[alsa-devel] Tascam Coding Inquiry

[Takashi Sakamoto]

Hi,

On Wed, Jan 08, 2020 at 01:36:36AM -0700, The Dream Master Solo wrote:
>    Hello and good day to you. I am reaching out in regards to code I've
>    found online. I looks like you are the author.
>    [1]https://elixir.bootlin.com/linux/v5.5-rc5/source/sound/firewire/tascam
>    I am interested in using this code in creating a 64 bit driver for OSX
>    10.13 or newer. I've just begun to learn coding a few weeks ago. Any
>    help that you can give me towards accomplishing this goal would be
>    greatly appreciated!

It's my pleasure to help developers ;) You can freely utilize the idea
written in the source of ALSA firewire-tascam driver with respect for
the modern framework of copyright treaty and law.

(This is one of my aim to publish the result of my reverse engineering
work for the series of device; FW-1884, FW-1082, FW-1804 and FE-8.)

I notice that it's better for you to have enough care of software
licensing itself. The source of driver is licensed under GNU General
Public License version 2.0 (GPLv2)[1]. Roughly speaking, when you just
copy any code from the source of driver to your software and distribute
your software to the others, your software should be licensed by GPLv2
or compatible ones because it includes lines in the source of driver.
On the other hand, as long as you write your software by your hand at
first place, you can freely license your software because the borrowing
of idea is free from the license on the copyright treaty and law.


Well, ALSA firewire-tascam driver uses controllers compliant to 1394
OHCI specification to communicate to the devices. For this purpose,
the driver uses kernel implementation of Linux FireWire subsystem. I
think that MacOS still includes the similar implementation and as a
first step you start study for it. Additionally the specification of
1394 OHCI will help your work:
 * 1394 Open Host Controller Interface Specification Release 1.00
   (October 20, 1997, Promoters of the 1394 Open HCI)
 * 1394 Open Host Controller Interface Specification Release 1.1
   (January 6, 2000, Promoters of the 1394 Open HCI)

[1] https://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.en.html


Regards

Takashi Sakamoto