[AD] [linux] ALSA detection can hang

[Martijn Versteegh <m.versteegh@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all,

I noticed the digital-sound autodetection code for ALSA hangs when
the pcm device is busy, for example when another program is using it.
I could trace it back to 
src/unix/alsa.c:173 :

if (snd_pcm_open(&handle, card, device, SND_PCM_OPEN_PLAYBACK) == 0) 

Because I don't have the alsa documentation installed, I don't know
if there is a fix, but it looks like an ALSA flaw to me.
Maybe somebody who actually knows something about ALSA could bug the
alsa people about it, and maybe ALSA autodetection should be disabled.

It hangs so hard I have to reboot the machine for a hanging
fbcon program , which is a mayor nuisance (no ext3 yet, so lengthy
fsck's ;-( ). Maybe we could disable the ALSA autodetection
when the system driver is SYSTEM_LINUX (i.e. not SYSTEM_XWINDOWS)?

-- 

Martijn Versteegh