Including fluid-soundfont would make setup easier and faster. I personally think that size is not so big issue because Ubuntu studio wont fit in cd anyhow.
> Toby Smithe wrote: >> Hi, >> >> Recently fluid-soundfont hit the archives (and since then, Debian). >> This is the first Free GM SoundFont, and is thus pretty damn useful. >> If you don't know what GM is, then this question probably isn't for >> you. >> >> fluid-soundfont enables synthesis that requires, you guessed it, a >> SoundFont. There are a number of packages in the archive which could >> potentially benefit: timidity, fluidsynth, mscore. I'm concentrating >> on mscore, because currently it links against the fluidsynth library >> (rather than use the ALSA sequencer), using that to synthesise audio. >> FluidSynth (as far as I am aware, and certainly in the way that mscore >> uses it) does not support the smaller freepats patches to do >> synthesis, and requires a soundfont. >> >> This direct linking makes it very easy, provided there is access to a >> SoundFont, to just get up and go: open mscore, and there's no other >> faffing about required before you can make noises. Naturally, the >> problem lies in that caveat: "provided there is access to a >> SoundFont". By default, there isn't, and so mscore doesn't make any >> sound. >> >> The last upload of mscore (-0ubuntu2) contained a patch to default it >> to look for the fluid-soundfont-gm file. This means that, if >> fluid-soundfont-gm is installed, mscore will Just Work. Because of >> this huge boost in functionality, the mscore package Recommends the >> fluid-soundfont-gm package. I would have set it to Depends, but there >> are two factors against this: >> >> 1. It does not fundamentally require the SoundFont, and can just as >> well (though with a little more effort), use a user-supplied font, as >> the package's install notification advised in the original -0ubuntu1 >> version. Or, it can just work silently. >> 2. fluid-soundfont is *huge* at about 130MiB. If mscore depended on >> fluid-soundfont-gm, it would force the user to download an excessive >> amount over the three meg required to get the program to run. >> >> Now, the question is: do we ship mscore on the DVD for Hardy? I think >> that this would be an excellent move: get a relatively new package a >> plentitude of airtime to get bugs shown up and ironed out, and improve >> awareness of a massively potential Sibelius alternative. Plus, it >> would fill the niche that Sibelius does on Windows, but on Ubuntu >> Studio. >> >> Should we decide to ship mscore, we then have to decide whether to >> ship fluid-soundfont. As the DVD is already 877MiB, which is a lot to >> download, users are clearly prepared to download that much. Why would >> an extra 130MiB be too much pain? It would enable a lot of >> functionality (and during the Intrepid cycle, I'll be further >> integrating fluid-soundfont to allow it to replace freepats wherever >> possible). >> >> If we do ship mscore, but not fluid-soundfont, users are purely going >> to have to download the soundfont separately (thereby increasing the >> effects of waiting for download: rather than wait once in one long >> chunk, perhaps overnight, users would have to wait twice, which feels >> exaggerated), or find an alternative, or work silently. >> >> Personally, I do not have absolute pitch, and would prefer nice, crisp >> synthesis to silence. If this means adding an extra 130MiB, then so be >> it: the advantages brought certainly outweigh that singular negative, >> especially considering that the free software environment is rather >> biased towards broadband users. >> >> To sign off, I'll just ask again the question asked in the subject: do >> we ship mscore and/or fluid-soundfont in Ubuntu Studio 8.04? >> >> -- Toby Smithe >> > > The size of the package has always been my concern in talking about this > to Toby. > > I, as lead of Ubuntu Studio, have had mixed feelings on the size of our > disk and wanting to keep things as streamlined as possible. Getting rid > of OO.o Writer is still a thorn in my side. > > So I must admit that the thought of including this package made me > uncomfortable. But the more I thought about it, I realized that I am not > embracing the decision to not worry so much about disk size and just try > to provide the best production apps we have to offer. This is not to say > I won't still try to get rid if OO.o Writer or will be adding tons of > new apps, just that this package really adds value to what we do. > > So, still slightly apprehensive, (just a bit) I'll give this a +1. > > I would like to hear from AU people or our dial-up'ers. > > But if the majority of people want this we'll add it to the seeds at the > end of the week. No later than Friday if the freeze doesn't effect us. > > -Cory \m/ > > -- > Ubuntu-Studio-users mailing list > [email protected] > Modify settings or unsubscribe at: > https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-studio-users > > -- Ubuntu-Studio-users mailing list [email protected] Modify settings or unsubscribe at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-studio-users
