[ubuntu-studio-devel] Ubuntu Studio and Pulseaudio

[brian at linuxsynths.com]

On Mon, 14 Dec 2015 06:22:48 -0800 (PST), Len Ovens wrote: 

> On
Mon, 14 Dec 2015, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
> 
>> IOW it's just a silly hype
that there is the need to be able to listen to several audio sources on
the computer, at the same time, there are just a few valid exceptional
circumstances, so it would make more
> 
> This is not about listening to
more than one thing at a time. It never was 
> really. It is about ease
of use. It is about idiot proofing. Those of us 
> that help people on
IRC have watched as people revove/kill pulse are happy 
> that jack
works with xyz program and then complain that now abc program no 
>
longer works. Most people doing music on their pc, listen to music and
at 
> least play games at the same time once in a while. I have seen
people use 
> skype and sing along to a youtube video. A radio studio
can be expected to 
> blend the sound of music, anouncer and a phone
caller (skype probably... 
> not because the radio studio likes it but
because the caller knows nothing 
> else). We do have desktop sounds
turned off in Studio, but the user can 
> turn them back on (I think
they would have to install the sounds first).
> 
> So it is also about
minimizing the amount of work we do as support. Ubuntu 
> is often the
first Linux someone from windows will see. The ideas that 
> what are
you complaining about, you only use one sound source at a time 
>
anyway.... is just a way of saying "go away".
> 
> We are not talking
about an individual Studio machine, But a distro for 
> many uses, some
of which are not audio, That most people use as desktop 
> plus artistic
use. There are more beginning users than professional... and 
> even the
professional users may find their workflow improves if they don't 
>
have to remember to stop jack so they can use xyz properly. Nobody wants

> to remember to jump through hoops to do their job.
> 
> --
> Len
Ovens
> www.ovenwerks.net [1]

I think both of you have good points to
consider. If Pulseaudio handles some apps that Jack and Alsa don't, and
there's no way to get these to handle them, then it's obvious that
Pulseaudio will "fill the gap" for those particular programs. 

It's
also true that newbies will be more encouraged to use linux if there are
fewer hoops to jump through in order to get their favorite apps up and
running as they want. 

As such, perhaps there needs to be a type of
"pre-use presentation" that a fresh install gives the user, explaining
that apps a, b and c require Pulseaudio, but that Jack and Alsa are
important to others. 

As I'm writing this, I realize that I don't think
I've EVER seen an operating system where there are "guides" that help
you to get set-up. I think this is something missing with linux, and
especially since audio production requires a bit of "extra knowledge,"
this type of thing might really help new users. 

Any thoughts? 

brian


  

Links:
------
[1] http://www.ovenwerks.net
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