[linux-audio-user] New Sound Subsystem Needed For Qt4/KDE4

[Mark Constable]

On Saturday 30 July 2005 07:44, Lee Revell wrote:
> > sorry, wrong. What about the gamers? What about keeping audio 
> > and video in sync? What about the (still missing) Garage Band 
> > clone on the KDE desktop?

The need for podcasting may even preempt a Garage Band clone.

> > All of these will need low latency, and especially Garage Band 
> > is a product for Amateur use.
> > 
> > We're on free software, and there's no need (at least from a 
> > technical POV) to deny desktop users the use of low latency 
> > audio and video. We're at an important "point of no return": 
> > We can make the right decision *now* or the audio and video 
> > struggle will continue.
> 
> I don't think he's wrong.  The 95% of apps that just want to do voip and
> play movies can use the "dumbed down" KDE sound system, and an app like
> Hydrogen will use QT4 but bypass the KDE sound system and use JACK for
> audio.

Two points... the "95% of (KDE) apps" that just want to beep to
the sound card have evolved on pre-JACK enabled systems and therefor
have had no chance to be used in a more savvy way. It is not customary
to plug and play various native KDE audio apps together because
historically there has been no facilities to do so, hence that
genre of audio software remains "dumb".

Second.. if Skype for linux was JACK enabled right now I could use
it for two way recording interviews for podcasting. I can't, even
on a hardware mixed commodity SBlive card.

The point solidly remains in my mind that if a future KDE4 was
fundamentally based on JACK, for audio, then even the crappy dumb
tools could become far more useful when used together in ways that
we have currently not even thought of.... and in a way that is not
strictly ONLY the realm of pro/serious audio users.

--markc