

(define devices '(alsa native))

so by default it uses ALSA.

Takashi Iwai, from ALSA and Novell, has also patched the ALSA backend.

- Ubuntu/Debian (0.0.8-7 package)
I don't use it. But at http://packages.ubuntu.com/hardy/libopenal0a / http://packages.debian.org/sid/libopenal0a I see their packages have an /etc/openalrc file with

(define devices '(alsa))
(define alsa-out-device "default")

so it uses ALSA default device.

They lack Takashi Iwai ALSA patches (perhaps something to report to Debian...).

*libao (in Linux can use OSS, ALSA, PulseAudio, ESD, ARTS or NAS)
- openSUSE 10.3
It doesn't specifies a default driver. So from the libao source code: if ESD is running it's the first candidate, if no ALSA is used.

They have another Takashi Iwai ALSA patch ("fixed the buffer allocation").

- Ubuntu/Debian (0.8.8-3 package)
Uses ALSA: /etc/libao.conf

default_driver=alsa

They lack the ALSA patch (perhaps something to report to Debian...).


What others do?


* I have not answered it since it crashes with ALSA and I'm too lazy to install OSS4. Maybe later.

PD. The libao bsnes backend makes something funny:

Code: Select all

  bool init() {
    driver_id = ao_default_driver_id(); //ao_driver_id((const char*)driver)
    if(driver_id < 0) driver_id = ao_default_driver_id(); //fallback on default if driver doesn't exist

The first line comment doesn't match the real code. Or you want an specific driver or no