Zebra and Penguin?

[coreydavid]

Making stuff for linux doesn't mean it has to be open source. In the engineering world a lot of tools are *nix and they are hardly what you call cheap. Having plugins which are compatible linux just opens another market for you.

I agree. We use Linux at work for several platforms and the licenses are very expensive for the products we use. Our code is not open-source, either, and people often assume that they're getting our source when they buy one our simulators. Not so.

.... alas, this is forum hobby musicians (for the most part) and they want stuff cheap (or free).

Urs knows the size of the Linux market. I'm sure he gets thousands of messages a day for a port to Linux. If Urs needs a month to port it, I suggest all the Linux users get together and buy his services for a month. That will shut up most of the people wanting something for nothing.

[bmrzycki]

Has anyone tried to run Zebra2 under Wine? Or does the installer crap out or something?

For what it's worth, Urs has gotten Zebra mostly workin on Receptor. The biggest fault seems to be preset location.

Even if the installer craps out, you can always install on windows and just snag the .dll file...

[Urs]

EnergyXT uses the VST standard, so all your code (except for the gui stuff) should be able to compile for linux with just some minor changes to the headers (look at djsubjects link). A lot of guiless plugins (and some with gui's) have been succesfully recompiled to work with ext on linux (like the mda stuff)
Since it's the same plugin format, it will probably be much less of a hassle than supporting, say, rtas.
Since you are already programming for mac, I suppose your gui code will be rather crossplatform either. Once your guilib works on linux, there should be almost no difference between the winvst version and the nixvst version.

Hmmm.

The plugin format (VST2, VST3, AU, RTAS) is neglectible as long as it meets the typical feature requirements.

However, as you point out, there's the crossplatform lib. This stuff handles file access and drawing into the editor window. This is pretty huge.

Last time I have used Linux... was Linux PPC back in 2000 and it was the biggest mess I could think of. It somehow destroyed itself over time even though I havn't done much. Admittedly, Solaris has topped this in a painful way.

Let's put it so:

- if I have some spare time, I'll install Linux via Bootcamp or into Parallels
- if it looks usuable, I'll check out Eclipse or something. No comfortable IDE = waste of nerves
- if I get everything compiled and running without custom gui, I'll check out options here

But before this happens I have to

Finish MFM2
Improve Zebra2
Bugfix 3C
Make a successor for 3C (dev competition)
Update Filterscape
Enter the realm of dynamics processing

So maybe around x-mas

[AllenPOPO]

and for what its worth, Zebra2 (demo) worked for me using wine-asio and XT2 windows in linux a native version would take away some cpu overhead that wine gives you, and would be a wildly awesome synth for linux since its one of those synths that can do so much. i dont know why people are "upset" that there are people waning a linux version. people are already getting mac version doesnt hurt to ask....coreydavid talks about it not being worth it, how do you know? of course he dosnt get a 1000 msgs a day from linux users..but he may if he gives the linux community a choice of arguably the best synth that has graced the market in a long time

as long as it was urs' decision, why would you care what it is?trust me i dont thnk windows users will ever be alienated for linux users....

[wrench45us]

well it's obvious with the future looking like Vista for Windows users, there's a definite need for some sort of secure, stripped back decent audio performing OS, but I don't think linux as fragmented and politicized as that environment has become is the 'answer'.

my concern would be 'opportunity cost' -- that Urs may have more return per fun and cash flow doing something else, but his list of priorities is fine by me.

[Urs]

people are already getting mac version

Actually, hrhrhr, it's rather the other way round... people kept bugging me for Windows versions... it only took two years to get there...

[coreydavid]

Has anyone tried to run Zebra2 under Wine? Or does the installer crap out or something?

For what it's worth, Urs has gotten Zebra mostly workin on Receptor. The biggest fault seems to be preset location.

Even if the installer craps out, you can always install on windows and just snag the .dll file...

The Receptor is a great example of a "closed-source" Linux system. I had one for a little while and had less than good results. It's too restrictive for my liking, also. I think that the Studio 2 Go thing is similar to that. They have a great idea but a very very limited market.

When I bought my laptop, it came with WinXP. I asked what it would cost without it because I can get OEM versions thru work. It added a hundred dollars to the cost of a 1200 USD laptop (Asus F3Jp). Too me, it wasn't worth installing Linux and hoping that it works. Trying to get drivers to work and all the bull$hit doesn't do anything for me. I want to be a better musician and not a sysadmin.

Some people get off on messing with computers but I'd rather spend my time being a better musician. I freaking love the software that I have. It costs so little and has brought so much joy to my life. Maybe 5 years from now Linux will be something to consider but I'm not starting over.

[bmrzycki]

Some people get off on messing with computers but I'd rather spend my time being a better musician. I freaking love the software that I have. It costs so little and has brought so much joy to my life. Maybe 5 years from now Linux will be something to consider but I'm not starting over.

Yep, I agree 100%. I use Linux for headless tasks like file sharing or web servers and my macbook for my desktop/DAW. Couldn't be happier.

[coreydavid]

....coreydavid talks about it not being worth it, how do you know? of course he dosnt get a 1000 msgs a day from linux users..but he may if he gives the linux community a choice of arguably the best synth that has graced the market in a long time

How would I know? Only by what I read from Urs. Only by what I read in forums. Only by knowing that Zebra started on the Mac and was ported to Windows and how long that took. Only by knowing that the Linux music market is very very small. Worth is a relative term, I know. I see people going ballistic over a piece of $30 software in these forums.

I agree it's a great synth. No doubt. I say to the Linux community, "Put up or shut up". You made a choice to run Linux knowing full well that it's a very small market. Then people goad developers into porting? Like they're owed it. I say group together and approach Urs with a business plan:

"Urs, we, the Members of the Linux Music Association, would like you to port your software to Linux. We can contract you for 30 days @ XX/hour to do the necessary work. In return, we can post your Zebra ads on 125 websites but we want free upgrades for two years for all the members that have contributed. Sales beyond our association are yours, future members of the LMA get a 5% discount". Or some bull$hit like that.

No offense or anything but running Linux limits the tools I have to make music. I've made some wonderful synths in Reaktor and played before hundreds of people in nightclubs with Reason (nobody ever asked me my OS). I won't give those (amongst other) tools up for Linux. It offers me nothing. I'm moving forward. I don't change for the sake of change. It has to offer me something that I can't get from what I have. If I have to pay for software, so be it. I like supporting guys like Urs.

So, I say to the Linux music makers, support Urs upfront. Put your money where your mouth is. Again, Allen, I mean no disrespect.

Well, I have a flight to get on.... later on, dudes.

[dougsyo]

people are already getting mac version

Actually, hrhrhr, it's rather the other way round... people kept bugging me for Windows versions... it only took two years to get there...

Although I haven't bought (yet), I'll say thanks for a Windows version in advance, since I know I'm going to buy sooner or later

Doug

[Nonplus]

waste of (Urs') time!

Filterscape works in receptor. receptor is linux. zebra probably works.

if a person is serious about doing audio in linux, they can figure out how to get your windows based plugz to work.
http://quicktoots.linuxaudio.org/toots/vst-plugins/

[Selfik]

Of course there are some ways of making plugs to work in linux but they are still not user friendly...

[djsubject]

people are already getting mac version

Actually, hrhrhr, it's rather the other way round... people kept bugging me for Windows versions... it only took two years to get there...

& boy am i happy they did


best synth i have! hands down!

Subz

[bmrzycki]

Of course there are some ways of making plugs to work in linux but they are still not user friendly...

And how is that any different from the rest of Linux?

[tylenol]

i dont know why people are "upset" that there are people waning a linux version.

I think the reason a lot of people are getting upset at the idea (or just don't like the idea so much) is that they are relatively invested in seeing u-he continue to succeed as a small developer, as well as keep producing new stuff and fixing bugs. They probably think (and I tend to agree) that a linux version would be a big time sink without a lot of benefit (financial or otherwise) for urs, and not only that, take him away from developing new features for existing plugins they are already using in other OSs.