Sound Cards/Chipsets

The current kernel sound drivers are a bit of a mess. There are three or four (depending on how you count) different sound drivers.
Many newer chipsets are supported, but are somewhat buggy.
Older chipsets mean ISA, which is a Bad Thing.
Check Documentation/sound/ in the kernel source tree or www.alsa-project.org if you have questions.

The current kernel sound drivers are a bit of a mess. There are three or four (depending on how you count) different sound drivers.