Re: [LAD] Guide to Linux Sound APIs

On Monday 29 September 2008, Lennart Poettering wrote:
>On Sun, 28.09.08 09:38, Paul Davis (paul@email-addr-hidden) wrote:
>> > Also, I guess it depends on how you upgrade, because my workstation is
>> > 8.04, which is upgraded every year or so for 2 years and a half now,
>> > and I don't have pulseaudio. One of the package I wan't to add sound
>> > support for is for science mostly, and many people are still using
>> > Ubuntu Dapper, Fedora 3, etc...
>> >
>> > So it does not look like pulseaudio is that great if you want to
>> > support various linux and have very little needs for audio.
>>
>> As Lennart tried to make reasonably clear, the primary goal of
>> PulseAudio is NOT to act as a new API, but to act as a new
>> *infrastructure* that supports existing APIs transparently.
>> I am sure that he would be happy if it eventually takes over the world
>> and everybody writes apps using its API, but that doesn't appear to be
>> the goal right now.
>
>The reason why I don't ask application developers at this time to
>adopt the native PA API is that it is a relatively complex API since
>all calls are asynchronous. It's comprehensive and not redundant, but
>simply too complex for everyone but the most experienced.
>
>Lennart

I believe (no docs to confirm or deny this) it also is hard coded to pick the
first device it finds as the default output device. Since I relegated the
mobo's el simple chipset for use by skype et all, then installed an Audigy2
for the real utility audio. But PA refuses to use the Audigy2. So it gets
nuked. And then sound Just Works(TM).

I'd complain, but there seems to be no path to the actual developers other
than Bugzilla, and my Bugzilla entries have been "won't fix"ed. If there is
no path from the user who finds his system crippled, leaving him no choice
but to nuke as much as he can in order to get any sound. That of course is
not conducive to actually getting it fixed.

Fix that, so there is a working dialog path back from the user to the
developer, and maybe it can be made to work. As it is, the documentation on
it is non-existent, and we the users feel like we're battling with M$, a
generally futile endeavor, and that is gonna lead to a lot of profanity &
name calling. This is after all, linux, where choice is a talking point.

I'm deliberately trying to be civil, but this is as civil as I can manage
after the treatment I've received when I fussed about it.

-- 
Cheers, Gene
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
Practical people would be more practical if they would take a little
more time for dreaming.
		-- J. P. McEvoy
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