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List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Re: Multiple sounds with phonon
From:       Nikos Chantziaras <realnc () arcor ! de>
Date:       2010-06-21 21:02:28
Message-ID: hvok0q$rov$1 () dough ! gmane ! org
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On 06/21/2010 09:09 PM, Aaron J. Seigo wrote:
> On June 16, 2010, Nikos Chantziaras wrote:
>> Long answer made short: use SDL, fmod or some other similar audio library.
>
> let me suggest something "radical" here: follow in the footsteps of Amarok,
> who also rely on Phonon, and do some work on Phonon itself.

Personally, I don't see a reason to try and fix anything in Phonon. 
QtMultimedia is going to replace Phonon.  Given that I write Qt 
applications, not KDE applications, it doesn't even make sense for me to 
use Phonon at all anymore since it's going to be deprecated.


> falling back on other solutions just because Phonon doesn't do $FOO when
> Phonon is our own API that we can hack on and improve borders on the
> shortsighted. yes, it's perhaps a bit easier now (esp if you already know SDL
> or whatever, less so if you don't) but it's not easier for:
>
> * our packagers and users (more dependencies)
>
> * not better for other app developers that will feel they need to do the same
> work (more repetitive research and API learning)
>
> * not better for Phonon's future
>
> * not better for the portability and future maintainability of your
> application (having to pick and then track a future proof and API-reliable
> solution)
>
> if there are complete roadblocks / design walls that get run into, then let's
> document those and figure out what to do. but running in different directions
> is not very "KDE".

All valid points, but it just takes too long to fix everything.  At one 
point I had my app working OK with Phonon on Linux.  However, on OS X 
and Windows (far more important targets than Linux), it didn't work 
(hangs, crashes, no sound, etc, etc.)

Phonon is a nice, easy API.  But if it doesn't work, people are going to 
choose something else instead of fixing it.  We focus on our own 
applications and already have our hands full with them.  We just need 
something that works everywhere.  If something doesn't, we choose 
something else.  I guess they call this "natural selection" :-/

 
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