These are the ones that come standard on most Linux distributions and can be played without any additional software or fancy plugins.

To set the stage, what exactly an OSS audio format is. In simple terms, it’s a way to encode digital sound data into a file that your computer can understand. Unlike proprietary formats like MP3 or WAV, which require specific decoders and players, OSS audio files are universally compatible with any Linux system that supports the OSS API (Application Programming Interface).

Now, Time to get going with some of the most popular OSS audio formats:

1. AU This is the original format for Unix/Linux sound files and has been around since 1978! It uses a simple header structure to store information about the file, such as sample rate, number of channels, and data size. The downside? It’s not very efficient in terms of compression or storage space.

2. S3M This is a popular format for MIDI music files that originated on Amiga computers back in the day. It uses a combination of samples and synthesized sounds to create complex musical compositions, but can be quite resource-intensive when played on modern systems.

3. WAV Yes, you read that right! The good old Windows Audio (WAV) format is also supported by OSS audio files in Linux. This means you can easily transfer your favorite music from a Windows machine to a Linux system and play it without any issues. However, be warned that the file size may be significantly larger than other formats due to its lack of compression.

4. AIFF Another popular format for Mac users, AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) is also supported by OSS audio files in Linux. It uses a similar header structure as AU and WAV but with some additional features like support for non-linear editing and time stamping.

5. FLAC This is a lossless compression format that can significantly reduce the size of your music library without sacrificing sound quality. Unlike MP3 or AAC, which use lossy compression to remove certain frequencies from the audio data, FLAC preserves all the original information in its compressed form. It’s also supported by most modern Linux distributions and can be played using any OSS-compatible player.

Whether you prefer classic AU files or cutting-edge FLAC compression, there’s something for everyone in the world of open sound systems!