[LAD] Any package builders here?

[Ralf Mardorf]

On Wed, 2011-06-01 at 07:27 -0400, Paul Davis wrote:
> On Wed, Jun 1, 2011 at 5:50 AM, Ralf Mardorf <ralf.mardorf at alice-dsl.net> wrote:
> > Hi :)
> >
> > could you please add a dependency to audio/MIDI app packages for your
> > distros, that will set up real-time usage?
> >
> > The following issue is wide spread:
> >
> >        -------- Forwarded Message --------
> >        > Be sure you are able to run audio apps with the right
> >        privileges, eg.
> >        > add your user to the "audio" group in /etc/groups and check
> >        > out /etc/security/limits.conf for these lines
> >        > @audio          -       rtprio          100
> >        > @audio          -       nice            -10
> 
> for the n-hundreth time: nice has no role to play in improving the
> performance of pro-audio/music creation software.

You'll read such 'help' thousands of times when you're subscribed to
regular distro users mailing lists or on non-audio Linux forums.

I always post http://www.jackaudio.org/linux_rt_config when I read such
recommendations.

Since people usually are using Jack by a package, when thy use real-time
audio apps IMO it's ok to include it to a Jack package, anyway, IMO
there should be a dependency setting without nice and with memlock.

I just want to inform about this issue. Coders and package builder might
not be informed about what happens on non-audio users lists and forums.

FWIW very often there are recommendations to _avoid_ a kernel-rt, since
a distros 'default', 'desktop', 'generic' kernel should have the same
capabilities and the kernel-rt should have disadvantages. The resume
then could be, that people wonder, that they can't use Linux for complex
audio sessions.

IMO it doesn't make sense to package audio and MIDI applications without
packaging the environment to use those apps.

Users launch their package management GUI and install audio apps, they
do not read FAQs, manuals. Then they make some tests recording two
tracks. Later, when they do a real session, the issues start.

-- Ralf