ALSA - Definition and Overview

A screenshot of alsamixer

ALSA (an acronym for Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) is a Linux kernel module that replaces several different kernel drivers for sound cards with a single device driver which handles the diversity of sound cards internally.

It replaces all older sound drivers for the Linux kernel, notably the Open Sound System (OSS), but there is not a kernel module to select the use of OSS or ALSA in computers with both system installed.

Led by Jaroslav Kysela, the project started from a Linux driver for the Gravis Ultrasound in 1998, and was developed separately from the Linux kernel until it was introduced in the 2.5 development series in 2002. In the 2.6 version it obsoletes OSS by default.

See also

• LADSPA and DSSI

External links

• http://www.alsa-project.org/
• http://alsa.opensrc.org/ (a big ALSA Wiki)
• Alsa and Debian (http://wiki.debian.net/?ALSA).

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