Re: [Fwd: [Octal-dev] delay length unit choices, distro issues, etc]

[Dave O'Toole]

Neil Nelson wrote:
> 
> conversion can be made.  In order to maximize the variability of different
> maximum delays for each program, which would need to be independent of,
> say, a maximum of only 255 ticks, the ticks associated with a particular
> value on a display screen may be best computed for display.  However you

Hmm. If you don't want to be limited to 255 "units" it might be easier
to choose a format type of "large" which is a four-digit-hex
(0x0000-0x8000) data value. 

> The SoX copyright appears to allow use for any purpose as long as the
> SoX copyright notice is provided in the programs, as I have done.  I
> have, or have intended, to give the software to the Octal project for
> inclusion in their distribution.  I.e., my copyright is much the same
> as SoX and references the copyright notice in the Octal distribution.
> 
> My intention is to convert the more useful SoX effects to Octal, in the
> very short run, so we can fill out the Octal distribution.  Octal
> without effects and, later, sound sources will not be very easy plug-
> and-play.  I would expect that a thorough distribution would be one that
> is downloaded, compiled with the GUI and other user selected options and
> then be ready to rock-and-roll without much additional work.

<snip>
> It is a bit like this RedHat Linux distribution I am using, RedHat has
> gathered together software from may sources to provide an easy plug-and-
> play for a variety of user purposes.  You are RedHat, and I am one of
> your sources.

I agree with you completely; I think you (and every other Octal machine
coder, present and future) are doing a fantastic good by filling out the
repetoire of free building blocks---without which Octal will not make a
peep. 

My reluctance to just put everything up at GNU ftp comes *not* from my
whims or any reservations about the code, but is the result of a very
strict and long-established set of rules about under what conditions GNU
will accept and distribute outside contributions. If these conditions
are met (there are several options) then I will be more than happy to do
a "one-stop-shopping" distribution. 

A relevant document is:
http://www.gnu.org/software/gcc/fsf-forms/conditions.text

I anticipated this sort of thing from the start, as it was clear to me
that Octal wouldn't go anywhere without a diverse community of machine
developers and musicians. My idea of setting up a Sourceforge repository
(I am in the process of doing this right now) would sidestep the entire
problem, which is good because I never wished to make developers go
through the hoops/paperwork. I'm sure people would rather just log in
through ftp or cvs and upload their machines, putting them in a central
repository.

> Avelino's Psycle appears to be a close model to an eventual Octal

Psycle is a project of Arguelles Rius (a well-known machine developer
from the Buzz community); AFAIK Avelino is unrelated to this (though
still a great guy! :-)

> a variety of filter programs.  Then its off to Fourier analysis to
> provide a multitude of sound sources.

As a companion to wavetable-based instruments (in and of itself a
fantastic tool, and a staple of all tracking technology) I find the
prospect of fourier instruments very exciting.

<snip bit about octal/psycle>

I don't think we should skip checking out GTK+ on Windows, for ports.
But it is a good idea to keep in mind. 


-- 
@@@ david o'toole
@@@ address@hidden
@@@ www.gnu.org/software/octal