Tranter had difficulty configuring sound drivers on his home Linux machine because of a lack of documentation, so he wrote a Linux sound how-to in order to assist others experiencing similar difficulties. Subsequent requests for further information led him to write this book.

In the first part of the book, the author provides a working definition of “multimedia,” then looks at sound and its representation (covering sampling techniques, sound file formats, and sound card characteristics) and at CD-ROM technology (including interfaces and file system formats). Subsequent chapters deal with graphics and video (video display and memory characteristics, and formats for graphics and full-motion video) and with hypermedia and its associated tools, including MIME, HTML, and Java. This presentation provides a good introduction to these technologies. My understanding was enhanced by the appropriate use of diagrams and tables.

Part 2 leads readers through the general hardware requirements for multimedia support, then through specific card installation and kernel rebuilding procedures for sound, CD-ROM, and joystick devices. In the chapter about sound devices, Tranter notes that readers without sound cards can obtain a PC-speaker driver package from an FTP site. That much I managed; the problem arose when I tried to rebuild the kernel, in accordance with his reasonably detailed instructions, to use a specified sound device or PC-speaker driver. I did not have time to pursue this, but my guess is that the problem was in my understanding of the patch instructions included in the package. Similar detailed kernel rebuilding instructions are provided for a range of common CD-ROM devices. For joystick device drivers, readers are again directed to an FTP site.

Part 3, “A Survey of Multimedia Applications,” includes chapters on sound and music, graphics and animation, hypermedia, and games. Readers with Unix backgrounds will recognize a number of these applications, including the “workman” CD player, the “xloadimage” tool for displaying image files, and the Mosaic browser. A number of other packages presented here originated on the Web. In each instance, the author provides FTP sites for sources or executable programs. Many of the package descriptions are accompanied by screen pictures.

Part 4, “Multimedia Programmer’s Guide,” is for those who want to create their own applications. It begins with a chapter on programming sound devices. The author considers the devices for digital sampling, mixing, and sequencing, along with their PC speaker counterparts. Two-page example programs in C are included for most of these devices. The next two chapters deal with joystick and CD-ROM devices in a similar fashion. The following chapter is about multimedia toolkits, X11 toolkits, and sound toolkits.

Part 4 ends with three sample multimedia applications, apparently selected to cover most of the application areas that might interest readers. The first is an autodrum machine, built using the Xforms and SoundIt toolkits. The second is an oscilloscope simulator with a joystick, built using SVGAlib. The last is a guitar tutor program that uses the V GUI toolkit, which is based on C++ and X11.

Part 5 includes appendices and resource information, including lists of CD-ROM vendors, FTP and Web sites, and newsgroups. A short glossary and a good index complete the book.

When I finished reading this book, I realized that I had been led painlessly from multimedia basics to being able to write useful multimedia applications. If you have an inclination toward traveling the same path, buy this book.