Re: [orca-list] Linux Nubie: Questions of Basic Linux Concepts

[Janina Sajka <janina rednote net>]

True enough, Thomas, but let's close the loop on this explanation.

While our OS may default to using ALSA, that doesn't mean that any
particular application which wants to talk to the sound hardware will
talk using ALSA natively. n fact, ALSA allows applications to continue
to talk to hardware using the older OSS technology, but this support
comes at a cost. Usually, the cost is that only one sound stream gets
access to the hardware. As a result, you may find it impossible to have
both software speech for your screen reader and an Internet radio
station playing at the same time, as just one for instance.

The issue of the moment is gnome-speech, which I believe is still
talking OSS in order to also support non Linux architectures like
Solaris and Aix, which do not have ALSA. This takes us into issues
between some software speech packages for the desktop competing with
software speech for console screen readers like Speakup.

Janina

Thomas Ward writes:
> Hi RAJIV,
> OSS is the older type of soundcard drivers and libraries in use in Linux 
> during 2.4 kernels and earlier. With the release of kernel 2.6 and later 
> Alsa, a newer better set of soundcard drivers and libraries, are used by 
> Linux operating systems.
> Hope this helps.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Orca-list mailing list
> Orca-list gnome org
> http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/orca-list
> Visit http://live.gnome.org/Orca for more information on Orca

-- 

Janina Sajka,   Phone:  +1.202.595.7777;        sip:janina a11y org
Partner, Capital Accessibility LLC      http://CapitalAccessibility.Com

Marketing the Owasys 22C talking screenless cell phone in the U.S. and Canada
Learn more at http://ScreenlessPhone.Com

Chair, Open Accessibility       janina a11y org 
Linux Foundation                http://a11y.org