terminatorX INSTALL:
Copyright (C) 1999, 2000, 2001 by Alexander König <alex@lisas.de>
+http://terminatorX.cx
Note: As of Version 3.70 you need to have LADSPA installed to compile
-terminatorX.
+terminatorX. To get LADSPA visit http: http://www.ladspa.org
Quickstart:
-----------
--enable-scheduler
- NEW: since 3.5 this option is enabled by default, as you can
- now operate the GUI while sound is playing, which can cause
- audio dropouts when the GUI and the sound thread run at the
- same priority. You still need root privileges though.
-
- If you run terminatorX compiled with this option as root, the
- engine thread will be run with FIFO-scheduling policy at the
- highest priority. This is somewhat dangerous I guess, as is
- running programs as root anyway ;) If you want everybody to
- run terminatorX as root (THIS IS DANGEROUS AND YOU SHOULD NOT
- DO IT) cd (as root) into the directory where you installed
- terminatorX (usually /usr/local/bin) and execute:
+ This option is now enabled by default. When run with root
+ privileges terminatorX creates the engine thread with realtime
+ scheduling priorities which should result in much better
+ playback performance. Since Version 3.73 terminatorX supports
+ running suid root. If you install the terminatorX binary suid
+ root with the following commands: (with the default install
+ you should find the terminatorX binary in /usr/local/bin)
> chown root terminatorX
> chmod u+s terminatorX
- I WARNED YOU! Anybody who can run this binary can completely
- erase your hardisk. BE CAREFUL.
+ terminatorX will be started with root privileges even when an
+ "unprivileged" user runs the binary. terminatorX will then
+ create the engine thread with realtime priority before any files
+ are written, any parameters are evaluated or connections to the
+ X11 display are established. Right after that terminatorX will
+ drop root privileges, so the actual terminatorX code runs
+ unprivileged.
+
+ The problem is, with Linux' pthreads implementation the pthread
+ manager thread (that can not be influenced by terminatorX) will
+ still run with root privileges.
+
+ So there is a small chance that a malicious attacker could
+ utilize terminatorX to acquire root privileges if installed suid
+ root, although it should require quite some effort to create an
+ exploit for that. On the other hand realtime scheduling
+ massively improves the playback performance. So depending on who
+ can access your computer you will have to decide for yourself on
+ performance vs security. Alternatively you can of course run
+ terminatorX as root to achieve realtime scheduling.
File support options:
---------------------
soundfiles. This requires ogg123 (Version >= 1.0RC2) and
sox to be installed.
- Misc options:
+ Other options:
-------------
-
- --enable-3dnow
- This will cause the binary to include 3DNow! accelerated
- mixing routines. The rule's simple: if your CPU does support
- 3DNow! then turn it on (it enhances performance quite a bit)
- - if your machine doesn't, well then keep it disabled. A binary
- created with 3DNow! acceleration will *not* run on machines
- without 3DNow!.
+ --disable-gtk2
+
+ If you've got gtk+ V2 installed but you want terminatorX to use
+ the old gtk+ V1.2 for some reason, use this switch to disable
+ gtk+ V2 code.
+ --disable-libxml2
+
+ If you've got libxml V2 installed but you want terminatorX to
+ use V1 instead, use this to disable libxml V1.
+
--enable-debug
This will cause terminatorX to display some debug messages on
-terminatorX V3.71 README
+terminatorX V3.73 README
------------------------
-Copyright (C) 1999, 2000 Alexander König
+Copyright (C) 1999 - 2002 Alexander König
eMail: alex@lisas.de
Homepage: http://www.terminatorX.cx
to lockup X11 or cause other problems under rare conditions. Don't use
it on production servers. You have been warned!
-NEW: As the previous README was a pain to read I decided to move the
-documentation to an SGML "manual". This distribution contains that manual (in
-the doc-directory) as a set of HTML files for easy browsing and a postscript
-version for printing.
-
-Documentation on terminatorX included:
---------------------------------------
+Read that fine Manual:
+----------------------
o ./INSTALL - Information on installing terminatorX
o ./README.GNOME - Some hints on GNOME-integration
There are several things you can do to improve terminatorX performance:
1. Don't use fancy gtk+ themes
-2. Compile an optimized binary
-3. Optimize your terminatorX setup
-4. Optimize your kernel
+2. Install suid root
+3. Compile an optimized binary
+4. Optimize your terminatorX setup
+5. Optimize your kernel
In Detail:
therefore hurts playback performance quite a lot. So you shouldn't use these
kind of themes, neither.
-2. Compile an optimized binary
+2. Install suid root
+--------------------
+
+When run with root privileges terminatorX creates the engine thread
+with realtime scheduling priorities which should result in much better
+playback performance. Since Version 3.73 terminatorX supports running
+suid root. If you install the terminatorX binary suid root with the
+following commands: (with the default install you should find the
+terminatorX binary in /usr/local/bin)
+
+ > chown root terminatorX
+ > chmod u+s terminatorX
+
+terminatorX will be started with root privileges even when an
+"unprivileged" user runs the binary. terminatorX will then create the
+engine thread with realtime priority before any files are written, any
+parameters are evaluated or connections to the X11 display are
+established. Right after that terminatorX will drop root privileges,
+so the actual terminatorX code runs unprivileged.
+
+The problem is, with Linux' pthreads implementation the pthread
+manager thread (that can not be influenced by terminatorX) will still
+run with root privileges.
+
+So there is a small chance that a malicious attacker could utilize
+terminatorX to acquire root privileges if installed suid root,
+although it should require quite some effort to create an exploit for
+that. On the other hand realtime scheduling massively improves the
+playback performance. So depending on who can access your computer you
+will have to decide for yourself on performance vs security.
+Alternatively you can of course run terminatorX as root to achieve
+realtime scheduling.
+
+3. Compile an optimized binary
------------------------------
This issue is covered in the INSTALL file mostly. Setting good optimization
flags is a good idea although this step will proabably have the least effect.
-3. Optimize your terminatorX setup
+4. Optimize your terminatorX setup
----------------------------------
The default settings for the GUI updates provide good realtime feedback. This
causes dropouts in the audio-engine you should increase the Update-Delay value
in the options dialog.
-4. Optimize your kernel
+5. Optimize your kernel
-----------------------
The current 2.2.X-kernels show a pretty high latency. This is problematic for
terminatorX TODO:
-These are the things I´d like to implement IF I have the time.
+DISCLAIMER: I might implement some of these features in random order. You can
+accelerate development of a certain feature by sending me a patch ;)
-- MIDI interface (Josh Steiner is working on that)
+High priority milestones:
+-------------------------
-- port Bennos mmap technology into the new code
+I'd like to have this in 4.0:
-- more precise syncing
+- Rewrite the audio device layer, so that terminatorX operates at a fix block
+ size - this will allow correct playback of sequencer events even if played
+ back on a different soundcard then recorded.
-- a click filter for client triggers
+- Support ALSA drivers and allow usage of multiple audio devices at the same
+ time.
+
+- Switch the terminatorX set file format to XML so that sets recorded on one
+ platform can be loaded on other platforms, too.
-- code cleanup: I guess this will be on this list until development has stalled.
+- Support stereo LADSPA plugins somehow.
-DONE:
+- Move the "main buttons" on the top right to a menu bar in order to get the
+ GUI even more flexible.
-The following stuff has been on the list above and is now ipmlemented:
+Low priority milestones:
+------------------------
-[V3.71]
+This might come after 4.0:
-- stereo operation (this is up next)
+- Implement a sequencer editor GUI to delete, copy & paste, edit event etc.
-[V3.7]
+- Find a replacement for DGA mouse grabbing as that has some problems and
+ might be gone sometime from now.
+
+- Provide a MIDI interface to terminatorX.
-- support for LADSPA plugins
-
-[V3.6]
-
-- sequencer is here :)
-
-[V3.0]
-
-- Enhance audio quality with -DHANDLE_STOP -> no clicks.
-
-- Accept wavfiles that contain additional information (e.g. loops)
-
-- Support Y-mouse-movement for scratching
-
-[V2.4] Thanks to Adam Sjøgren <asjo@diku.dk> licmak.c is obsolete:
-
-- implement licmak with either perl, awk or sed.
-
-
-[V2.3] (use -DKEEP_DEV_OPEN in Makefile)
-
-- add a "keep device open" option and implement it
- (this would help if you have problems opening device very often
- due to memory fragmentation). And it would help me ;) as my card (or better
- driver) clicks awfully when device is opened!
-
-OBSOLETE:
-
-[V3.0] no cmdline args anymore so...
-
-- correct getopt error handling.
+- Use libaudiofile, libvorbis, etc. for file loading to get rid of "piped
+ loading" and accelerate loading of ogg and mp3 files this way.
+
+- Support other languages.
git://lisas.de / terminatorX.git / commitdiff