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

[Brad Fuller]

Janina Sajka wrote:

>Arnold Krille writes:
>  
>
>>2005/7/29, Christoph Eckert <ce at christeck.de>:
>>    
>>
>>>>Please say good-bye to the thought of jack as the
>>>>soundserver for everything. Jack is for professional raw
>>>>datastreams with very little latency. For the typical
>>>>desktop-app/game its irrelevant how much latency there is
>>>>(if its not 2 secs)
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>sorry, wrong. What about the gamers?
>>>      
>>>
>>Typical kde-game has beeps and short bings as sounds, not a full
>>soundenvironment.
>>And it certainly doesn't need realtime.
>>Every other game uses gl or sdl and the needed soundsystem...
>>    
>>
>How do you know it doesn't need it? Because no one has required it
>before? Maybe it doesn't need it because it was never available to be
>used?
>  
>
Yes, this is the typical chicken and egg question.

Of course there is no question that games require RT audio. Putting KDE 
to the side for a moment, game developers will only develop for Linux if 
the market is there... it isn't yet. And, when it is, they will (most 
likely) use audio and video facilities that will bypass any desktop APIs.

Looking at the KDE question: why rule out better games because of the 
status quo? Games are all about novelty and audio is 1/3 of the gaming 
experience. Game developers look for novel ways to present games -- be 
it in graphics, gameplay or audio. The technological foundation, as well 
as the market, has to be there for it to make sense. But, don't rule out 
what could be just because of what is. Supply it and you have the basis 
for developing better KDE games.

>In point of fact the question, as someone in this thread said, is not
>whether KDE does X Y or Z at this particular time, but whether KDE has
>the vision and leadership to step up and forge progress toward a
>solution the wider community desparately needs. The problem won't go
>away. Sound management on the Linux platform is a shameful disaster,
>imho, today. It seems too many decision makers just don't regard audio
>as important. Well we are sensient beings, we humans. We (most of us)
>hear, see, smell, touch, and feel. Telling us that any one of these
>abilities is marginal may make your current task simpler, but it will
>not engage the wider population of children, casual users, amateurs --
>or professionals.
>
>This thread has not come about because LAU desperately needs KDE. It has
>come about because the audio professionals in your Linux familiy see an
>opportunity to move the Linux environment forward in an area where it
>currently lags and languishes in indecision and neglect. KDE can choose
>to say "We're not interested," but that will only push the problem on
>for the next group which comes to a major rearchitecting. But, sooner or
>later, the issues will be addressed -- or this environment will wither.
>I'm convinced it's that fundamental--but that's another email. The only
>question for KDE is whether they want to be leaders or followers.
>
>				Janina
>  
>
Amen.

The KDE folk have an opportunity to gather those scattered problems and 
supply a solution... or a least supply a roadmap to solve the problems 
one by one in their time.

-- 
Brad Fuller
(408) 799-6124
** Sonaural Audio Studios **
(408) 799-6123  West San Jose
(408) 799-6124  Cambrian
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