RE: [microsound] linux newbie stuff [WAS:puff 'n stuff]

[derek@xxxxxxx]

Glad to see Kim pulling this Linux thread back out. I switched to an entirely
Linux-based working environment over the last year and a half or so, and
actually get a lot of work done it in. I also spend a lot of time teaching and
giving workshops on it [just finished one on Linux + PD in Bratislava this
weekend], so I can tell you that the interest is quite high right now for free,
non-commercial and non-restrictive multimedia software.

I mentioned Gentoo a while back as one option for a Linux distro, and I must
agree with other posters that it is a dream when it is running. But it is also
quite complex, and maybe not the best choice for newbies. 

Dynebolic is a nice "live CD" distro, but it is still missing a few things, and
is of course for PC only. I am still waiting for the day when there is a live
CD for Power PC architecture which is loaded up with audio softwares. Maybe I
will have to make it myslef, based on the Gentoo live CDs used for installing
on Mac computers...

For Linux newbies interested in multimedia, I can't recommend enough the Planet
CCRMA packages, maintained by Fernando Lopez Lezcano at Stanford University.
Planet CCRMA is based on Red Hat/Fedora Linux, which is quite newbie-friendly,
and CCRMA has some of the best documentation anywhere for installing their
software. Unfortunately, this is also PC architecture specific, so Mac owners
will have to negotiate a different course... For them, there is Yellow Dog
[cheesy-easy and super-corperate], Mandrake [tolerable and pretty easy], Debian
[more complex and configurable, but not always the newest software and a
completely arcane system of software installing] or Gentoo [IMHO the best, but
*very* complex and not for the timid]. I do intend to put some info either on
the upcoming .microsound wikki or someplace else on Linux audio options for Mac
users. In the meantime, see the links at the bottom of this email...

One other thing for Mac users to consider is using Fink to install parts of this
brave new free software world on their native unix/bsd substructure. You'll
have to get familiar with your terminal to do this, but that is not a bad
thing, as the best part is you will know much more about your machine than you
did when you were just clicking through those glowing, colorful buttons. Quite
a bit of *nix software is available through Fink, or installable from source
code if you are a bit braver. Some things, like PD and its video processing
component PDP, are installable this way, while others, like Ardour, are in the
works.

I really think these are the highlights of the Linux audio world:

* Pure Data [graphical, object-oriented programming for sound, video and data
manipulation]
* PDP/PiDiP [external objects for video processing in PD]
* Ardour [multitrack harddisk recording and editing... like ProTools, but still
under development]
* Jack [low latency audio server with patchbay for interconnecting sound between
different applications]
* ALSA [sound drivers, support for many many many soundcards]
* LADSPA [plugins of all shapes and sizes]

Of course, there are hundreds more. Check the CCRMA site for short descriptions
of many of them.

Some links:

Planet CCRMA
http://ccrma-www.stanford.edu/planetccrma/software/

Dynebolic
http://www.dynebolic.org/

My own Linux/Pure Data workshops in Central/East Europe
http://pd.iem.at/pdwiki/index.php?PD.Balkania

best wishes from Bratislava,
Derek

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