[LAU] why shouldn't clients autoconnect to jack

[Fons Adriaensen]

On Mon, Mar 23, 2009 at 02:31:44PM +0100, Nick Copeland wrote:

> >  the user should not be required to know anything about application
> > frameworks).

> Does this not contradict your argument? 

I mean the user should not be expected to go and
search for autoconnect configuration options in
a directory called e.g. ~/.qt just because the
app was made using Qt. The GUI toolset used is
irrelevant at the audio level of things.

> Without automatic connections the user now does need
> to know all about the jack application framework since
> otherwise they cannot get a jack application to make a sound.

Yes. If a user is using more than one interconnected audio
app he is supposed to know how the apps are wired. Audio
wiring is part of using audio gear, and jack exists to make
it possible. For a simple desktop player you don't need jack
at all.

> Maybe that is just in the details of what you are trying to say,
> but either the user needs to know a lot about several different
> applications and do it all for themselves, or if they know little
> to nothing they need to have the system do what it can for them.

The system can only do very simple things. If you have ardour,
a modular synth, a drum machine, some effects programs, how
is the system to know what to connect where ? Connecting things
is part of using them. What is required here is session management, 
not autoconnect.
 
> I agree that there needs to be an option to either auto-connect
> or not, my personal opinion is that auto-connect should be the
> default since the alternative of knowing everything puts too high
> a barrier to entry on Linux systems.

An application can be made to appear auto-connecting to a user
without making that the build-in default. All it requires is
a global config file which will be installed anyway for most
apps.


Ciao,


-- 
FA

Io lo dico sempre: l'Italia è troppo stretta e lunga.