[EvilJam]

i don't know jack about linux, except there seems to be
about 150 different versions of the same name.
red hat, yellow dog, lycoris...
and, none of them work very well, apparently. (at least not for
us non-programmers - which is most of us).
seems everybody wants to build their own mousetrap,
instead of working on - and improving - the original!!
which, back some 5 or 6 years ago, seemed to be the basic idea.
or, so we thought. <sigh>
so, i'm looking at getting my feet wet with this walmart special.
$200! "built from the ground up," apparently.
but...
i've spent 4 or 5 hours looking all over the freakin' internet for anything
remotefully resembling a hint of information on Linux Sound capabilities,
and all i get is geek speak nonsense about something called "ALSA,"
and damn little else.
that is to say, NOBODY seems to have a clue if Linux has any Sound
capabilities, or not! all i get from google, et. al. is "they're working on it."
"they" being ALSA, apparently. and, "it's being developed!"
yeah, and i'm getting old!
so, i'm wondering...
if this machine running some linux version called 'Lycoris' (if one can imagine)
has sound capability???
"sound" meaning web broadcasting capability.
that is, can i plug in the mic from my radio console into the back of the
walmart special and broadcast my radio show over the 'net???
or...
does Linux even HAVE (or "support") such sound capability???
those at 'ALSA' don't seem to have a clue either way.
and, if not,
my OTHER question would be...
just what century does Linux intend to be a legitimate contender in the
Battle for the Desktop???? jeepers! ... evil

[EvilJam]

and, while i'm on a roll...
while surfing all night for any Linux info., i stumbled on some news
about something called "USB Sound."
so, i'm wondering if that might be an alternative to PCI sound cards??
and, if so...
might THAT be the answer to my walmart special sound concerns??? ... evil

[lynch]

From the tone of your post(BTW,welcome to TSG ),it would lead one to think you already bought that Walmart PC and cant figure out how to run it. If that's not the case,then you're doing it right by researching things.
ALSA is like every other piece of S/W out there:it's constantly in development.That's how you make things better.(Unless it's from M$).
As for there being

"...
about 150 different versions of the same name.
red hat, yellow dog, lycoris...
and, none of them work very well, apparently. (at least not for
us non-programmers - which is most of us)."

.
A car doesnt work very well if you dont know how to drive it.I am a non-programmer who has been using Linux for quite a while with no major problems except for at the beginning when I tried to use it like it was a windows system.Once I looked at it for what it is(a highly developed and stable OS with all the capabilities of windows and none of it's shortcomings) I was fine.You just have to leave that windows baggage at the door.
Thanks for bringing up this subject;most questions about Linux and sound are solved by turning up the volume.
I would say this:if you can plug your mike into the back of a windows machine and broadcast your "show"(no link?) you can do it in Linux.
HTH
lynch

[codejockey]

The short answer to your question is "yes -- Linux does have sound capability". Actually, Linux supports a wide range of sound cards, including some truly ancient ones (I know, I use one!) as well as more modern, up-to-date ones. Both PCI and ISA cards are supported as well as builtin motherboard sound chips, and as you discovered, more capabilities are being worked on and added all the time.

The key question, though, is whether (your version of) Linux supports your sound card -- and there's no way to know unless you specify both the sound card (or at least the chipset) and the version of Linux you want to use. However, there is a very good chance that your sound card will be supported. You may have to recompile the kernel in order to enable this support.

You should also recognize that broadcasting over the net requires specialized software (such as Broadcast 2000, Icecast or similar) which you will have to install and configure. Typically, this software is not provided with a Linux distribution.

You also make some good points about Linux in general -- the (confusing) multitude of versions ("distributions"), the lack of clear documentation (the Unix documentation motto is "if you have to ask, you don't need to know" ), and the fact that Linux is not (yet) the "desktop for the rest of us". But hang in there -- the results are worth the effort. As Lynch says, Linux is not Windoze -- and for the most part, that's a good thing.

[EvilJam]

thanks!
wow! i wasn't expecting such a quick response!
my "tone" was the result of 4-5 hours of loop-de-loop search on Google.
which pretty much lead nowhere!
and, my "tone" was also the result of the 'tude factor that Linux seems to bring:
"if you don't know - you don't NEED to know."
well, fine! they're probably right!! i don't know jack about "code."
but, jeepers... just some simple info. would have been great!
like, "this version supports these cards..."
anyway...
i haven't run Windoze in YEARS! i run on a Mac. an old PowerMac, circa 1996,
with a 3rd party (Sonnet) G3-400mHz processor, and some pci card upgrades.
i gave up on Billy Boy's "continuous non-stop Upgrade Policy" at v. 3.1.
that was enough for me!
and, no. i haven't purchased the $200 Wal-Mart special, yet.
i'm just looking at it as a possible CHEAP way to get into Linux.
key word: cheap. (the Boss has no budget for my "show," and is a cheap
bastaad, besides)! show link:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/liveat5show
talk about cheap! <g>

anyway...
the wal-mart special runs on Linux Lycoris (or something like that).
it is a "stand-alone" OS. that is, there is no M$ OS built-in! hoo rah!
(i think it's Linux' answer to getting into America's homes - via wal-mart).
and, it has something called "AC '97 audio" built-in, with the typical in/out jacks.
since it's a stand-alone OS, i'm hoping there's a pci sound card (or maybe 'USB
sound') that i can just pop in the beast and go!!
that is, i don't want to do much tinkering to get the config. right.
i don't want to spend another 4-5 hours just to get a mic to work!
i'd rather spend $499 on one of those eMachines, instead!
and, yeah, i KNOW there's "Webcast" software involved - but THAT should be
the EASY part! (hopefully).
i just wanna make sure the wal-mart Linux special can handle the hardware part!
thanks, again!! ... evil

[codejockey]

There is a wealth of information about Linux in general at www.tldp.com (the Linux documentation project) including How-Tos and hardware compatibility listings. You can also check the home pages for the distribution you are using (or plan to use). For example, www.lycoris.com has a lot of information that you might find helpful.

Your "builtin" AC 97 audio is likely a chip on the motherboard (common in many motherboards) and may or may not be supported directly by your distribution. However, there are alternatives, including booting to DOS/Windoze first in order to initialize the chip (obviously, you'd have to install Windoze, but depending on the size of the hard drive, this might make a nice dual-boot system) and disabling the onboard sound and adding a separate sound card (does not have to be fancy).

Hope this helps.

[EvilJam]

thanks. i snooped around the 'net some again tonight, and didn't learn much.
but...
for $200...
well, i bought my first win 286 for $200 - just to learn how to turn it on, so...
might be worth the $200 just to learn a few tricks!
and... for newbies (and old geezers) that just want to surf the 'net and send email - this baby might be just what the doctor ordered! thanks, again! ... evil

[codejockey]

$200.00 is just about the price of admission to the digital game these days -- you can't get much cheaper and still have anything to show for your purchase. There are certainly alternatives, however, if you'd like to shop a bit -- try, for example, www.computersurplusoutlet.com for some interesting possibilities to compare against your Walmart special. As another point of comparison, I recently shopped a 2.6 GHz AMD CPU + motherboard + 512 Mbyte DDR RAM (266 Mhz) which comes to roughly $170.00 -- that's without case, power supply, hard disk, modem or video card (although the motherboard does include builtin sound and ethernet). If you're getting a complete system for $200.00, Sam must be making them himself and working really cheap ().

You're right -- you can't go too far wrong at that price, and for learning/experimentation, it's a cheap investment.

[twotugs]

I have one, and it does have sound (and integrated video, too!) I like the system, but I've made modifications to it, too; one of which was to add another hard drive with Win2k on it. There's a thread in the Reviews forum on the Wal-Mart box; perhaps you ought to read it before commiting to it, eviljam.

Some specs on the $200 deal:

K7 Triton GA-7VKMLS
AMD Duron 1.1 Ghz
20 GB somethingorother (I'm not rebooting or popping the case to find out)
128 MB SDRAM PC133, Buffalo
Integrated sound & video, Avance AC'97 VIA, S3 ProSavageDDR w/ 32 MB shared memory (oooooh)
MSI 52x CR-ROM
Integrated LAN
4 USB, two of which I can't get to work

My two biggest complaints: no AGP slot, power supply issues. But it is a $200 computer!

[trevor1]

Wow....Thats not a bad computer.Id spend 200$ on it.

[xico]

Hi, Eviljam. $200 is a pretty good deal; but if you're interested in other Linux systems that are inexpensive, go to www.cheapbytes.com for some incredible installation CDs. Im talking $4.99 for Knoppix that is run off the CD; PinkTie, which is a Red Hat work alike for 6.99; Manfrak for 6.99; an older edition of SuSE for 8.00. But there's also another site called linuxcdrs.com that also has some 1 dollar Linux CDs.

After I check these out, then I may spend a little more on a particular system, or try again to burn a CD from one of the Linux download sites that are free.

[mobo]

Download your own and burn it here

[snowdog]

What I found that works great for trying new distro's is to buy two removable hdd trays (same make, model, and serial number), and an extra hdd, then you get to use your main system for both OS's. DO NOT mix removable trays from different manufacturers. I've never done it, but just the thought gives me shivers. I don't know about these $200 machines, you will get what you pay for.
The only hangup I can see with my idea, is that it is frickin impossible (without involving chickens, that is) to SSH into a drive that is sitting in a drawer.

[xico]

Hi Motherboard! I tried burning Knoppix, but I couldn't get it to boot. So I bought a CD. But, you're right. Im going to have to try until I succeed.

Hi Snowdog! Thanks for the input on the hdd trays. I already have an extra 30GB hd, so that might work out well.