[LAU] PulseAudio and Alsa

I recently installed Fedora 9, then Ubuntu Hardy Heron and the UbuntuStudio packages. In both cases, a new soundserver (new to me), PulseAudio, was installed by default and has caused me some confusion and frustration. What is the feeling among Linux audio users about PulseAudio? Is it a good development? Will it eventually replace ALSA, or does it instead simply add an additional level or layer of abstraction and indirection to audio in Linux. Will the simplicity it seems to aim for add yet more complexity to the issues surrounding configuration and troubleshooting of audio in Linux, especially for those who use the specialized audio applications that many Linux-audio-users use? How are users responding to the development of PulseAudio and its inclusion in Linux distribution installations? Remove it afterward and revert to pure ALSA, disabling Gnome and KDE specific soundservers? Learning to live with PulseAudio and how to make it work well with Ardour, Jamin, Rosegarden, Muse, Qtractor, Qjackctl, etc.? :-) -Steve (Steve Doonan, Portales, New Mexico US)