danboid FINALLY tries KXstudio!!!

[danboid]

OK, so its the 'Master backend driver switch/configuration'. The key word there is 'driver' - without that or a mouseover tooltip to explain its purpose its hard for anyone to know what it does without significant experimentation, documentation (that doesn't exist yet) or reading the code.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I see where you're coming from but perhaps the name only seems counterintuitive because you didn't know the terminology - that was the case for me, at least. Now, I think it's fairly appropriately named.

Todd, if you could explain, that would be really useful. I have found out what it does by experiment, and from Falk's last post (didn't realise it doesn't stop/start jack) but I'd like to have a feel of it, instead of looking at like a foreign word!

[danboid]

F:

You've said you'll add 'Switch Master!' to the Config window drivers tab but what are your thoughts on changing its label to 'Switch Driver'? Are you also going to apply wolftunes suggested tweak of having the config window remember the last used tab ie in my case, the driver tab?

There are a few more tweaks I'd like to see make applied the default KX KDE desktop config:

* Add 'Open Terminal' to the Dolphin toolbar

* Include the 'Root Actions' service for Dolphin

* The default KDE theme (I forget what it is) looks 'broken'. The best example I can give is just open the K menu under a fresh install of KX and some parts of the menu are fully transparent and other bits totally opaque. It just looks messy to me so I switch the themes to plastik and it looks great.

[danboid]

You've said you'll add 'Switch Master!' to the Config window drivers tab but what are your thoughts on changing its label to 'Switch Driver'? Are you also going to apply wolftunes suggested tweak of having the config window remember the last used tab ie in my case, the driver tab?

That name won't change. Perhaps I will take out the exclamation point, but that's it.
The action name comes from JACK (see "jack_control sm"), so let the name stay to not generate confusion.

NP. Obviously I have a preference here but I won't lose sleep over something like this. It won't really matter what the button says when its documented and/or has a tooltip to explain its purpose plus it'll be more obvious when its on the driver tab.

* The default KDE theme (I forget what it is) looks 'broken'. The best example I can give is just open the K menu under a fresh install of KX and some parts of the menu are fully transparent and other bits totally opaque. It just looks messy to me so I switch the themes to plastik and it looks great.

This depends on your KDE version, there are 2 possible combinations for KXStudio: 4.8 and 4.10 (replace 4.8 with 4.9 if running 12.10).
I never noticed such issues, and I've been running with this theme for a **long** time now.
Which exact ubuntu and kde version do you have?

I have seen these theme issues on a fresh KX install (ie KDE 4.8 ) and after updating to 4.10 -in all cases installing from the KX iso (64bit)

[manic_b]

You've said you'll add 'Switch Master!' to the Config window drivers tab but what are your thoughts on changing its label to 'Switch Driver'? Are you also going to apply wolftunes suggested tweak of having the config window remember the last used tab ie in my case, the driver tab?

That name won't change. Perhaps I will take out the exclamation point, but that's it.
The action name comes from JACK (see "jack_control sm"), so let the name stay to not generate confusion.

Perhaps it would be possible to have a mouseover text with more explanation?

[ToddMWorth]

I see where you're coming from but perhaps the name only seems counterintuitive because you didn't know the terminology - that was the case for me, at least. Now, I think it's fairly appropriately named.

Todd, if you could explain, that would be really useful. I have found out what it does by experiment, and from Falk's last post (didn't realise it doesn't stop/start jack) but I'd like to have a feel of it, instead of looking at like a foreign word!

Sorry - I just meant that it's JACK-specific terminology. The devs' name for the driver that talks to your main soundcard, is the "Master Backend Driver", hence their tool (and the accordingly-labelled button in cadence) will "Switch" (Change) the "Master" (Master Backend Driver) for you.

I guess that, in combination with the unfamiliar (and unusual - there is no slave backend driver, yet) terminology, this is another example of extreme abbreviation, which seems to be undesirable for you. The trick with this sort of stuff is, as a developer, one must consider the User Interfacing constraints present - which is a way of saying, there's not enough room on screen to make every button or dialog box fully descriptive, and if there is, users tend to ignore much of it (TL;DR, etc)

Another reason I'm a big fan of mouseovers, which have already been suggested

[Thad E Ginathom]

Thank you Todd: your explanation/expansion is all I need, and I'm fine with that now. The mouseover text would be great for other newbies, though.

Is it too much off-topic to enquire when the "Audio connection kit" will handle more than one interface concurrently? Wasn't there a rumour of that coming to jack2? Or did I dream it?

[danboid]

I noticed yesterday that the latest Cadence remembers the last used tab under the JACK config window so I have reduced click-about now.

Nice move F - thanks!

[danboid]

Will do F!

I'm making a start on the manual today. I thought it'd be a good idea to write it as a sub-section of the LM wiki at first then we can tidy it up and convert it to a PDF or ODT to include on the iso when you're ready to do a release.

Maybe you know a better place for it than the LM wiki?

[danboid]

Google docs?
Not that I have much experience with it, but afaik it's a good way to edit files online.

I'm not really bothered personally about formatting or web interface whilst we are doing a first draft so the LM wiki seems like the best place to me for now.

I'd like anyone on these forums who gets impatient with us to be able to help us get it written faster y'see

[wolftune]

Google docs?
Not that I have much experience with it, but afaik it's a good way to edit files online.

Ugh, no. Don't use Google docs. A traditional wiki is better. Those of us who care about the issues of Free Software would prefer to stay away from Google Docs as it is proprietary and there's better alternatives.

[danboid]

I have a couple more suggestions for tweaks to the default KX KDE desktop:

* Please add the Find tool to the default Dolphin toolbar

* It is only configured for 1 virtual desktop and it is a waste of time showing an icon in the panel for 1 desktop if you can't switch to any others. I'd like to see 4 virtual desktops as default but at least 2 should be activated to justify having a desktop switcing widget in the panel at all.

[danboid]

Oh and having the desktop default to folder view mode (on the home dir) would be the icing on the cake for me!

I think this thread is just about done now!

Thanks F!

[danboid]

OK. Thanks F!

[danboid]

Nah - I can't seriously leave my request list alone so easily. I was just getting warmed up too!

I realise KX already includes non mixer, qtractor and various other JACK mixer capable apps but non of them are as compact, lightweight and easy to use as jack_mixer IMO.

I have 3 USB audio devices and the ALSA volume control only works on one under KX. One - the Focusrite 2i4 - doesn't show an ALSA volume slider at all even though it works great (with JACK) othewise so until ALSA get their stuff sorted I have to use jack_mixer for software volume control. I greatly prefer it to non-mixer if I just need a simple fader.

If you've not realised, I'm trying to make the case that I think a lot of people (many USB audio users) could make regular use of jack_mixer so I'd vote in on the iso. Its only wee!

Whaddya tink F?