hordeman

I've since moved to using Qtractor for my DAW on Ubuntu and use Carla Rack as a 32bit and 64bit bridge to Windows VSTs. I've still stuck with dedicated Line 6 hardware. Now I'm trying to get all this running on a Raspberry Pi. Qtractor runs on it as well as x86 audio apps via Wine, but there is no bridge between the two (yet).

Instead of funding full driver development, I think what may more realistic is finding a halfway point. For example, Steinberg released an SDK that Linux developers leveraged to bridge with WINE; now there are Windows VSTs running on Linux. Nvidia develops drivers for Linux (I believe bare bones), and that's what enabled Steam to be viable on that platform. In both cases, a small investment led to greater innovations. I used to frequent the Wine boards about 10 years ago, and I seem to remember the chief complaint was that people were willing to write drivers, but manufacturers would not release details; e.g., Aardvark Q10. I do understand that it still requires company resources, but I would also not rule out the possibility. (Note: another great example was when Disney invested in improving Wine so that they could run Photoshop on Linux.)

Joel, I think you are absolutely right. It's really a chicken vs. the egg type of scenario, right? That would explain the bounties people put out for specific features they want on Linux.

*resurrecting old thread* I'ved started the process of moving from Sonar to Ardour (Ubuntu), and I've been looking for a way to bring along my Line 6 gear. I found this thread at the top of Google search results. It's disappointing to read the dialogue at the start, and it was also nice to see some serious discussion come through at the end. My take: if my 80 year-old parents can successfully use Android and Ubuntu (in a Windows/Mac free household), then I think anybody can make the switch. That said, I've seen some hard-nosed POVs come through on both sides: on the Linux side, there are the people who preach RTFM to somebody who is trying to make the switch (which can also be a completely foreign language), and on the anti-Linux side, there are the people who have been left with a bad taste in their mouth due to prior experiences with the OS (and related people). I feel that this social consumer divide is exactly the hurdle holding back adoption. On the server side, Linux is a massive force powering the internet: 67% are Unix-like systems, with about half being Linux. 33% of Azure (Microsoft) servers run Linux. Many smart TVs and EV displays run on Linux; e.g., Tesla's. With regard to Ubuntu, most everything runs out-of-the-box; Steam, Netflix, printers, Firefox (or Chrome), etc. Of course, the exceptions are DAWs and related-software. They're still not quite there with ease-of-install, but once they're running, they're rock solid and PORTABLE - if the system runs Linux (phone, Pi, laptop, desktop, etc.), there's a very good chance that the software can be run across any of those devices. For now, I'm focused on my laptop and am looking into getting my Line 6 gear running on it. If I can't get it going, I'll still stick with Linux and buy an older stand-alone Pod. Thanks for considering Linux support.