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On Fri, Apr 19, 2013 at 09:28:03AM +0200, Alan McKinnon wrote |
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> Audio apps tend to not be aware of the environment they run in, and not |
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> be aware of what you want to happen with the sound. A bluetooth app has |
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> no real way of knowing you want incoming phone calls to be sent to a |
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> headset, to use the laptop's built-in mic and run the whole lot through |
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> an audio filter to account for impaired hearing (i.e. boost the middle |
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> frequencies). All whilst Amarok continues to play mp3s on speakers in |
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> the next room. |
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> |
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> True, that sounds contrived, but audio just works like that - consider |
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> all the combinations you have on the sound system in your living room. |
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> |
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> Trying to get apps to deal with this is an impossible task, so enter |
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> pulseaudio. It knows about sources and sinks and has a config file so |
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> that it can sit in the middle as a fat layer and apply this intelligence. |
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> |
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> If you need it, PA can be great. Not everyone needs or wants it, many |
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> people are quite content to just carry on as they always did and aren't |
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> fazed with minor niggles about their audio. You seem to fall in this |
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> category, so do many others. |
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I think you've hit the nail on the head. Complex setups require |
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complex software... deal with it. An analogy is that an 18-wheeler |
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semi-tractor trailer with a 17-speed manual transmission (plus air brakes |
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that require months of training to manage/use) is much more powerful |
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than a Chevy Sonic hatchback when it comes to hauling huge loads. But |
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for someoneone who merely wants to zip out to the supermarket and buy a |
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week's groceries, the hatchback is much more appropriate. |
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Similarly, PulseAudio may be better at handling complex situations |
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like you describe. The yelling and screaming you're hearing are from |
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the 99% of people whose setups are not complex enough to justify |
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PulseAudio. Making 100% of setups more complex in order to handle the |
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1% of edge cases is simply wrong. |
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-- |
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Walter Dnes <waltdnes@××××××××.org> |
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I don't run "desktop environments"; I run useful applications |
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