Realtime patches for 2.6 kernel for audio work

[Jeff Buchbinder]

On 5/31/05, Fabio Massimo Di Nitto <fabbione at ubuntu.com> wrote:
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
> 
> hi Jeff,
>     moving the thread to kernel-team at lists.ubuntu.com where it is
> more appropriate ;)
> 
> Jeff Buchbinder wrote:
> > I had started to create kernel packages with this patch, but I was
> > wondering if any of the official kernel package maintainers would be
> > interested in creating a separate kernel version, considering that the
> > patch applies very cleanly to an Ubuntu-patched kernel.
> 
> The patch is interesting, but i am very concerned about it:
> - - it is a 600KB patch that touches really a lot of code including very delicate parts.
> - - creating a special version means introducing a lot of extra maintainers work
> 
> the simple fact that the patch apply doesn't ensure us the following prerequisite that
> i would consider essentials when modifing that part of the kernel:
> 
> - - we can't provide security and it might in future clash with security fixes coming from upstream
> - - the patch has not been pushed upstream afaik
> - - it is maintained outside, that means if upstream goes away, we will have to drop it
> 
> > I have already packaged (or rebuilt with appropriate dependencies)
> > Ubuntu packages for ardour, hydrogen, et cetera, which are available
> > via sourceforge at:
> > http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=15664&package_id=153629&release_id=331016
> >
> > You can also pull from any of their mirrors using an apt-get line:
> > deb http://easynews.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/linuxrpms/ ./
> > (or you can replace "easynews" with your preferred mirror site)
> >
> > I can probably package it myself, but it would make more sense for it
> > to be in Ubuntu "upstream" as opposed to having me sync my kernel
> > builds with the official maintainers' builds.
> 
> I fully understand your point, but given the above points, I am not too happy
> to include it in the main kernels but perhaps you are interested in working
> with us to create a simpler infrastructure to create your own packages?

Completely up to you as to how you want to proceed.

It is of vital importance to professional audio applications to be
able to have this sort of patch available in a pre-built kernel. For
now, it seems to apply very cleanly on top of the current Ubuntu
kernels, but I understand the concerns involving the size and
magnitude of the patch. Linus has made it fairly clear that he does
not intend on putting this in the upstream kernel, for many of the
reasons you have stated.

I don't mind maintaining a "fork" of the stock Ubuntu kernel for audio
applications, but this may prove to be more difficult to keep in sync
than I would have initially thought. Depends a lot on how much of a
moving target the kernel builds are, as well as how much easier I can
make the build process.

Thanks.
Jeff
(rufustfirefly at gmail.com)