Wow! And Serato is still my preferred DVS. In many ways I think it carries on the spirit of Be, in that it does what it does extremely well and extremely reliably. In my 15-some-odd years of messing/performing with it, it's only crashed on me once for a reason that I couldn't attribute to something else. (and luckily that was during a practice session)
Sadly, now I use it to drive a Pioneer XDJ console. And they made me pay extra for DVS support without the Serato box :( But it's a pretty fly 4-deck system!
I remember being at the Hollywood Bowl in I believe 1998 and the consoles that are midway back with the audience in that little booth were all running BeOS.
I very much hope one day to see another integrated Be-inspired system emerge, in the vein of 00s era Apple (and the original BeBox). Narrow product line, tight hardware-software integration; striking, thoughtful and fun UI; notably different paradigm and features from the competition such that it scratches an itch the others are ignoring.
This bit of history gives me so much hope (tinged with sadness that it's just a daydream). If I knew more about OS or filesystem construction, or how to sell to VCs, I'd push the idea hard myself.
Audio has been a disaster on Linux for a long time (yes I know about jack, ardour, pipe wire, and so on). It's not surprising that pro audio applications ignore it wholesale.
Pro Audio applications simply don't ignore it wholesale - Linux has plenty of pro audio software. Get an audio-focused distribution such as Ubuntu Studio, and you'll change your mind fast about how disastrous audio is on Linux - it just isn't. In fact, you can build the slickest, lowest-latency DAW on Linux, with stats that beat MacOS, even ...
Tell me when Pro Tools supports Linux. Or Ableton. Or Cubase. Or FL Studio. Today there is one major DAW that supports Linux, which is Bitwig. But there are very few plugins and the vast majority of the revenue and users are on Windows and MacOS. The TL;DR is that there's not a convincing argument to support Linux today by the major developers. It's a chicken and egg problem to be sure.
I've tried Ubuntu Studio. It's not better except that it had early support for preempt rt. I still think Linux audio is a disaster.
Based on decades of experience, I do not agree one bit.
Pro Tools isn't the only DAW game in town, in fact its not even the most commonly used any more and its also not the 'best' DAW for many jobs - merely the most entrenched in peoples minds as a "pro tool".
So many producers are giving it up for cheaper and more effective tools such as REAPER, which not only runs circles around Pro Tools but also runs really, really great on Linux. As does Ardour, which is easily in the same class of any of the other DAW's in terms of capabilities. See also, Waveform, Zrythmn, Qtractor and MusE.
As does BitWig Studio - an Ableton Live analog, arguably more powerful and feature-rich than Ableton Live, which makes sense as it is being built by ex-Ableton folks.
FL Studio? LMMS! Renoise!
Linux Audio really rocks.
Not to mention: ZynthianOS! Oh my! Monome NORNS! Holy heck!
>one major DAW
Sorry, no, this is wrong. REAPER is a major DAW, runs natively. Same with BitWig, Ardour and Harrison Mixbus. So thats at least 4. [1]
>very few plugins
I challenge you to actually install Ubuntu Studio and repeat this claim. Plus, VST plugins run great under Ubuntu Studio. You should probably try it again and update your understanding of the scene - you might've had a point 10 years ago, but as of today: just no. Linux audio is amazing.
>I still think Linux audio is a disaster.
I think you don't have enough modern experience to make this claim. My Presonus-based Ubuntu Studio DAW is the lowest latency, easiest to use and set up DAW in the studio. While the other producers are cussing through the hoops of eLicense and dongle management and unsigned/outdated kext's for super-expensive boutique/cocktail hardware, the Linux DAW users in my studio are happily whistling through the edits with their USB and Firewire-based audio i/o devices, many of which work quite happily 'out of the box', "apt update && apt upgrade" dilemma notwithstanding ..
[1] - If these DAW's can do it, there is technically no reason the other DAW's can't - its just the fixed idea that "linux audio sucks" that prevents this from happening in the industry.
Linux audio does not, in reality, suck - it actually ROCKS, hard. Linux audio only sucks if you say it does.
There are certainly no valid technical reasons for a lack of ports from the market-mindset vendors .. just the mindset you proffer, which is, imho, plain wrong.
