On Mon, Mar 23, 2009 at 6:09 PM, Nick Copeland <nickycopeland(a)hotmail.com>wrote;wrote:
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. What I mean by "knowing everything" is that without some
auto-config then a first time user needs to find out and understand all the
reasons and options that are preventing their application generating audio.
The opposing situation is that an experienced user would have to find out
the correct way to tune their environment overriding the auto-config
features, something they are going to have to do anyway. There are plenty of
similar mandates from other musical technologies, even MIDI specified that
an instrument, per default, should always come up first time in OMNI mode
and accept MIDI from any channel. That way the first time user can connect a
cable and get started. Once they are happy they can bolt down their own
channels, settings, etc, that fit their developing environment.
Nick, i'd have to disagree with this.
Operating Jack was easy, including cabling ports. It was figuring out the
tweaks,
compatability, etc, that took time, and patience.
So i'm one of those users that you say is indicative of an autoconnect
dumbing
down process. I think you missed the mark.
I don't think any option given by a program implies dumbing down, the very
fact that options are available imply user awareness in able to use them
correctly, this issue is more about what are reasonable defaults for any
option supported by a program.
Do you think that apps should then never, ever autoconnect? Personally I
still don't see the logic behind not having this as a default behaviour as
long as it can be overridden as discussed by Arnold.
now i'm a little wiser using linux, the LAST
thing i'd want is an app
autoconnecting
By implication, for people who are not a little wiser using Linux then this
feature may also _not_ the quite the _last_ thing they might want. The thing
about such a capability is that if it is not discarded immediately then it
should really be the first thing, ie, the default, otherwise it makes no
sense anyway.
Perhaps LAU is not the best place for this kind of discussion. Most of the
people on this list are actually quite savvy and well aware of what they are
being confronted with from a Linux installation. A friend of mine wanted to
get his first Linux installation going to get audio software for his kids to
play with. Now I was not too concerned about how his kids would get on with
configuring all the different options, they pick stuff fast, however his
pride might have been dented by not being able to get some basic going for
them to get started. Will have a chat with him and find out his opinion as a
slightly in awe new user and perhaps the first question I should ask him is
who programes his television, I would put my money on it being his kids. My
own daughter is two years old an loves banging banging sounds out of
softsynths, quite happy to stick the USB MIDI cables where they neeed to go
but I still have to connect all the apps together for her which is a bit of
a shame. It's not that I mind doing it with her but I am sure that she would
feel more assertive if she did it all herself.
Nick
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The only time an app should autoconnect is when it's part of a saved
instance.
imho.
Alex.
--
Parchment Studios (It started as a joke...)