Fix the Linux audio mess once and for all
Currently audio on Linux is a mess. Sound servers like Esound, Arts, Jack, PulseAudio constantly fight for exclusive access to the sound device. Applications usually support only a small subset of the available sound server/device APIs, and need to be configured for their use. Sound APIs are generally incompatible. Audio applications usually come with a messy plugin systems to support every API available. Several abstraction APIs exist, however, none is good for all use cases. Professional audio usually requires shutting down all non-professional sound porgrams. On the other hand Apple managed to define a common sound system (CoreAudio) which makes nearly everyone happy - desktop users as much as professional audio people. We should be able to provide the same for our users. This will be a long process, however a few components already exist which can be the first steps towards a common sound system that makes everyone happy, and brings world peace in the end.
Blueprint information
- Status:
- Complete
- Approver:
- Scott James Remnant (Canonical)
- Priority:
- High
- Drafter:
- Martin Pitt
- Direction:
- Needs approval
- Assignee:
- Ted Gould
- Definition:
- Approved
- Series goal:
- Accepted for hardy
- Implementation:
-
Implemented
- Milestone target:
- None
- Started by
- Martin Pitt
- Completed by
- Ted Gould
Related branches
Related bugs
| Bug #109439: pulseaudio should use default alsa devices | Triaged |
| Bug #187848: volume control/mixer interface unusable | Confirmed |
Whiteboard
pitti: wrote design/
review: what about the GUI necessary for enabling all these use cases? -- smurf
pitti: described GUI apps, addressed comments
review: OK -- smurf
pitti: no assignee so far, nominate myself
2006-11-24: proposed quick&dirty hack to release sound card on inactivity does not work due to pulse design; setting back to discussion
2007-11-02: In Fedora 8 PulseAudio will be enabled by default http://
It will be a good idea to replace ESD with PulseAudio in Hardy.
pitti, 2007-11-22: spec updated to current reality; pulseaudio is installed by default now in current Hardy; missing things are the changing of non-Gnome apps to use pulse/esd output by default, and proper installation of the PA volume control tools, but I'd like to get this done by someone else than me.
DaveAbrahams, 2008-12-22: Please see https:/
Work Items
Dependency tree
* Blueprints in grey have been implemented.
