Linux audio is marching on. Arodur 2.1 have been released, perhaps not with the same fanfare as Sonar 7, Logic 8, Reason 4 or Nuendo 4, but nevertheless with some important updates. One of these big updates is actually not even Linux related. FINALLY the OSX version is native, which means it runs without X11.
I can’t help but think that some of the new features are there to make Ardour more “fool proof” in the terms literal meaning. For instance, besides the removed need for X11, you don’t need a separate JACK manager either, instead Ardour now has a new JACK control dialog. This is of course not a bad thing, actually I think it’s just what Ardour needs to remove the nerd-brand that Linux audio have. As they have wittily noted next to this new feature - “Let me just run Ardour, dammit!”.
Other than that many of the updates looks like workflow things. Like better import handling, mouse scrubbing and so on. There is still no MIDI sequencer but it is under way.
Read the full list of changes on the Ardour website.