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The release of this open source driver marks a "first" for Creative, and is expected to generate a wealth of supporting applications for the Sound Blaster Live! family of cards running on all major Linux kernel versions. With a huge installed base of Sound Blaster Live! users today, this is an exciting opportunity for Creative and the Linux community to deliver powerful 3D audio capabilities to a new operating system.
"The Sound Blaster Live! audio cards are a key component of Creative's Environmental Audio program," said George Thorn, director, Audio Marketing for Creative. "This is an exciting move for the company as it has provided driver support for the Linux operating system for some time, but not in open source form. We look forward to seeing the Linux community continue to do what it does best - collaborative engineering - the upshot of which will be an array of applications running on the Linux platform that feature integral support for Creative's Sound Blaster Live!"
"The Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA) team is very pleased that Creative has released drivers for open source development to the Linux community," said Jaroslav Kysela, ALSA team leader. "We anticipate releasing the ALSA code for Sound Blaster Live! sound cards later this month and look forward to continuing to work closely with Creative to enhance audio on the Linux platform."
"We are very pleased with Creative's announcement today to provide sources under GPL for its popular Sound Blaster Live! audio cards," said Markus Rex, director for development of SuSE, the leading provider of comprehensive packages of Linux-based applications. "We look forward to contributing to the enhancement of this driver together with the ALSA team."
The driver source code will be maintained on a dedicated server at Creative; project guidance and status will also be provided on this server. From the server, Linux developers will be able to check out the code, work with it, and resubmit it with any new enhancements. This type of Internet-based "Massive Online Development" has proven effective within the Linux community and has successfully delivered the majority of the Linux content thus far.
"Games being written for the Linux platform will obviously benefit from enhanced Sound Blaster Live! support," said Scott Draeker, president of Loki Entertainment Software, a leading provider of game titles for the Linux platform. "By opening its driver source code, Creative Labs has not only embraced the Linux community, it has also ensured that its audio hardware will continue to provide users with a superior listening experience. Loki enthusiastically supports Creative's move today, and will work with Creative and the Linux community to provide comprehensive support in its games for Creative's hardware."
The distribution of open source Linux drivers for Sound Blaster Live! is the first publicly announced step in an ongoing program to bring Creative's audio expertise to new platforms. This driver is now available, free of charge, to Linux developers at https://opensource.creative.com.
This announcement relates to products being launched in the United States of America. The product names, contents, prices and availability may differ elsewhere in the world according to local factors and requirements.
Sound Blaster and Blaster are registered trademarks of Creative Technology Ltd. in the U.S. and other countries.
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