[pulseaudio-discuss] Stream volumes as the universal volume adjustment method

[Tanu Kaskinen]

pe, 2010-01-08 kello 01:02 +0100, Mads Kiilerich kirjoitti:
> FWIW I would make the opposite conclusion. The listening condition often 
> changes, and thus I often and quickly want to adjust the volume of all 
> streams. The relative volume of the streams is adjusted once 
> (attenuated) to match my preferences, and after that I don't need to 
> make further changes.
> 
> My solution is to ignore the stream volumes and always change the device 
> volume.

So you want the volume widgets in various apps to disappear or make them
change the device volume? 

Or maybe you want us to keep on doing what we do now, where you should
not touch the per-application volume controls when doing listening
context related changes. Ordinary users don't know this rule. Even if
you know this rule, with each volume change you have to think whether
this it should be done to stream or device volume so that you can choose
the right volume widget to tweak. I would rather just have a reflex of
turning my volume dial whenever I notice the volume isn't right.

> So if I adjust the volume with one application playing and then start 
> another application then the other application will use its default 
> volume and the relative volume will thus have changed?

Yes. This is the problem problem with my approach, which I argue is
smaller than the current problems and the problems with the
device-volume-only approach. You can form a reflex so that whenever the
volume is wrong, you know what to do without thinking so the problem is
not so big. Although, I admit that for users who

* use desktop event sounds,
* change the listening context frequently
* and most of the time have music or other "real" stream active,

this is still quite bad, since the music volume and the event sound
volume has to be changed individually and you have to go through
clicking the volume applet. For those users I don't have other solutions
than just dropping one of those three habits or living with the problem.

-- 
Tanu Kaskinen