Linux developers continue to surprise with their dogged support for retro hardware. A case in point is provided by Takashi Iwai’s recent pull request (h/t Phoron) to implement Creative Sound Blaster AWE32 fixes for the Linux 6.16-rc3 kernel. This old ISA slot sound card debuted in 1994 and is probably best known as the launch vehicle for Creative’s SoundFont standard.
Iwai’s pull request outlined what they called a “collection of small fixes,” which we are sure will nevertheless be welcome to enthusiasts cradling older systems. Among the fixes are those aimed at the “legendary SoundBlaster AWE32 ISA device.” A note adds that the fix may have been precipitated after devs got “a bug report after 25 years.”
DMA issues - unwanted noise, freezes
Digging into the fixes aimed at the AWE32 a little deeper, we can see that one is a workaround to a DMA issue. Specifically, it will “enforce the disablement of DMA setups when the DMA setup is changed by the kcontrol.” It thus prevents unexpected (unpleasant?) noises from being generated when the DMA mode is changed.
Another AWE32 commit prevents DMA mode changes when a device is busy playing back a PCM stream. Due to these two bugs, user (s) experienced system freezes.
The rest of the sound driver updates from Iwai address Cirrus codecs, the i.MX8 DSP, AMD quirks with its HD Audio and USB audio, and some minor build fixes.
These kernel fixes may iron out annoying wrinkles in modern Linux desktops packing the Creative SoundBlaster AWE32 ISA sound card. However, as highlighted by Phoronix, modern Linux desktops with ISA slots and running the modern PipeWire/WirePlumber sound stack will likely be rather sluggish. A quick check reveals that, in the consumer space, ISA slot-equipped motherboards were last seen in the LGA775 socket era (approx 20 years ago).
Not every PC component is so cherished
In a contrasting report from April, we noted mounting pressure from some Linux developers to phase out support for Intel’s i486 series and first-gen Pentium (1993) CPUs.
Linux 6.16-rc3 is the third release candidate for kernel version 6.16, which should be final and ready in late July or early August.
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