[Pkg-alsa-devel] init script

[David B Harris]

On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 08:08:52 +1000
Steve Kowalik <stevenk@debian.org> wrote:
> On Thu, 15 Apr 2004 14:00:29 -0400, David B Harris uttered
> > I asked two questions of two different people :) To you, I asked "is
> > this something we really need to support, this ordering of cards?" and
> > you said yeah. So that's requirement number 1, that cards can be
> > ordered.
> > 
> > I asked Md if udev would be useful enough in Sarge to support this. He
> > said no.
> > 
> 
> And yet, at every oppurtunity, Md is touting udev as the best thing
> since sliced bread, and anyone who isn't using it, well, should
> be. I'm using on my laptop, and I'm not seeing anything strange.

I know, it's why it pisses me off - I made absolutely sure with him,
there was no doubt whatsoever.

> > So, there you go. We can either not support ordering (in which case
> > hotplug can blacklist OSS modules and load ALSA modules on its own, in
> > which case we don't need to do it in alsa-base), or Md changes his
> > opinion about udev, or we keep the module loading in alsa-base.
> > 
> 
> My workstation has 2 cards, and hotplug actually loads them in the
> correct order, but that is more than likely due to their order on the
> PCI bus than anything else.
> 
> Personally, I feel that hotplug loading every module it can is a GOOD
> thing, and should keep doing it - with a few tweaks. I will probably
> find Md on IRC and reiterate this, but I think there are 2 bugbears
> here - hotplug needs to be told whether or not the user is using ALSA
> or OSS modules, and there needs to be an easy way to turn it off - see
> the MiniPCI Wireless message on -devel for what I think is a very good
> reason why.
> 
> I am all for removing the module loading from the init script. If we
> also remove /etc/alsa/modutils, and the debconfage from
> alsa-base, we can keep the debconfage in alsa-source, but since the
> ordering problem for using a select has effectively disappeared, and we
> can implement it sanely using a multiselect.
> 
> In short, I'm all for removing 80% of the init script. :-)

There is still the ordering question, however. It happened to load them
in the right order for you now, but that may not be the case in the
future; nor will it necessarily be the case for everybody, everywhere.

So, assuming we want to support that, somebody needs to figure out how
to get udev to change ordering and such. You just volunteered, you're
the only one of us who uses udev ;)

Really, guys, it's simple - we can only do away with the init script and
the crap that is alsa-base debconf if either a) we don't care to support
card ordering, or b) udev is up to the task. If b), we need to know (and
soon), and we need to document it.

-- 
     Arguing with an engineer is like wrestling with a pig in mud.
	   After a while, you realise the pig is enjoying it.

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