Soma is an audio software suite which allows for playback and scheduling of web-based audio files.
The Soma project was developed during summer 2003 to manage the digital version of an activist's radio old spools. The first release was simple and offered the ability to play random audio files in a directory using an external program then - mpg123. Although this program didn't get used, the developers kept thinking about the Soma project and began working on it directly with a group called Reload.
The Reload group was experimenting with a project called "eterete" at the time and creating a place for a web radio at Pergola Tribe (a self-managed house in Milan). They used a slightly better release and implemented the software to manage the radio playlist. From September till December, Soma became a sophisticated software suite, configurable through a file and remote administration. This was thanks to the relationships and inputs created by passionate activists who made it possible to make broadcastings and broadcast schedules, find new problems, and give implementation advice.
They also suggested the idea that Soma (originally a simple playlist manager) could become a program suite with a player, deferred broadcasting software, more user-friendly administration, documentation, and distribution. Sometime later, Somaplayer, and Somaadmin were created. The player was still in its developmental stages compared to the implementation ideas. However, Somadmin was immediately published online and advertised on radio. inventati.org/somadmin/.
In January 2004, Soma was showcased at the first Italian radio meeting both on the web and air-waves in Naples. The meeting was a significant technological and political initiative aimed at building a real radio-network where people from different backgrounds, improvised groups, very old and new movement radios and experiences from overseas countries could cooperate. The website has occasional, weekly, and 24hrs streaming music flows.
The technical research conducted was aimed at creating a digital environment that could let individuals or entire communities access a common schedule with resumés, repetitions, deferred programs, live broadcasting, and regular broadcasting on one national and international network. Soma could meet this need and could be easily managed through the web, thanks to the Somadmin tool, which could update the Soma admin in real-time.
The developments have continued since then, and presently, Somaplayer is a reality. It is the only music player that can stream an mp3, an ogg vorbis, a wav, a track from an audio cd, or stream it directly to an icecast server (icecast 2 or shoutcast) or play it on a computer using sound drivers or sound daemons. A team of developers, software debuggers, documentation writers, website developers, and package creators has worked on this project, ensuring that it remains relevant and effective. The latest release fixes three bugs related to group permissions, the 31st of months, and an error in libsoma related to buffers and protocols.
Version 2.3: N/A