This is done by recording the MIDI data sent from the controller / instrument into RAM and then creating a file name and saving it to your hard drive. The file size is much smaller than actual digital audio data. A sequencer application that supports MIDI can then be used to open the MIDI (.mid) file and play back the performance note for note, with the same tempo and effects as the original. The data is organized into chunks, with a header chunk (format, tracks and timing) and track chunk (events).

MIDI data is transferred from a controller to another device or software application (software synthesizer or Sequencer) at a 10-bit serial (sequential) data stream (1 byte MIDI data and 1 bit each for Start and Stop data), at a bit rate of 31.25 kilobaud (baud measures signal changes).

Channel messages are for a specific MIDI channel and the instrument assigned to that specific channel. System messages are directed to all channels.

The MIDI channel message consists first of the status byte followed by the data bytes. The status byte will consist of either Note ON or Note OFF, while the data bytes (and there can be more than one in between the status bytes) will specifty data such as which note was depressed on the keyboard and at what velocity sensitivity.

• MIDI message signals represent: Note-on: start playing
• Note-off: stop playing
• Program Change: switch to a different channel (instrument)
• Pitch Bend: shift pitch of note in response to the physical attributes of the pitch bend wheel
• Aftertouch: pressure on key or string when depressed or plucked
• Control Change: the utilization of one of the physical controls that applies an effect to a specific instrument such as the volume slider or the sustain pedal, or the Pitch or Modulation Wheel on a MIDI keyboard

Continuous Control or Control Change messages, which control effects, are of two types: switch controllers and variable controllers (there 128 possible control parameters). Switch controllers turn a device on or off. The variable controller can change the parameters. Continuous Control information includes pitch, tempo, panning, key signature, volume, time signature, modulation, reverb, chorus and program change messages.

The MIDI Control Change message also consists first of the status byte followed by the data bytes. The status byte will consist of either Effect ON or Effect OFF, while the data bytes (and there can be more than one in between the status bytes) will specifty data such as such as the continuous change in the parameters of the effect.

Thus, a sequence might be a Note On message, the channel number and the note value (pitch). Pitch values range 0 to 127 in General MIDI. Each change in pitch value increases the pitch by one semitone. The addition of the Pich Wheel effect and the actual movement of the Pitch Wheel and its position will be represented by a sequence of Continuous Control data bytes.

Each instrument or event can be assigned a MIDI channel. With 16 channels one may have 16 MIDI events or channel messages all through the same, single MIDI cable. The Program Change message indicates which of the 1 to 128 (GM) instruments, voices, timbres, etc., one has selected. (Please see the General MIDI Instrument chart for a list of instrument sounds). Thus, the performance could be played on the Acoustic Grand Piano (Program 1), and then a program change message could be sent to open program 17, and the Drawbar Organ voice will be loaded and notes on that instrument will be played.

When one opens their Sequencer software application, if the Sequencer does not automatically set all controllers to its default setting, then you may first have to insert a reset all controllers message. Next one must insert a Bank Select controller signal for the channel so it will select the instrument sound you desire.

System Exclusive (SysEx) MIDI data does not contain information related to the actual performance. Rather, it contains information about the parameters of a device or devices in the signal chain. Those specific parameters of the device’s function used to process data during a performance are then controlled through the SysEx number assigned to it. The transfer of the data concerning the parameters of the device is known as a SysEx dump. Each manufacturer of a MIDI device has an Identification number and a SysEx message can be directed to a specific device within a group of MIDI devices by specifying the manufacturer’s ID number in the SysEx message. Thus, one may obtain, for instance, a new set of sound synthesis parameters could be obtained from the manufacturer of a device and can be installed from one’s computer to the device prior to a performance in order to have an entirely new set of sounds to work with. One can then do a SysEx dump to go back to the original parameters after the performance is completed.

It is much easier to edit a MIDI file compared to a WAV file that had all of the digital audio data recorded simultaneously. Rather, MIDI will allow you to separate the various parts for further editing.

There are two types of standard MIDI file (SMF). One standard, MIDI Type 0 has one track of data while the other standard, MIDI Type 1, has more then one track of data.

MIDI Clock
MIDI Clock transfers data on song position pointers and the tempo rate (24 per beat) to connected devices. It will allow several connected MIDI devices to be synchronized together.

MIDI Time Code
MIDI Time Code (MTC) indicates a reference point in the elapsed MIDI performance to connected devices (it will allows several sequencers and recorders synchronize to each other). The code standard is based on frames, seconds, minutes and hours (hours:minutes:seconds:frames:subframes when displayed). MIDI Time code can be synchronized to SMPTE Time Code and transfer SMPTE data in MIDI format.

MIDI Machine Code
MIDI Machine Code (MMC) will allow one device to act as a Master to control another device (basic stop and start), however it will not synchronize the actual data transfer.

Some soundcard software is capable of adding effects (actually mathematical manipulation of the data) during the transfer to the soundcard driver but prior to transfer to the DAC. This is accomplished with the inclusion of a DSP microchip to the soundcard, with the DSP programmed with sophisticated algorithm specifically written to process digital audio data. With this software you can add reverb, panning, chorus, delay, etc., that will be applied during playback or saving the file to hard disk.

ASIO drivers work with PCI-based soundcards.

First, are you left-handed and your mouse is set for a right-handed person?

• In Windows 98 double Click on the My Computer icon
• Double Click on the Control Panel icon
• Double Click on the Mouse icon
• Click once on the Basics Tab
• In the middle of the dialog box you will see Button Selection
• Click once on the Right or Upper radial button
• Click once on the OK Button at the bottom of the Mouse Dialog Box
• Close the Control Panel dialog box and the My Computer dialog box

To determine how much free drive space you have for installing new programs or undertaking a large audio project

• In Windows 98 SE, Me and 2000 double Click on the My Computer icon
• Right click on the C: drive and click once on Properties from the pop-up menu
• The properties dialog box will open and gives a clear indication of unused space
• On may also perform Disk Cleanup, Scan Disk and Defra from the Properties box

If you purchase a multi-channel recording software application from one of the major developers, complete a few minor preliminary tasks in order to insure a clean install of the program (all versions of MS Windows):

• Defrag the hard drive so that the application will be installed in continuous sectors
• Close any other open programs prior to the installation
• Close programs that run in the background such as Task Scheduler, instant messaging or multimedia players that open at Start (look at the System Tray in the lower right hand corner of the computer’s screen, next to the clock, by right clicking on these icons there is usually an option to suspend or exit the application)
• Disable or deactivate the anitvirus software application (again by right clicking on the icon in the System Tray)

To create a Folder and File for your work in a Windows-based system:

• In Windows 98 SE Click Start once
• Click (or merely point to) Programs once
• Click once on the Windows Explorer icon
• The Exploring Dialog Box usually opens with the C: Drive already highlighted. If not, click on the C: Drive once to highlight.
• Click once on the File button in the upper left hand corner
• When the Dialog Box opens, move the Pointer Arrow Cursor down to point or click on New
• Click on Folder
• A Folder will be created that is highlighted with the Cursor blinking within. Type the name of the file you with to create by giving a relevant name (Wav Files, Recording, Audio Data, etc.)
• Press the Enter Key and the Folder is created.
• To create Files within this Folder, go through the same steps above to open up Windows Explorer. After that, use the Scroll Bar to search the C: Drive Root Directory to locate your new Folder (it should have been alphabetically inserted between existing folders)
• Highlight your new Folder by clicking on it once. Repeat the steps outlined above by clicking on File, New, etc., to create a File (really a new Folder within your recently created Folder) to hold various recordings, files, etc.

In order to have certain audio files opened by certain applications running on an MS Windows-based system:

• In Windows 98 SE Click Start once
• Click (or merely point to) Programs once
• Click once on the Windows Explorer icon
• Click once on the View button in the Tool Bar along the top of the Windows Explorer Dialog Box
• Move the Pointer Arrow Cursor down to point or click on Folder Options
• Click once on the File Types Tab
• Use the Scroll Bar to scroll through the Registered File Types. When you find the type of audio file you are looking for, click on it to highlight it. The dialog box will automatically display the properties of the file.
• Click once on the Edit button
• Click once on either the Open or Play option in the Actions Dialog Box
• Click once on the Edit button. The Editing Action for Type dialog box will open and you can either enter the string for the application or browse your directory for the application. You should know ahead of time whether the application will support the file type.
• In Windows 98, Me, 2000 and NT open Windows Explorer
• Open a Folder that contains a file type you are interested in
• Click the file once to highlight it
• Hold down the Shift key and right click the file and a menu will open
• Click once on the Open with… option, and the Open With dialog box will open
• Scroll through the registered programs for the correct application (you may see names of programs you thought you had uninstalled)
• Double click on the application you wish to use to open this specific file type
• If you also place a check within the box next to Always Use This Program To Open This Type Of File then in the future it will do just that

To turn off the Power Management so it will not interfere with recording and CD data transfer applications:

• In Windows 98 SE Double Click on the My Computer icon
• Double Click on the Control Panel icon
• Double Click on the Power Management icon to open the Power Management Properties Dialog Box
• Click once on the Power Schemes Tab
• In the Systems Standby option, open the Dialog Box by clicking on the arrow on the right of the Box, then click once on “Never” to highlight
• In the Turn Off Monitor option, open the Dialog Box by clicking on the arrow on the right of the Box, then click once on “Never” to highlight

Similarly, in Windows XP, animated graphics of the operating system itself can consume resources that may promote audio latency, thus:

• Right Click the My Computer icon
• Select Properties from the menu
• Click once on the Advanced Tab
• Within the Performance box you will see the Visual Effects Tab
• Click once on the Settings button
• Click once on the Best Performance button (this will deselect / uncheck all items in the list, clicking on Best Appearance reselects all the items again)
• Click once on the Custom button to be able to work through the list and check only the items you desire
• Click on the O.K. button to save any changes

Similarly, in Windows 98 SE, Me and XP (not 2000), one can use msconfig (MS Configuration Utility) to reduce the number of MS Windows and application applets that run in the background and consume resources that may promote audio latency, thus:

• Click once on Start
• Click once on Run
• Within the Open line (within the Run dialog box) type: misconfig, then click once on OK
• The MS Configuration Utility box will open
• Click once on the Start Tab
• A list of applets has a box that is checked or unchecked next to it on the left
• You must be extremely careful with what you decide to deselect. It is possible to render MS Windows incapable of booting
• Look at the file location description on the right for an explanation of each applet. Do not uncheck any applets related to the MS Windows operating system (Systray, TaskMonitor, ScanRegistry, Explorer, PowerProfile, StateMgr)
• If you do select any items then you will receive a Selective Startup Mode notification message next time you reboot your computer. This provides you with an opportunity to undo any changes. Unfortunately, you will not know until you have rebooted whether you may have unchecked an integral applet to the Windows operating system.
• If for some reason you cannot reboot the computer then you can start the computer in Safe Mode by starting the computer again while holding the Control Key (Ctrl) while windows starts to load. Within Safe Mode you have the opportunity to type msconfig again and you can reselect the applet you unchecked, and you can attempt to reboot the computer again.

To clean up the hard drive in order to increase disk storage space for audio projects:

• In Windows 98 SE Double click on the My Computer icon
• Right click once on the C:Drive icon
• Click once on Properties in the drop-down menu (a Properties dialog box will open)
• Click once on the Disk Cleanup button
• Several types of files that can be deleted safely (Temporary Internet, Offline Web pages, Downloaded Program files, Recycle Bin and Temporary files) are listed. Click once in the box next to each file type in order to have these types of files deleted.
• Click once on OK (you will be prompted to be sure you want to delete theses files, click Yes)
• The disk cleanup utility will close when it is finished
• Close the Properties dialog box
• Close the My Computer menu box

To determine what applications are opening with Start-up of your computer, and reduce the amount to improve system performance and conserve resources for audio projects:

• In Windows 98 SE and Me right click on the Start Button
• Click once on Explore and Windows Explorer will open; If this does not automatically take you to the Start Menu folder in Windows Explorer then double click the C: drive, double click Windows and double click Start Menu and the Programs Folder listing will expand
• Click once on Programs and then on the plus sign within the box next to Programs to expand the listing of programs. These are all of the applications that are opening (not in their entirety) at Start-up
• In the right hand pane of the Windows Explorer window you can click once on a program to highlight it and then click once on the Delete button at the top to remove the program only from Start-up (this does not permanently delete the application from your computer, you can still find it in the Windows, Programs folder)

To adjust the volume control of the Windows OS (not the actual soundcard software application, although adjusting the Windows OS will affect the quality of the audible sound output):

• In Windows 98 SE Left Click the Volume icon in the right hand bottom corner of the screen
• Click once on the highligted Open Volume Controls
• A basic Play Control center will open in the left-hand upper corner
• The volume and balance of several audio functions can be adjusted
• The Advanced Properties button for the Play Control Balance&$47;Volume and the Microphone Balance/Volume allow one to adjust the Treble and Bass audible sound output. In the Microphone Balance/Volume Advanced Properties has an option to click on a 20dB mic boost which is very helpful for improving microphone response.
• Click Options and then Exit to save your adjustments.
• In Windows XP Click Start, select the Control Panel
• Double Click the Sounds and Audio Devices icon
• Click the Volume Tab to adust the Balance and Volume of various audio functions. In addition, if you have 5.1 surround sound speakers attached to your computer, in the Volume dialog box click on the Advanced Properties button within the Speakers section, this will will open the Advanced Properties dialog box and there is an option in the Speaker Set-up box to select 5.1 surround configuration.
• Click the Audio Tab to select which devices will be used for Recording audio Playback and MIDI Playback

If you have installed two different soundcards and you want to use one for recording projects and one for playback (this should not really be necessary if the new sound card is a high quality full duplex card); or perhaps you are having problems getting sound from the sound card (MS Windows 98 SE and Me):

• Click Start once
• Click (or merely point to) Settings
• Click Control Panel once
• Double Click on the Multimedia icon and the Multimedia Properties dialog box will open
• Click once on the Audio Tab
• You can use the drop down menu in both of the Playback preferred device and the Recording preferred device sections to select the sound card of your choice. In most instances it will be the same sound card for both.
• The Advanced Properties button in both of the Playback preferred device and the Recording preferred device sections allows one to improve the playback and/or recording quality.
• Click Apply for an changes made to be updated

On the Windows 98 SE, Me and 2000 operating system one can utilize a basic sampler and editor. To begin:

• click once on Start
• Click once (or merely point to) Programs
• Click once (or merely point to) Accessories
• Click once (or merely point to) Entertainment
• Click once on Sound Recorder

You may have to locate and open the Mixer for your sound card and select the source (.wav, MIDI or line-in) and specifiy the recording source. If one inserted a microphone into the connection in the back of computer then you could record by clicking on the Record (button with the red circle). Once completed you must click File, Save As and then specify a folder / file to store the sample to hard disk in .wav format.

One can also open an existing digital audio file (in .wav format) and edit it. With Sound Recorder open, click on File, Open and then use the drop down Windows Explorer-like Open dialog box to navigate to the folder to locate the file. Once the file is located and then clicked once to be highlighted, click Open and the file is loaded into the Sound Recorder. Click Play (button with the arrow pointing right) to audition the sound.

The basic effects in the Effects drop down menu are Echo, Volume and Speed increase/decrease, all of which can be applied several times if desired. One can also Reverse the signal. Of interest is that one can insert one file, move the slider back to the left hand side, and click Edit, then Mix With File, and you can add an additional file which will play simultaneously with the first file. If you do not move the slider back to the left then the new sample is added at the end of the previous sample. The result can be saved into a new file (File, Save AS). Sound Recorder will also allow conversion of files between several basic, PCM formats and several sampling rates. One can also convert an .aiff or .snd file to a .wav file by loading it into Sound Recorder and then saving it as a PCW .wav format.

To determine which version of Windows Media Player you have installed (MS Windows 98 SE):

• Click Start once
• Click (or merely point to) Programs once
• Click (or merely point to) Accessories
• Click (or merely point to) Entertainment
• Click once on Windows Media Player
• Click once on Help
• Click once on About Windows Media Player
• The dialog box will indicate the version
• Click OK once to close the dialog box

To install updated MS Windows audio codecs (MS Windows 98, ME and 2000):

Quite simply, it is a matter of installing the most recent copy of the MS Windows Media Player from the MS Windows web site and then rebooting your computer

To determine which Hardware Drivers you have installed (MS Windows 98 SE and Me):

• Click Start once
• Click (or merely point to) Programs once
• Click (or merely point to) Accessories
• Click (or merely point to) System Tools
• Click System Information and the Microsoft System Information dialog box and menu will open
• Click Software Environment then click on the box with plus sign in it to expand the index
• Click Drivers then click on the box with plus sign in it to expand the index
• Click on each one of the index options: Kernel Drivers, MS-DOS Drivers and User-Mode Drivers to see what versions are installed
• Click File then Exit to close the dialog box
• This procedure lists all of the Drivers on the system, if you wish to concentrate on one particular device such as your sound card (MS Windows 98 SE and ME):
• Right click the My Computer icon on the desktop
• Click once on Properties and the System Properties dialog box will open
• Click once on the Device Manager Tab
• A list of devices is along the left side of the dialog box, click once on Sound, video and game controllers and then click on the box with the plus sign inside of it to expand device list
• If, for instance, your sound card is a Creative Labs SoundBlaster, click once on Creative SB Live and then click once on the Properties button at the bottom of the dialog box
• The Creative SB Live dialog box will open, click once on the Driver Tab, then click one on the Driver File Details button at the bottom of the dialog box (the Drive File Details dialog box will open)
• By clicking once on each specific driver, library file, etc., within the dialog box, the Provider and File version will change with each highlighted selection. By copying down the driver file and file version you can than get onto the manufacturers web site and determine if a driver has been updated
• Click OK, Cancel and Cancel to close each dialog box and exit without changes

If you are having a problem with DirectX components or drivers you have installed (MS Windows 98 SE and Me):

• Click Start once
• Click (or merely point to) Programs once
• Click (or merely point to) Accessories
• Click (or merely point to) System Tools
• Click System Information and the Microsoft System Information dialog box and menu will open
• Click Tools and from the drop-down menu click once on DirectX Diagnostic Tool and the DirectX Diagnostic Tool dialog box will open
• There are several Tabs across the top of the dialog box that list DirectX components and drivers that can be diagnosed for problems and there are some solutions and trouble shooting offered.
• Click EXIT to close the dialog box

If you would like to use the Sound Troubleshooter utility in the Windows Help (MS Windows 98 SE and Me):

• Click Start once
• Click once on Help and the Windows Help dialog box will open
• Click the Index Tab (if it did not open as the default tab)
• In the Keywords entry line type TRO (this is usually sufficient to bring up the Troubleshooting entry
• Use the scroll bar to get to the Sound entry under Troubleshooting
• Click once on Sound to highlight the entry
• Click once on the Display box and the Topics dialog box will open
• Click once on Sound Troubleshooter to highlight the entry (you can also launch DirectX troubleshooter from this box)
• Click once on the Dispaly box
• the Sound Troubleshooter dialog box will open in the right pane and click on Click here to open it
• Sound Troubleshooter offers several basic sound problem scenarios and their possible solution by clicking on the appropriate radio button and then clicking on the Next button at the bottom of the pane

If you have purchased a new computer with MS Windows XP operating system or you have upgraded / installed the operating system and you cannot get one of your older audio editing or recording programs to function now:

• Click once on Start
• Click once on All Programs
• Click once on Accessories
• Click once on Program Compatibility wizard, then click once on Next to start
• There are three options to locate the application that you wish to install
  • From a list programs
  • From a program on a disc in the CD-ROM drive
  • Locate the program manuallly
• The third option allows to manually search through the drives and the CD-ROM
• When you locate the application click once / highlight the SETUP.EXE or APPLICATION.EXE file
• Click once on Open and then click once on Next
• There is a dialog box that allows you to configure the system for a specific application. You must select the edition of the MS Windows OS that the application was written for. MS Windows XP will then virtually emulate this version of Windows when the application is opened. Select the edition you require and click once on Next.
• Click once on Disable visual themes (which are MS Windows XP specific functions and not part of earlier editions of Windows)
• When you have completed setting the operating system options you may test the application to now see if it will function correctly. If the application will now function then select the: Set This Program To Always Use These Compatibility Settings. There are only so many options to select for resolving the problem. If none of the options result in the application functioning then you must contact the manufacturer to download a patch program.

If you have purchased a sound sample CD-Audio and wish to rip a sample track from the CD and have it stored in a specific file of samples rather than in the folder of the default setting in Windows Media Player XP:

• With Windows Media Player open click once on Tools in the upper left of the menu bar
• Click once on Options
• A Options dialog box will open
• Click once on the Change button in the Archive Section
• The window allows once to browse through the folders of the C drive
• Click once on the desired folder in order to highlight it
• Click once on OK

If you downloaded or ripped from a CD a digital audio sound file and you forgot which file you placed it in or where it was downloaded to in the first place in (Windows 98 SE):

• Click once on Start
• Click once or merely place the cursor on Find (In Windows Me and 2000 click or highlight Search)
• A menu will slide open to the right and click once on Files and Folders
• Click once on the Advanced Tab
• Click on the Of Type: drop down menu
• Here you will find the opportunity to select many types of audio files (not just audio, any type of file), such as AIFF, AU, Liquid Audio, M3U, MP3, QuickTime, RealAudio, Windows media, and formats that may be associated with audio applications you may have installed
• Click once on the desired audio format
• Click once on the Name & Location Tab and click on the Look In: drop down menu. You can either specify the entire C drive directory or an individual file or folder
• Click on the Find Now button
• Find will begin listing all of the files with that particular file extension (which can be quite voluminous)

If you downloaded or ripped from a CD a digital audio sound file and you would like to rename to match your own Folder and file names (Windows 98 SE, Me , NT and 2000):

• Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder that holds the sample file
• In the right pane of Windows Explorer click once on the file to highlight it
• Right click on the file to open the pop-up menu and click once on Rename
• Make sure you edit to the left of the period that is part of the file exstension
• Press the Enter key on the keyboard to have the new file name registered in the folder
• If you have already used the sample in a project you may have to rename the track also for it to open in the project

If you have a digital audio sound file sample that you do not want anyone to edit (Windows 98 SE, Me , NT and 2000):

• Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder that holds the sample file
• In the right pane of Windows Explorer click once on the file to highlight it
• Right click on the file to open the pop-up menu and click once on Properties
• A the bottom of the Properties dialog box you will see Attributes, click the box next to Read Only
• Click once on the Apply button and then click on OK to close the dialog box

If you have a digital audio sound file sample that you would like to preview / audition without opening up an editor / audio application and then loading the file (Windows 98 SE, Me , NT and 2000):

• Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder that holds the sample file
• In the right pane of Windows Explorer click once on the file to highlight it
• Right click on the file to open the pop-up menu and click once on Properties
• Click on the Preview Tab
• Click once on the Play arrow icon in the center of the dialog box
• Click once on OK to close the dialog box

To create a Windows Start-up Disk that you store and then use to restart your computer in the event of a system failure (Windows 98 SE):

• Your computer must have a 3.5 inch Floppy Drive that will accept 1.44MB floppy disks.
• Install a 1.44BM floppy disk in the 3.5 inch Floppy Drive
• Click once on Start
• Click once or point to Settings
• Click once on Control Panel
• Click twice on the Add / Remove Programs icon
• Select the Startup Disk Tab
• Click on the Create Disk Tab
• The instructions will guide you through to the creation of the disk

MS Windows 2000 and Windows XP do not have a simple boot disk creation option. First, if there is a problem starting either of these versions of the Windows operating system one must shut down the computer, wait a few moments and then start the computer again. As the computer begins to boot one must press the F8 key. After depressing the F8 key a menu of options will display. The mouse cannot be used so one must use the arrow keys to navigate within the menu. One should start with the Last Known Good Configuration option. An alternative selection is Safe Mode. The creation of an actual off site boot disk requires formatting a 1.44MB floppy disk and copying several essential files to the disk by opening Windows Explorer. The essential files to be copied are boot.ini, ntdetect.com and ntldr. These files are accessed by navigating through the MS Windows folder tree in Windows Explorer to the C:Drive.

If you installed a copy of an audio application, plug-in, software sampler, etc., and suddenly the computer is no longer operating as it was in the past (error message, system crashes):

• In Windows XP open System Restore
• A Calendar of the present month will be presented. The Calendar will have certain dates that are high-lighted as dates that a Restore Point was created by the application (for instance, a Restore Point is automatically created when one installs a new software application)
• Select a Restore Point (highlighted calendar date) and it will automatically disply what software was installed on that date
• Select the date you desire by clicking on it and then select Next
• The MS Windows XP operating system is rolled back to that date when everything was operating correctly. All files on the C Drive are saved intact and the application that was causing the problems is automatically Uninstalled
• If you use System Restore to roll back to a certain date you will lose access to any application (even if it was not the application causing trouble) that you may have installed since then. Secondly, System Restore consumes quite a lot of hard drive space in order to store the system configuration. It is possible to disable System Restore if you so desire.

If you have too many icons on your desktop screen:

• In Windows 98 / 98SE / ME / 2000 / XP:
• As long as the icon has a box with an arrow inside it in the bottom left corner then it is a shortcut icon to an application, not an actual program icon
• Right click once on the icon
• The drop down menu attached to the cursor will offer several options, including Delete
• Click once on Delete and a dialog box will open to prompt you if you want to delete the specific icon
• Click once on Yes to delete the icon (you can still access the program from the Start menu or from within Windows Explorer)

Preparing Apple Computer / Macintosh OS-based computers for Audio Projects

To create a Folder and File for your work in a Macintosh OS-based system:

• Click Finder once
• Click File Menu once
• Click New Folder once
• When the untitled folder appears on the Desktop, type in a relevant name for the work to be stored in the folder
• Click anywhere on the Desktop to complete the creation of the folder

The most recent MAC OS Apple computers ship with the iTunes application. The application is supported by the Mac OS 9.04 OS or higher. Owners of older machines may download and install the application from the Apple web site. The application itself is primarily for managing and playing MP3 files and CDs on the Apple MAC OS (includes ID3 tag editing). The application will encode MP3 files up to 320 kbps. It also provides a CD-RW burning capability, which is compatible with several manufacturer’s CD-RW devices. The CD-RW authoring application does not require the intermediary step of decoding mp3s to .aiff format.

Digital audio files in MP3 format or streaming media can be listened to with Quicktime. The new OS X includes the Music Player application, which will play CD Audio and MP3 files.

A DMA controller application temporarily utilizes the system bus for the purpose of its own direct transfer. The CPU halts all processing functions or completes any processing that does not require the system bus while the DMA controller is engaged. This is very beneficial for soundcards, especially if an external microphone signal source is the input, to reduce latency issues.

This way software applications run on the common DirectX platform / drivers (bypassing the Windows interface) regardless of what type of computer hardware is used. Similarly, software developers only have to write an application to be compatible with DirectX rather than the hardware. DirectX will also run a diagnostic of the hardware and determine the best parameters of the software application for optimum performance. The audio components of DirectX are DirectSound, DirectMusic and DirectShow. By developing and coding the Driver application to be compatible with DirectSound the interface is independent of the actual hardware device.

The advantage for audio-related applications (host and plug-ins) is improved hardware acceleration, direct access to the sound device and lower latency. The latest version of DirectX is supported on Windows95 through Me. WindowsNT 4.0 will only support DirectX 3.0a. Plug-in applications or sound production applications that are written for/supported by DirectX are sometimes known as DXi (DirectX Instruments).

Never interrupt the installation of a driver from a disk or downloading from a web site. If you feel you have installed the wrong version wait for the installation to complete and then uninstall the driver application.

Audio related Drivers

• Drivers for soundcards are necessary for the following audio-related operating system protocols: Windows 95/98/2000/NT/XP
• WDM
• ASIO and ASIO 2
• DirectX
• EASI
• Multicard 95/98/NT
• Mac Sound Manager
• Mac ASIO Delta DiO

Audio related Drivers include Sound Manager (Apple Computers), ASIO (Steinberg), DAE (Digidesign Audio Engine), Direct I/O (Digidesign), MAS 2.0 (MOTU), VST (Steinberg), and DirectX / Direct Sound (Microsoft). (Please see Software Page 3 for Rewire and DirectConnect inter-application communication protocols).

If you are using a software Sequencer and a software Synthesizer at the same time on your computer, and the installation of the software Synthesizer does not include and internal MIDI link, then you must install a MIDI Loopback Driver.

On Windows 98 and 2000 OS, some audio related Drivers come under a common class of Driver known as Windows Driver Model (WDM). For instance, several devices connected to your computer by USB cable all have some USB-related communication standards in common. Thus a Driver developer can write the common operations for WDM and the new code would be just for specific functions of the device. This results in smaller Driver files. In addition, WDM results in very low latency performance for sound cards that are supported by the protocol. Direct X virtual Instruments (DXi) plug-ins are designed to take advantage of WDM

ASIO (Audio System/Stream Input/Output) Driver is a protocol that is designed to interface between soundcards, audio hardware and Steinberg’s proprietary Cubase VST software applications (and plug-ins) by superceding the installed audio-related drivers already on the computer. Both Mac OS and MS Windows support ASIO Drivers. The standard has been revised by ASIO 2.0, which will allow two software applications to access a soundcard simultaneously.

Digidesign Audio Engine (DAE) is the proprietary driver set that installs with the Digi 001 / Pro Tools (TDM and LE) hardware and software application. DAE is a separate application that is also compatible also with MOTU and Emagic multi-track audio applications and it supports TDM and RTAS plug-in applications. Digidesign has an additional driver known as Direct I/O, which is a multi-channel audio I/O driver.

MOTU Audio System (MAS) is the driver set that supports plug-in applications that are written for MOTU (Mark of the Unicorn) Digital Performer host application.

EASI (Enhanced Audio Streaming Interface) is the driver set that installs with Emagic’s Logic Audio and allows direct, multi-channel transfer between the application, plug-ins and audio hardware.

Core Audio is the internal audio-related driver set for Apple Computers and the Mac OS X. The driver supports multi-channel audio processing and has very low latency. The driver set installed in earlier Apple Mac computers is known as Sound Manager.

GSIF is the audio-related driver that is part of the Tascam Gigastudio sampler application.

• There are several different types of applications that can be operated on a Server (private networks and Internet): Directory Server: manages the resources of the network.
• Application Server: function as intermediaries between the client-based on-line request and back-end servers by processing, retrieving and storing data for the web server and routing information between applications and databases.
• File Server: maintains working copies of files in various formats for access by a work group.
• Print Server: distributes printing instructions to various printers connected to a network.
• Domain Name Server (DNS): responds to a domain name request typed into a browser and converts the written domain name to the corresponding IP address.
• HTTP Web Server: responds to a request for a particular file on a web site and transmits the contents of the file to the HTTP requesting web browser and execute the HTML, JavaScript and VBScript. This type of server application can also accept and receive input from a client (also in a secure manner)
• FTP Server: file repository and the downloading and uploading of files.
• Communications Server / E-mail Server (POP or Post Office Protocol): hosts e-mail or voicemail and PBX functions.
• Audio – Visual, Streaming Media / Multimedia Server: the downloading and streaming of various file formats containing audio, video, graphics or a combination of all.
• Caching: a network of repsository servers that stores identical data in a closer geographical proximity to an intended viewer, thus reducing access time for streaming content.
• Portal Server: functions as an interface to the World Wide Web by combining and presenting personal information and preferences of the client viewer.
• Proxy Server: will hold duplicate data on a separate server location.

Microsoft
SQL Server 2000 – Internet database query, support for XML (to be upgraded to 64-bit)
Exchange 2000 Server – Workgroup, instant messaging, teleconferencing
DNS Server – Manage and update host names and addresses
IIS (Internet Information) – Web server

iPlanet
Portal Server – Portals providing multiple content to various user profiles (B2B, B2C)
Directory Server
Messaging Server
Application Server
Calendar Server

ScreamingMedia
Actrellis Integration Server – Combine data from various sources and formats and deliver to various applications and platforms; support for XML, J2EE, XSLT

Apache
Apache 2.0.4 – Web server

Web Server

Web Server software is first designed to establish a connection with, and respond to, a request from a browser application (HTTP / Hyper Text Transfer Protocol), locate an HTML constructed file stored on its hard drive, parse the syntax of the HTML document (interpret the HTML language / Tags) and deliver the requested file (which is displayed as a web page in the requesting browser). Web Servers must also be able to run compiled program files or script files in response to an interactive link to the file(s) on a web page. An example of this is a CGI (Common Gateway Interface) script file that processes information entered into a form on a web page. This expanded capability also includes secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS) and Server Side Includes (SSI) protocol. The Web Server also has the option of setting up an FTP Server for the storage and transfer of files.

Web Server Applications:

Apache HTTP Server 1.3.26 and 2.0.4 is a open source HTTP server application originally developed by developers connected to the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (University of Illinois). The application is especially useful and very popular for operating HTTP web servers. Apache runs on a Unix, Mac OS X (Apache HTTP is pre-installed on Mac OS X and also provides PHP and PERL scripting support), Windows 9X/NT or Linux operating system. The core application that one downloads from the organization’s web site does not support SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) for secure e-commerce transactions (it must located from a third party add-on). Support for Microsoft ASP must also be provided by a third-party application. The application can also be configured to provide support for JSP and SQL. Apache is designed with a text-based interface for configuration and administration (the main configuration file is httpd:conf and text-based directives are entered into this file).

One may download a copy of Apache 2.0.4 or 1.3.26 for a specific operating system from the Apache Software Foundation web site: www.apache.org/dist/httpd/binaries/

Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) (versions 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0) runs on a Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP Professional operating system. The IIS standard provides support for ASP (Active Server Pages / ASP.net) and for the .NET web service protocols. There have been several security issues related to the application in the past. It is available as a free download but the file size is substantial. IIS is designed with a Windows-like graphical user interface (GUI) for configuration and administration.

iPlanet Web Server for Enterprise 6.0 developed by Sun Microsystems and Netscape, runs on the Solaris or Unix operating system.

Zeus Web Server by Zeus Technology runs on the Linux operating system

IBM Corp.’s HTTP Server (based on Apache 1.3) runs on the Linux operating system

C2Net (Red Hat) Stronghold Server (based on Apache 1.3) runs on the Linux operating system

Roxen Web Server by Roxen Internet Software runs on the Linux operating system

Web Applications

• Web Applications Server Platforms: run business and e-commerce applications on the server side, create web pages based on client selections, manage business transactions based on client selection. IBM WebSphere
• BEA Systems WebLogic
• Microsoft Commerce Server and .NET Enterprise Server Suite is designed and envisaged as a technology that will deliver programs to clients over the internet rather than installing an individual program on an individual computer.
• Sun Microsystems iPlanet

Databases are either relational (rows, columns and tables), mainframe or objected oriented. While this type of programming is not part of sound or music production, this situation does comes into play if one maintains a web-based catalog (inventory) of recordings for sale or download. If one enters a search into a dialog box on a web site, say an artist similar to another artist or a similar musical genre, then a database must be accessed and queried for a correct response. Or If you purchase from a web site then a record of personal information, transaction purchase, service, prices and payment is created and stored on a database server. Relational databases are accessed primarily with SQL (Structured Query Language; there are different versions by IBM, Microsoft and Oracle). SQL is not really a programming language but rather locates and delivers data into an executable program. On the other hand, object oriented database management comes into play with the actual retrieval of sounds from an on-screen graphical user interface.

Database Server Platforms: IBM, Oracle, Microsoft SQL, Sybase, MySQL, Informix.

Web services, a broad term for combining applications and databases to provide a platform for seamless internet transactions, is dominated by the Sun Microsystem’s java-based Sun ONE (Open Net Environment) architecture and Microsoft’s .NET architecture. IBM also promotes products under the name WebSphere.

Digital Audio Hosting / Distribution Server Applications:

Microsoft Windows Media and Real Audio support a streaming protocol known as Real Time Streaming while QuickTime will support Real Time and a second protocol known as Progressive Streaming. Realtime Streaming delivers content from a dedicated server which synchronizes with the bandwidth of the connection to the computer that requested the data. The dedicated server uses Realtime Transfer Streaming Protocol (RTSP). Progressive Streaming delivers content without adjusting bandwidth and in a set sequence of files only. Progressive is delivered by Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) servers or File Transfer Protocol (FTP) servers.

Once a digital audio file has been encoded by one of the major streaming media codecs, the file must be stored on a corresponding Server that will support the codec:

• Liquid Audio – (Liquid Audio Server)
• Microsoft Media – (Microsoft Netshow Server; Windows Media Services 9 Series / Windows . NET Server)
• QuickTime – (QuickTime Streaming Server)
• Real Audio – (Helix Universal Sever, formerly Real Server Basic / Plus)
• Philips WebCine – (WebCine Server 1.1)
• Sun Microsystems Enterprise – (Sun StorEdge Media Central Streaming Server)

RealServer is supported by the Windows NT and 2000, UNIX and Linux server operating system. Thus, a Real Server is just a specially configured server with the specific application installed and is capable of supporting many streaming files at once. The entire application is sometimes referred to as RealSystem G2 and Real Server is one component of the whole suite (with Real Producer and Real Player). One can download the G2 Basic server application from the Real.com web site. The RealServer Plus application is also available. This is the higher quality version and the price is dependent upon the options included in the package that you select. One must fill out the License Agreement and set up an account with the company.

One must also provide the PNA Port, RTSP Port, HTTP Port and Admin Port identification for the RealServer configuration. When requesting this data, the dialog box will enter default port identification which are the standard defaults (for instance, 8080 for the HTTP port) unless you have configured the Server differently.

Once the port identification is provided one clicks on Finish and the application is installed to your hard drive. The set up will create its own directory and icon on the screen desktop.

Double click the icon to open the application.

One must then open a web browser and then log on to the server application as the Administrator.

Any .ra or .rm file that you wish to stream must also be saved in the same directory as the RealServer application.

The link on the web page that a client will click on to initiate the stream will serve as a metafile to redirect the client browser to a file that actually holds the .rm file. This meta file will have a .ram file extension.

To create the metafile please see How To Stream with RealAudio.

RealServer utilizes two different internet protocols for connecting the server with the client: PNM (pre-G2 standard) and RTSP (G2 standard). The protocol that is utilized is dependent upon what version of RealPlayer the client has installed as a plug-in to their web browser.

RealSystem G2 also includes SureStream, which eliminates the client from selecting the bit rate for the streaming session and instead monitors internet congestion and available bandwidth to deliver the file content with variable bit rates for efficient, uninteruppted delivery.

Real Networks now promotes the Helix Initiative in order to develop a cross-platform, open source software interface for digital multimedia delivery. The company has revised the name of the suite of products it offers to the Helix Platform, which includes Helix Universal Server (there is also a free Basic version) and Helix Producer Plus. The new platform is still to be used for Real Audio 8 (along with with Real Video 8, Flash Animation, images, slides and text). The Basic Server is licensed free for one year. Some of the support partners include Sun Microsystems, Cisco Systems, Intel and Hewlett-Packard. The Helix Universal Server will also support several other digital audio formats, including RealAudio, WMA, QuickTime, Ogg Vorbis, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4.

Windows Media Services 9 Series / Windows . NET Serveris the new streaming media server application utilized for streaming the recent WMA 9.0 and WMA 9.0 Professional (5.1 Surround Sound, 24-bit/96kHz audio). When connected to a broadband client the server does not require file buffering. The Windows Explorer-like interface allows one to create server-side playlists and make real time program change adjustments such as revising the order of digital audio files or insert / delete a file, without any interruption to the client. Playlists can even be personalized to a specific client (individual or group). The server can be managed through the Microsoft Managment Console (MMC), a web browser or MS Windows Media Services 9.0 is backward compatible to earlier versions of the client-side MS Windows Media Player.

Please see How To Stream with Windows Media Audio.

QuickTime Streaming Server incorporates several proprietary protocols and includes RTSP (RealServer).

There is an open source version of the QuickTime Streaming Server known as the Darwin Streaming Server. It will function on the Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD and WindowsNT/2000 operating systems. The server application will stream QuickTime files and live broadcasts and supports the RTP/RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) protocols.

Please see How To Stream with QuickTime

WebCine Server 1.1 platform operates on a Pentium 4 architecture, running Linux operating system, 512MB RAM and 40GB hard drive storage. The Server also supports Real Audio encoding and RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol).

Sun StorEdge Media Central Streaming Server platform is capable of streaming content from either an existing file or a live broadcast in bit rates from 28kbps up to 1.5Mbps. The Server is actually the Sun Microsystems Ultra Enterprise or Netra models running the Solaris operating system.

Content Delivery Network

Live music is presently streamed over the Web. However, without a high speed broadband connection on the client side the sound (and video) quality is very poor, if the connection itself can actually be maintained. The downloading and streaming of Web media content also requires sufficient bandwidth on the Server side of the Internet. If the Server does not have sufficient bandwidth then the response time to end user client browser requests is reduced noticeably.

If you have a really large-scale music project or live broadcast of only streaming media (audio and video) that requires a large quantity of bandwidth, one can contract with a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to host the stream on a dedicated Server configured for delivering Web media content. Some of these networks are (in alphabetical order):

• Activate
• Akamai
• Cache Flow
• Cisco Systems
• Digital Island
• E-Media
• Global Crossing (under bankruptcy protection as of February 2002)
• Globix (Earth Cache is used by the Clear Channel Interactive Group radio stations)
• I-Beam
• Inktomi
• Mirror Image
• Network Appliance
• Real Broadcast
• Yahoo Broadcast

These services will provide the additional bandwidth and secure streaming of digital audio. These companies accomplish this by either locating a local server (cache server) in the same location as the local ISP (edge network) (thousands of servers physically located all around the world) or by maintaining a private broadband network with various ISPs (private peer network) avoiding public access networks as much as possible. The edge network requires that the data be transferred to the edge Server. By locating (caching) additional copies of the content on the edge of the network the amount of WAN router movements are reduced, and digital data can be delivered quickly to the consumers of content (based on their location in the network).

There are also a group of start-up operations that are developing peer-to-peer (P2P) applications that can also be utilized for content distribution. This is accomplished by the first client computers functioning as cache servers for successive computers requesting the content, and so on for successive clients.

Microsoft:
Windows 2000 Server – File sharing, printer, business applications, web applications, Internet connection
Windows NT 4.0 – File sharing, printer, business applications, Web applications, Internet connection
Windows XP Professional – File sharing, Web server, Web applications, business applications
Windows .NET Standard Server – Web server
Windows .NET Enterprise Server
Windows .NET Datacenter Server
Windows Server 2003 – (64-bit operating system) Network, Web server, E-mail server; host 64-bit applications

Sun Microsystems
Solaris 9.0 – File sharing, business applications, database; supports Sun UltraSPARC and Intel microprocessors/

Red Hat
Linux Advanced Server File sharing, Web server
Linux Enterprise Server ES 2.1

SuSE
Linux Enterprise Server

Mandrake
Linux ProSuite 9.1
Turbolinux Enterprise Server 8 (Linux)
Novell – Netware
BeOS
FreeBSD

Apple
Mac OS X – File sharing, Web server (Apache HTTP is pre-installed), PHP support.

There are other versions of UNIX: AIX (IBM’s version), Tru64 (Compaq) and HP UX (Hewlett-Packard’s version). These are large enterprise, 64-bit / RISC platform operating systems. More recent upgrades of UNIX have improved to now offer a graphical interface compared to the command-line interface that was common to UNIX.

Linux Servers are very popular for web hosting and internet services by running Apache, Sendmail, PERL, CGI and FTP.

Windows Servers are popular for MSCP, MSCE, VisualBasic programs, Active Server Pages, SQL, DNS, IIS and MS Frontpage.

Psion runs the Symbian Epoc operating system. The Symbian operating system is also endorsed by Sonyricsson, Nokia, Motorola, Siemwns , Samsung and Panasonic (Sendo is a licensee) which support the operating system as an alternative to MS Windows. Symbian will support RealNetworks audio codec and the streaming protocol RealPlayer Mobile. A Licensee of the Symbian software is allowed to modify it such that a menu interface on one manufacturer’s smartphone may not look the same on another Symbian-based smartphone (Nokia’s version of Symbian, Series 60, is licensed to some of the other smartphone manufacturers).

Palm Pilot runs the Palm OS. The format is also supported by Qualcomm, Handspring, Casio and Sony Clié. This format conserves battery life. The most recent version developed by PalmSource (the software division) is Palm OS 5 (applications written for OS 4.0 should still be supported). The operating system provides for improved security with 128-bit encryption (RC4 and SSL), support for 802.11b wireless interface and improved 16-bit audio playback. OS 5.0 provides very good support for ARM-compliant microprocessors, and renewed support for the Apple / Mac OS platform, particularly OS X.

Palm Pilot OS devices use an application named HotSync to synchronize data transfer with desktop computers running the MS Windows operating system. The program can utilize a serial, USB, Ethernet or 802.11b/Wi-Fi connection to synchronize with the desktop. The advantage with HotSync is that it will also synchronize data from applications installed on the Palm device with the application on the host desktop computer. Synchronization is not automatic and must be initiated by either opening the application on the Palm or opening HotSync.

As of July 2003, Palm divided the software operation from the hardware manufacturing operation. The new Palm software development company is PalmSource. This allows the Palm software platform to evolve separately from sales competition between Palm PDAs and those companies that license the Palm OS for their own brand of PDAs.

Pocket PC 2002 and Pocket PC 2003 is Microsoft’s platform for handheld and mobile devices. The operating system is the revised, embedded 32-bit Windows CE, which runs on the Compaq iPAQ, Hewlett-Packard Jornada, Symbol PPT/PDT, Casio Cassiopeia, Toshiba Genio, and NEC PocketGear handheld devices. The graphical interface is similar to Windows 9x. File Explorer is similar to Windows Explorer and allows one to search for access files on a desktop MS Windows computer. PocketPC also supports Windows Media player. The application installed on the handheld unit is Windows Media Player 7.1, which supports the playback of the .wma audio format on the device (files must be downloaded by cable connection separately). The earlier Windows CE operating system required quite a bit of memory of the device and utilizes quite a bit battery power. The upgrade of the operating system for PocketPC 2002 is, however, of a design geared more toward a business usage. In addition to PocketPC 2002’s support of Windows Media Player, it will also support 802.11b, Bluetooth and wireless data connections (CDPD, GSM/GPRS and CDMA/1XRRT). Pocket Internet Explorer provides very good support for HTML, cHTML and WML and WMLScript. Applications that will run on Windows CE can be written in C++ and VisualBasic. Some present generation mobile telephones run the Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition platform.

Microsoft Pocket PC 2002 and PC 2003 devices use an application named ActiveSync to synchronize data transfer with desktop computers running the MS Windows operating system. The program can utilize a serial, USB, Ethernet or 802.11b/Wi-Fi connection to synchronize with the desktop. Synchronization is automatic when the device is placed in the sync and charge cradle.

Microsoft has also developed Stinger (based on MS Windows CE) as an operating system for 2.5G and 3G mobile telephones. The application would allow one to download a digital audio file to telephone and then play the file.

Sun Microsystems’ Java OS is also capable of running handheld and wireless devices. For instance, in Japan, i-mode wireless service is Java-based (J phone) and allows the downloading of Java applets that support content delivery, which allows users to view web pages with enhanced graphics on their mobile telephone. The operating system on a PDA is named PersonalJava, but both are versions of Java, known as J2ME (java 2 Micro Edition), that is a reduced code length version specifically designed for portable, mobile devices which have limited power and processing capabilities (however the reduced size does place some restrictions on J2ME’s capabilities and functionality).

Linux is also capable of running on handheld devices. The recently reintroduced Zaurus PDA by Sharp Electronics has Linux as the operating system and applications that are written in Java (the device will stil synchronize with MS Windows-based computers). Linux OS devices tend to installed on units with ARM microprocessors.

Intel’s Integrated Performance Primitives (IPP), while not an operating system is closely associated with the Strong Arm series of microprocessors for handheld devices. IPP are codecs designed for high quality multimedia on handheld devices. IPP will allow digital audio applications access the processor directly for shorter processing time and less power consumption. The architecture will support MS Windows Media.

Similarly, Texas Instruments has integrated RealAudio into the DSP microchip that is installed in several models of handheld telephones. The inclusion of the algorithm will allow the streaming of digital audio compressed in the ReaAudio format to the telephone itself along with similarly equipped PDAs. The Texas Instrument DSP microchip will also support other compression formats and DRM compliant encoding.

The Linux operating system is similar to both Microsoft Windows and MAC OS such that it can perform multi-tasking, share libraries, create (swap) virtual memory, memory management, TCP/IP support.

Presently, version 2.4.X of the LINUX Kernel is available to be downloaded from the web (which translates into what your Internet connection is as the Kernel is large in terms of file size). The operating system is not applicable for older computers. There are different distributions (versions) of the Linux operating system (for instance, the Debian distribution, Red Hat distribution, SuSE distribution) on which available commercial versions are based.

The Linux operating system has not made much progress in capturing market share for desktop operating systems against MS Windows or Mac OS. Two versions of Linux for desktop, Mandrake and SuSE are really applicable for developers and not the consumer market. Recently, it has become available on request for installation on new personal computers sold by both IBM and Dell. There are already several word processing, text editor, graphics editing, audio and MP3 applications that support Linux. MS Windows applications do not run on the Linux operating system. There is not a single popular digital audio or MIDI sequencer program developed by the major music software companies that has been written to operate on Linux. In addition, if you were to install Linux you must also deal with the issue of hardware compatibility. Some of the distributors of Linux and peripheral component manufacturers do maintain guides on their respective web sites indicating compatibility with Linux and the availability of driver applications for their hardware.

Linux has had a great effect in capturing market share in the government, corporate and academic back end server market. Linux market share has grown faster than MS Windows-based operating system servers, while Unix-based servers have actually seen market share declines. At the server-level, Linux allows corporations and organizations to replace servers running more expensive proprietary software with an almost generic, commodity like, Intel-based server running Linux. Linux can be used as the operating system on which specific server applications can be installed for HTTP websites, intranets, databases, e-mail, files, accounting and so on.

Some of the large computer manufacturers do provide very good support for Linux, particularly IBM which has made code available to developers (although this has led to some problems of its own, see below). Compaq Computers has incorporated support for Linux in the source code of its Tru64 Unix (Compaq’s version of the Unix operating system). This indicates the Tru64 Unix can run Linux applications on Compaq servers. Database software manufacturer Oracle has also made proprietary code available to developers so that Oracle will run on Linux-based servers.

Sun Microsystems (low-end servers only), IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Apple and Dell now all offer Linux as a prepackaged server operating system option. The largest distributor of the Linux operating system in North America is Red Hat (which is the version included in IBM, HP and Dell’s option; Sun distributes its own variant) followed by Mandrake. Distribution outside the United States is primarily conducted by United Linux, a consortium of several companies that includes SCO Group (formerly Caldera), Conectiva, SuSE Linux and Turbolinux, that can design Linux variants (UnitedLinux) for specific country requirements, although the versions will all have the core UnitedLinux 1.0 operating system in common. There is the distinct possibility that various competing versions of Linux could be developed by hardware and software manufacturers.

Linux (and UNIX) are primarily server, scientific and professional command-line interfaces, however there are open-source graphical interfaces (GUI) offered, the 2 most well known being KDE and GNOME. These 2 interfaces offer a desktop-like interface (environment) similar to Mac OS and MS Windows. There are some audio applications available with the base distribution of KDE and GNOME: Aumix or Xmix (mixer utility), Wavplay (digital audio player/recorder), Sox (digital audio format converter), Playmidi (a MIDI file player).

Sun Microsystems has released a desktop environment for Linux named Java Desktop Systems, which has several applications and a web browser.

Red Hat offers both a personal version and a professional version of Red Hat Linux 9.0 (June 2003). The operating system (both versions) is based on an updated Linux Kernel than the 2.4.18-s kernel included in Red Hat Linux 7.3 and uses a Windows-like graphical interface named KDE 3.0, with a graphical environment known as Bluecurve. Red Hat Linux 9.0 automatically partitions the hard drive during installation. Among additional applications (business, E-mail), version 9.0 also has the open-source Mozilla 1.0 Web browser application. Both the personal and professional versions may also be utilized as a server operating system as Apache Web Server 1.3, sendmail, FTP and DNS are also integrated, along with a personal/server firewall application. Unfortunately, Red Hat does not support .mp3, MPEG or Macromedia Flash (.swf) formats.

SuSE AG offers both a personal version and a professional version of a Linux operating system named SuSE Linux 8.0, which is also based on the Linux Kernel 2.4.18 and uses the Windows-like graphical interface KDE 3.0 and also the GNOME 1.4 graphical environment. Along with some productivity, E-mail, firewall (both personal and network) and a Web browser applications, SuSE Linux 8.0 may also includes server applications such as Apache Web server, sendmail, and databases. The 8.0 version also ships with XMMS application that will encode and play .mp3 files. SuSE improves on the Linux 2.4.14 Kernel by adding additional support for various soundcards.

The SuSE AG version of Linux, along with the assistance of IBM, received an independent security certification which has exceeded what was ever expected for the operating system (July 2003). Atsec Information Security GmbH of Germany, certified that the SuSE version running on Intel processor servers has low hacker vulnerability and upgrading also does not compromise the security of operating system.

Another Linux desktop OS is developed by Xandros, which is a Linux OS package based on the Debian distribution Linux, (kernel 2.4.19-x1), and includes the Mozilla browser, has desktop a environment (K Desktop Environment) based on version KDE 3.0., and has a MS Windows Explorer-like File Manager interface.

Unfortunately, a suit brought in U.S. federal court by SCO Group (formerly known as Caldera) against IBM in March 2003 has affected the distribution and adoption of Linux. SCO maintains in the suit that IBM passed on proprietary code either owned or developed by SCO to other Linux developers, thus SCO is entitled to licensing fees from any version of Linux operating system or application that utilizes the information distributed by IBM. SCO claims that it holds some of the underlying copyrights to Unix (the precursor to Linux) purchased from Novell in 1995. If proven accurate in federal court then this would entitle SCO to a substantial amount of money. Red Hat Linux has already (July 2003) brought a suit against SCO to reveal the source code publicly to determine if their or any version of Linux infringes SCO’s copyright as until it is proven anyone now using Linux or considering its adoption may be liable for additional licensing fees. To further cloud the issue, Microsoft signed a licensing agreement with SCO, which SCO claims translates into the legitimacy of their claim. Not only does this affect the inexpensive component of adopting Linux it also affects the open source nature of the operating system. Please see: Legal Page 6.

LindowsOS

LindowsOS is a variant of the Linux operating system (Corel Linux, Debian Linux and the KDE desktop graphical interface) designed for desktop computers. The OS will support some MS Windows applications. The recent history of the company is that it has been initially successful in defending a challenge to the use of “Lindows” as a trade name in court (Microsoft as Plaintiff). In addition, the company completed a transaction with Walmart Stores, Inc., to have LindowsOS pre-installed as the operating system in low end desktops sold by Walmart in its Walmart.com e-commerce retail system. The desire for Walmart to complete this transaction is that hardware components have become so inexpensive that the license for the MS Windows operating system has come to represent a third of the cost of a low end desktop.

LindowsOS 3.0 is not a freely distributed Linux operating system. Rather one must purchase an installation CD or download a copy of the operating system from the web site (approximately 400MB), which one then burns to a CD to create an installation CD. The relationship with Lindows is more like that of a license / subscription agreement with the developer such that one must regularly download operating system updates, utilities and applications, which one is entitled to do for one year as part of the initial purchase price. The license allows one to install Lindows on several computers.

LindowsOS presently has a few audio applications written for the operating system, primarily Jukebox / Player applications and presently there are no major audio production software applications written for Lindows. Some MS Windows applications can run on Lindows by means of the WINE emulator application.

UNIX

UNIX is primarily utilized as an operating system for servers and work stations. At one point, UNIX was an open source code. However, UNIX code has been revised into various proprietary formats offered by IBM, Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard. For many years Unix was the dominant server operating system but both MS Windows and Linux have come to control market share in the combined server market.

BSD

BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution) is actually a group of operating systems. These operating systems are similar in structure to Unix but are not Unix and should not be confused as such. The code itself is very reliable and has very good security features. The basic code is free source and can be utilized in commercial-based products (portions of BSD are included in Windows and Linux). FreeBSD is very compatible with 32-bit, Intel-based computers and can also run many applications designed for the Linux OS. OpenBSD is an extremely secure operating system and if configured correctly it has an extremely low susceptibility to being compromised by remote hacking. NetBSD is very compatible for embedded systems, and is also quite adept operating on various old and new platforms.