[pulseaudio-discuss] Accessing audio as root

[Gene Heskett]

On Sunday 03 January 2010, Ng Oon-Ee wrote:
>On Sun, 2010-01-03 at 07:41 -0500, Bill Cox wrote:
>> Hi, Colin.  I disagree that speech-dispatcher and speechd-up are
>> broken and need to be fixed.  speechd-up is a root daemon attached to
>> the /dev/softsynth device.  I see no utility in having multiple copies
>> of it.  Speech-dispatcher opens an IP port to act as a speech server
>> over the network.  It's kind of a silly feature, but why should I
>> second-guess the speech-dispatchers developers and break it?
>>
>> IMO, what's broken is PA.  I can't in Ubuntu get two copies running on
>> the same machine without borking the sound system.  If PA can't even
>> do it, why should I mangle all the accessibility apps out there by
>> making them try to follow PA's overly complex model?  This has to be a
>> screaming violation of the KISS rule.  The sound system is a bit
>> complex.  Fine.  To use it, you need to make all your apps complex?
>> Really?
>>
>> The complexity has to be contained.  It can't keep leaking out of PA
>> into the rest of the system, making it more and more unstable as it
>> goes.
>>
>> Bill
>
>IMO from what I've read so far, PA's model is "one instance per user".
>Whether or not its 'overly complex' depends on point-of-view, since this
>is the same model used by (for example) X11 and jackd. I believe that,
>in a multi-user system, user-space apps and services should be "one
>instance per user". Of course, I can see how this could be 'overly
>complex' from a developmental point of view, but its really a matter of
>the way you view your system.
>
>On the other hand, your app (speechd-up) is by its very nature a "one
>instance per system" app, as all apps which run as root are (should
>be?). Not knowing much about how it works, I can just state my belief
>that it won't be easy to change.
>
>So, in my simplistic and user-centric point-of-view, I wonder if
>speechd-up accepts audio INPUTS? Perhaps it could act as a pulseaudio
>sink, with the appropriate modules, of course. It starts before the user
>logs in and only exits after the user has logged out, of course.
>
>The reasoning behind my proposal is simply that root is system-wide by
>definition (in my understanding), hence why all Colin's proposals have
>involved speechd-up running as a particular user while all your replies
>have mentioned root access to pulse....

Regardless, this problem for the visually impaired is one that needs to be 
addressed ASAP before we have a whole battalion of lawyers from the ACLU 
challenging us all in courts that we don't, by the very nature of linux, have 
the funds to defend against.

So IMNSHO, it is something that must be done, and damn the reasons for 
architecting PA the way it currently is.

It really is that simple.

-- 
Cheers, Gene
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)

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