[Openal] ALURE 1.0 is finalized and released!

[Chris Robinson]

Took a while and some features needed to be left on the cutting room floor, 
but ALURE's API has been finalized and 1.0 has been released.

http://kcat.strangesoft.net/alure.html

I have every intention of keeping the API and ABI stable like OpenAL itself, 
so new versions will work as a drop-in replacement for old ones, and old 
applications will continue to compile without issue against new versions. New 
versions may (and likely will) see new functions, but they won't affect apps 
that don't use them.

At its core, ALURE can load basic (8- and 16-bit PCM) .wav and .aif files 
without the assistance of external libs. It can also optionally load and use 
libsndfile (matching and surpassing the formats provided by ALUT), as well as 
vorbisfile and libFLAC. Originally I was going to support libmpg123, but it's 
currently-volatile/broken ABI made loading it dynamically a tricky affair, and 
I felt it better to leave it out for now so I can make a release with as few 
potential complications as possible.

MP3 support will be revisited, and alternative libs considered, however an 
extendable decoding API is provided so apps can still use MP3 (and other 
formats) by providing their own library/routines.


Tentative future plans for the library include:
* Automatic buffer queueing. An app can provide a source and stream handle, 
and the library will asynchronously stream the sound through the source for 
you.
* Effect loading. Load files (ASCII text describing a particular effect) into 
EFX effect objects.
* Bulk sound loading. Load a full directory tree/zip archive into an array of 
buffers, with the path+filename given back for each for identification, and/or 
providing a list of filenames and have them all load into an array of buffers.
* Source management. Use handles to manage OpenAL sources, so that an app 
needn't be too concerned about what to do when running out of physical 
sources.. the lib will make sure the most audible are the ones being heard.
* Scene management. Provide managed sources, listener data, and effect areas, 
and the lib will make sure the sources closest to the listener are heard, 
effects will be applied according to the listener and source environments, and 
be updated in real-time.

These have been ideas that've burrowed into my head at one point or another, 
and things will probably change as they get worked on. It will all be 
optional, however... an app won't have to use scene management if it just 
wants source management, and an app won't have to use source management if it 
just wants to load effects and sounds, etc.


Anyway.. that's my current plans for what to do with the lib. Comments, 
suggestions, and (constructive) criticisms are, as always, welcome. Quite a 
few firsts for me in this release, including pre-built win32 binaries... 
hopefully I didn't mess things up too badly. :)

- Chris