Subject: Re: [linux-audio-dev] User Interface
From: Richard Guenther (rguenth_AT_tat.physik.uni-tuebingen.de)
Date: Thu Jul 26 2001 - 14:04:58 EEST
On Thu, 26 Jul 2001, Nick Bailey wrote:
> ljp wrote:
>
> >
> > To me, music is more important than any library ideologies. I wouldn't give
> > a rats ass if software was made with QBASIC, as long as it compiles fairly
> > easily (not alot of excessive library inclusion that I have to install
> > every libtom-libdick-and-libharry libs just to compile it- because there no
> > binaries available), functions well, and serves the purpose that I use it
> > for. I'm willing to check out glame. I'll let ya know what I think about it.
> >
> > ljp
>
> While I can see your point of view, I think you forgot an even more important
> factor: "...and I'll be able to use the stuff I wrote 2 years from now". I'm
> from a classical background, perhaps this isn't important in more commercially
> driven music. But I'd spend extra effort to make sure the program I was using
> was maintainable and portable rather than go for the quick and easy solution.
Maintainance is ensured by documentation and clear abstraction of user
interface and backend. And by choosing widely available libraries to
depend on - _not_ by doing all stuff yourself like constructing dialog and
widget functionality out of native Xlibs.
Portability is ensured by actually developing on multiple platforms -
GLAME does support Linux, Irix and BSD, other unix variants like HP-UX
should work, too, if you manage to compile the gnome-libs.
> So QBasic is out: being non-free, the language spec might change, so I couldn't
> recompile it on my next computer. (I realise that was just an hyperbole 8-)
> For the reason of data obsolescence alone, I'd say the design issues are
> actually at least as important as user interface ones.
Sure.
> But then, I'm still using LaTeX 8-)
Who does not - it is (was) widely spread and so will stay there forever.
Just like the gnome libs - or Qt - or even wxWindows (audacity).
Richard.
-- Richard Guenther <richard.guenther_AT_uni-tuebingen.de> WWW: http://www.tat.physik.uni-tuebingen.de/~rguenth/ The GLAME Project: http://www.glame.de/
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