[pulseaudio-discuss] Jack detection - Client API for UIs

[David Henningsson]

Hi PulseAudio developers,

Upstreaming of the jack detection patches seems to take much longer than 
I anticipated. :-( This puts me in a difficult position, as I want to 
get started with the UI work of the Gnome sound settings as soon as 
possible.

This is because I want the UI work to go into Ubuntu 12.04, early on, to 
get as much testing as possible before release.

Therefore, Conor and I have planned to do this work in the november time 
frame. To get started with that, we need extensions to the client API - 
and that within the next couple of days. Shortly thereafter, protocol 
extensions matching this client API will need to be agreed on.

At this point, the status of the client API extension (and apologies if 
my perception of your opinions are wrong) is:

  * I posted a proposal in October [1] but no responses to that message 
so far

  * Arun wants to see inactive sinks being implemented but probably not 
exposed through the client API

  * Colin probably wants to see inactive sinks being exposed through the 
client API, but is generally open to other suggestions as well

  * Tanu wants to see ports being implemented as "first class objects" 
so that notifications can be made on port level. In the long term, Tanu 
wants to merge the "port" and "sink"/"source" concepts into one, but at 
this point this is just a vague idea.

  * And I...well, I think the proposal in [1] is the quickest way from A 
to B, and I'm tempted to take that because I'm in a hurry, but I do 
realise that there are long-term considerations as well, very much 
depending on which one(s) of the above opinions that will prevail.

Do you think we can merge these different views and come up with an 
agreed client API within a couple of days? The "let's discuss and 
discuss again and then we stall a bit and then more discussions and then 
see if we ever come to a consensus and if we don't just do nothing" 
approach [2] will just not work out for me here. And I really really not 
want to make Ubuntu go its own way here with incompatible client API and 
protocol extensions either, so please give me a better option :-)

PS: Will send out new jack detection patches shortly. Only thing changed 
is adjustment according to the comments where I believe there was no 
dispute.

-- 
David Henningsson, Canonical Ltd.
http://launchpad.net/~diwic

[1] 
http://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/pulseaudio-discuss/2011-October/011910.html

[2] Ok, this is an exaggeration, but you get the point.