Re: [linux-audio-user] Making Audio on Linux Just Work: (1) defining the goals

It was posted to the OSDL Desktop architects mailing list. (Same list
that Linux made a statement about not liking Gnome that set off a big
hoopla) See here:
http://lists.osdl.org/pipermail/desktop_architects/2005-December/000470.html

-Reuben

On 4/5/06, M P Smoak <smoak@email-addr-hidden> wrote:
>
> Paul, did this effort result in the list of tasks that you were seeking?
> Maybe I missed it, but I've not seen any feedback on the result and
> where it went. I hope it went somewhere and is being worked on. Thanks
> you very much for your contributions.
>
> Marv
>
> On Monday 12 December 2005 11:47, Paul Davis wrote:
> > ( LAU folk: this is an initial outline of an email I want to dispatch
> > to the desktop-architects list in the very near future. Your comments
> > are eagerly sought. Note that this section specifically seeks to
> > avoid any discussion of implementations or specific approachs. I
> > would like to fully flesh out the list of tasks ASAP )
> >
> > Making Sound Just Work
> > ------------------------
> >
> > One of the "second tier" of requirements mentioned several times at
> > the OSDL Portland Linux Desktop Architects workshop was "making audio
> > on Linux just work". Many people find it easy to leave this
> > requirement lying around in various lists of goals and requirements,
> > but before we can make any progress on defining a plan to implement
> > the goal, we first need to define it rather more precisely.
> >
> > DEFINING THE GOAL
> > =================
> >
> > The list below is a set of tasks that a user could reasonably expect
> > to perform on a computer running Linux that has access to zero, one
> > or more audio interfaces.
> >
> > The desired task should either work, or produce a sensible and
> > comprehensible error message explaining why it failed. For example,
> > attempting to control input gain on a device that has no hardware
> > mixer should explain that the device has no controls for input gain.
> >
> > PLAYBACK
> >
> > - play a compressed audio file
> > * user driven (e.g. play(1))
> > * app driven (e.g. {kde,gnome_play}_audiofile())
> > - play a PCM encoded audio file (specifics as above)
> > - hear system sounds
> > - VOIP
> > - game audio
> > - music composition
> > - music editing
> > - video post production
> >
> > RECORDING
> >
> > - record from hardware inputs
> > * use default audio interface
> > * use other audio interface
> > * specify which h/w input to use
> > * control input gain
> > - record from other application(s)
> > - record from live (network-delivered) compressed audio
> > streams
> >
> >
> > MIXING
> >
> > - control h/w mixer device (if any)
> >
> > * allow use of a generic app for this
> > * NOTE to non-audio-focused readers: the h/w mixer
> > is part of the audio interface that is used
> > to control signal levels, input selection
> > for recording, and other h/w specific features.
> > Some pro-audio interfaces do not have a h/w mixer,
> > most consumer ones do. It has almost nothing
> > to do with "hardware mixing" which describes
> > the ability of the h/w to mix together multiple
> > software-delivered audio data streams.
> >
> > - multiple applications using soundcard simultaneously
> > - control application volumes independently
> > - provide necessary apps for controlling specialized
> > hardware (e.g. RME HDSP, ice1712, ice1724, liveFX)
> >
> > ROUTING
> >
> > - route audio to specific h/w among several installed
> > devices - route audio between applications
> > - route audio across network
> >
> > MULTIUSER
> >
> > - which of the above should work in a multi-user scenario?
> >
> > MISC
> >
> > - use multiple soundcards as a single logical device
>
>
Received on Thu Apr 6 00:15:02 2006