ALSA

Advanced Linux Sound System. New sound card modules which replace the legacy Open Sound System modules. ALSA features modular design, ISA PnP support, support for multiple cards and cards with multiple voices, mixers etc. Offers both a brand new API and Open Sound System (OSS) emulation module.

Primary goals of the Advanced Linux Sound Architecture:
1. Create a fully modularized sound driver which supports kerneld and kmod.
2. Create the ALSA Kernel API which surpasses the current OSS API.
3. Maintain compatibility with most OSS/Lite binaries.
4. Create the ALSA Library (C, C++), which simplifies ALSA application development.
5. Create the ALSA Manager, an interactive configuration program for the driver

taken from http://www.alsa-project.org