On 9 Mar 2001, Terry Hancock wrote:
>> The most common module file extensions you can find
>> on the net are MOD, S3M, XM and IT.
>
> 1) Are these proprietary or open formats? If
> proprietary, is there a sufficiently stable
> standard to consider a de-facto open standard?
> Or can they be converted to an alternative,
> open module format?
All are supported by Linux players. I'd recommend
looking at them in terms of available trackers, so
they can be sequenced under Linux. S3M seems the
least supported in that regard (if). IT files can
be sequenced with InsoTracker. MOD and XM, there's
a fair choice.
> 2) Are there libraries capable of loading and
> playing these formats through the SDL sound
> system (i.e. through esound).
I gather this is done with mikmod/libmikmod. Many
projects utilizing it, official pages at darkorb.net
are down, which is cause for wonder, but the files
are available all over the place.
Here's one game using SDL and mikmod:
http://happypenguin.org/show?Black-Hole
> 3) Are there utilities I can use to listen to his
> work on Linux? He's only given me links to Windows
> plugins to do it, so that doesn't get me anywhere.
You may have xmms already on board. It comes with
a libmikmod plugin. I've used it to play MOD and
S3M files, no fuss. I expect it does XM and IT,
just haven't had any tossed my way.
