asterisk users - Jan 2005 - Anybody a patch for oss/alsa to not constantly hog the sound card?

The subject says it all. After digging through latency and other issues
with all kinds of linux softphones, I've found that only * works alright
for me as a VoIP client.

Problem now is that, unlike other apps, chan_oss resp. chan_alsa grab
the card once and won't release it until shutdown, while other clients
are friendly enough to grab the card only on calls.

So, before getting lost in a regular coding frenzy, there isn't by
chance any of you who already patched either of those chans to behave a
little more cooperative?

Thanks, Bruno.