Re: [2.6 patch] schedule obsolete OSS drivers for removal

[Marcin Dalecki]

On 2006-01-05, at 11:57, Jan Engelhardt wrote:

> > > Software mixing in the kernel is like FPU ops in the kernel...
> >
> > Could you please elaborate a tad bit more on the analogy? It  
> > doesn't appear to
> > be stunningly obvious.
> It has never been done before in Linux, so there must be a reason  
> to it.
> There was also a reason why khttpd was (going in and) going out.
>
> > Are you aware of the reasons why floating point operations are  
> > avoided inside
> > the kernel?
> Because it is "unportable". You cannot expect to have every  
> hardware Linux
> runs on today to have an FPU engine (hey, like that ol' i386 I got,  
> needs
> CONFIG_MATH_EMU...), especially in the Embedded Devices sector.

First - the answer you provide is far from complete and it doesn't  
even touch the more important reasons why the kernel avoids doing  
FPU. (No, I don't feel obliged to explain the issue to you. Just a  
note: The reasons are just merely *technical* and not principal.)

Second - you still didn't explain why this allows you to conclude  
that sound mixing should in no way be done inside the kernel.
-
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