Sound Request.

[p2@porter.asl.dialnet.symbolics.com (Peter Paine)]

    Date: Tue, 10 Sep 1991 02:17-0000
    From: rwk@Crl.dec.com (Robert W. Kerns)

	Date: Mon, 9 Sep 91 10:50:37 +0900
	From: kddlab!atr-la.atr.co.jp!myers@uunet.uu.net (John K. Myers)
	I'd like to register a strong complaint against the new
	XL1200 series's lack of sound capabilities.  The old
	3600 series was hard enough to work with, but all the
	new XL1200 can do is beep at one frequency.  Compare this
	to the MacIntosh LC machine, which comes with a built-in
	microphone besides software to support its speaker.

    Hear, hear!

Me too. Though David Moon's recollections seem the sort of compromise
that I might have come to, had I been in Symbolics' shoes myself.

Two points. Firstly if the Symbolics is promoted as the power
developer's serious-workstation, then shouldn't it attempt to support
every possible hardware and software device consistent with the
environment as a whole. Sound is on a par with color - basic. Because
the rest of the world is catching up with Genera in certain functions,
there is no need for Genera to drop out.

And secondly, there is a lot of wheel invention required for all of us
to research the market to try to find suitable VME sound hardware and
Genera access to it in order to bring the XL up to at least sound
compatibility with the 36xx. Might not Symbolics offer at least
detailed suggestions and guidance in matters like this.

Our 36xx based simulator makes sounds in parallel, hence no jerkiness in
displays. Porting to the XL for speed, finding sound below the absolute
minimum, has made us double take at that upgrade route. Looking at sound
on the MacIvory, Genera seems to stop in its tracks as the Mac sounds
off.