Sunday Morning idle queries ??

[William Case]

Hi Max and Patrick;

On Sun, 2008-07-06 at 10:40 -0430, Patrick O'Callaghan wrote: 
> On Sun, 2008-07-06 at 10:16 -0400, William Case wrote:
> > Hi;
> 
> Hi Bill,
> 
> > Just wondering about a few things:
> > 
> > 1) I noticed a program in the latest update list called 'augeas' for
> > editing config files.  I have gone to their site etc.-- looks
> > interesting.  Has anyone have experience using it and would like to
> > comment?

> Installing it now to check it out. Nice idea, as long as they can keep
> the config file descriptions in sync with the various packages.
> 

Let me and others know how it turns out.

> > 2) I have just installed kmod-nvidia from livnia.  I have been watching
> > the discussion here on its effectiveness re: Xorg etc.  It seems to work
> > fine for me.  Now the question is: which is the best 3D application
> > (window manager??) to use with it?  Compiz?
> 
> No opinion. I presume if you have a fancy graphics card you got it for
> some sepcific reason, otherwise you don't need it. Nowadays onboard
> video chipsets are more than enough for everyday use, for many values of
> "everyday" (I can even run Compiz on my Intel 965, I just can't be
> bothered).
> 
It wasn't purchased for a specific purpose.  It is a C51PV GeForce 6150
integrated in my newly installed M2NPV-VM motherboard.  I just thought I
would try out 3D for a bit of time to see what I get.


> > 3) My project for the next while is to work out how various multimedia
> > work.  The more I delve into the subject the more confusing it gets.
> > I can find lots of info on the various pieces of hardware used, but then
> > what?  How do various software components fit together e.g. gstreamer,
> > xine, Totem, ripping, burning, editing, codecs, audio (drivers), video
> > (drivers), etc., etc.  Info and howtos on individual pieces of software
> > exist, but I can't seem to find anything online or a textbook that puts
> > it all together in an overview.  Wikipedia, for example, is full of
> > stubs on this subject.
> 
> Good luck with that (really). It's a definite hole that needs to be
> filled. I'm sure if you do it collaboratively, maybe as a Wiki, people
> will be glad to contribute what they know.

I have been thinking about your suggestions all morning.  I have decided
to develop the following strategy.  If you have a better suggestion let
me know.

1) Start by using mainly cut and paste from wherever I can find info.
2) Using NoteCase in conjunction with FreeMind to begin organizing data
conceptually and storing the details.
3) Begin with hardware (and perhaps the prerequisite drivers even if
drivers are technically software) so that I can develop a basic
understanding of the physical limitations and problems that software has
to overcome for each different type of use.
4) As I go through the hardware list, perhaps I will pickup the
applicability and use of various pieces of software.
5) So far I have the following list of hardware, off the top of my head,
that seems to play a role:
        RJ45; Twisted Pair Cable
        CATV; Coaxial Cable
        USB
        Wireless
        NIC
        RAM (how used for sockets, caches, DMA etc. by media hardware)
        Audio Card/Chip
        Video Card/chip
        CD/DVD Drive
        CD Disk
        DVD Disk
        Digital Still Picture Camera
        Digital Video Camera
        WebCam
        TV Tuners
        
        Any suggestions of additions or deletions gratefully accepted.
        
6) So far, my software list consists of:
        Drivers; not a analysis of specific drivers (unless necessary);
        but a discussion of generically what the driver for a hardware
        component should do.
        Licencing;
        ALSA; pulseAlsa
        gstreamer;
        Flash;

As of yet, a very sparse list indeed.  I am unsure of the relationship
between various software components and sub-components (e.g. mySQL,
Apache etc.).  Fixing that lack of knowledge is, after all, the point of
the exercise.

Any tentative suggestions for main or generic types of software,
preferably in some logical tree order, are not only welcome, but, in
fact, begged for.   

I agree with Patrick, that if in fact, no one has yet put such a summary
together, I should create a Wiki site.  However, it is probably best
that I assemble the basic information that is readily available first.

References to the M$ Windows counterpart would be useful; although my
main objective is for Linux, Windows seems to have been there first for
most media uses and seems (from what I have read) to act as a touchstone
for comparisons.

Any quick remarks as to how these categories of investigation should
line up will help get things started.

Tom, I will organize quantum theory and end all war after I get this
project done.
-- 
Regards Bill;
Fedora 9, Gnome 2.22.2
Evo.2.22.2, Emacs 22.2.1