Re: [PATCH 2/3] ALSA: Implement the new virtual driver

[Ivan Orlov <ivan.orlov0322@gmail.com>]

On 5/14/23 13:18, Takashi Iwai wrote:
> The idea is interesting, and it's a definitely good thing to have.
> 
> I wonder, though, whether it could be better provided as an extention
> to the existing snd-dummy driver.  The advantage of extending
> snd-dummy driver would be that it already supports different formats,
> etc.  OTOH, if we create an individual driver, the pro side is the
> simpleness of the code.
> 
> I'm inclined to go with a separate driver, but I'm open about this.
> Maybe Jaroslav and Mark have some opinions?
> 
> About this patch set: the driver name should be a bit more specific,
> as this isn't a generic virtual driver that is used for general
> purpose but it's only for testing.  And it's only for testing PCM.
> So, a name like snd-test-pcm would be more appropriate, IMO.
> 
> And, we want the coverage of different formats, channels, rates and
> accesses (interleaved vs non-interleaved).  How can we extend somehow
> more for that?
> 
> 
> thanks,
> 
> Takashi

Hello Takashi! Thank you for your reply. I fully agree with the naming 
issue, and I'll change it in the future versions of the patch set in 
case we choose to have it as a separate driver. I also prefer this 
option because in my opinion the use cases of these drivers are a little 
bit different. Also, I believe I can extend the driver to support 
different formats, channels and accesses in the near future.

Additionally, implementing these changes would be a perfect task for the 
end of the Linux Kernel Mentorship program I'm going through :) However, 
I'm open to other views on this, and I'm ready to move the functionality 
from my driver to the snd-dummy in case we prefer this option.

Thanks again for considering my changes!

Kind regards,
Ivan Orlov.