Rhythmbox & Sound Juicer : some thoughts about the extracting audio CD functionality in Ubuntu & suggestions to improve it

[thibaut bethune]

I'd like to discuss the way Ubuntu deals with the "extracting audio CD" task

 - Ubuntu 7.10 and before : inserting an audio CD launchs Sound Juicer
 (according to the nome-volume-properties GUI)
 - Ubuntu 8.04 hardy alpha 6 : inserting an audio CD launchs Rhythmbox.

 I'm in favor of Rhythmbox for performing that task.

 BUT, the Ubuntu Hardu alpha 6 situation could be improved in 3 ways :

 1°) Sound Juicer should be removed from Hardy since Rhythmbox is the
 default system application to extract music from CD - no need for
 cluttering Applications menu.
 See Bug #202593 in sound-juicer (Ubuntu) on Launchpad
 https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/sound-juicer/+bug/202593

 2°) When inserting and audio CD, Rhythmbox should be launched with the
 GUI that shows the "Extract" button.
 Let me explain. Actually :
 - Rhythmbox has a contextual toolbar, which means that the "Extract"
 button is only displayed when you select the CD name in the "Source"
 panel.
 - But Rhythmbox is always launched with "Library" selected in the
 "Source" panel (even when an audio CD is inserted)
 - Therefore, when an audio CD is inserted, Ubuntu launches Rhythmbox
 with "Library" selected in the "Source" panel, and no "Extract" button
 visible by the user : the user doesn't know how to rip his audio CD.
 My suggestion is that, when an audio CD is inserted, Rhythmbox should
 be launched with current audio CD selected in the "Source" panel, to
 make the contextual toolbar in Rhythmbox matching the task the user
 expects.

 3°) While ripping an audio CD, you can close Rhythmbox without be
 advertised that Rhythmbox is performing a task. User should be warned
 that closing Rhythmbox now will stop the current task.
 Maybe a confirmation dialog box could say : "You are about to close
 Rhythmbox while Rhythmbox is ripping a CD. Closing Rhythmbox will stop
 the current CD ripping"

Thank you