KubuntuMultimediaSimplification

Revision 17 as of 2007-01-20 01:36:59

Clear message

Summary

Kubuntu should avoid duplicating functionality in multimedia applications, and improve default settings.

Rationale

There are lots of multimedia applications shipped by default with Kubuntu (kaudiocreator, kscd, kaffeine, kmplayer, amarok, k3b etc...), and lots of them duplicate the functionality provided by others.

This is useless, goes against simplicity and complicates the work of the documentation team.

Use Case

  • Paul wonders how to read an audio CD in Kubuntu. By looking at the popup screen when he puts the CD in the drive he finds right away which program fits his need and doesn't get confused with 3 apps offering the same feature.
  • Kate wants to read a video file, finds the video player and doesn't get confused by a bunch of audio functionality while she already has an audio player.

Scope

Applications in the Kubuntu desktop seed, and default settings in those applications.

Design

Current duplicated functionality is ripping an audio CD is currently possible with kaffeine, konqueror, kaudiocreator and k3b. Reading an audio CD is possible with kaffeine, amarok and kscd.

Kubuntu should focus on keeping the only the best apps and centralise the features. Amarok is the reference audio application, and allows CD reading, so KsCD can be removed. Kaffeine is our video application, it should be patched to remove its audio playing menu entries. KAudioCreator is slower than K3b and more complicated to use & configure than konqueror so there is no need to ship it.

Implementation

The default option provided for CD ripping and DVD ripping should be K3b. Implementation is done via a patch for new command line option, desktop files for konqueror integration and a bashscript that deals with dcop to autostart k3b on the cd device with the ripping options. User can now simply click on the CD icon on the desktop and select "RIP CD with K3B", making it as easy to user as kaudiocreator.

Add servicemenu and bash scripts to Amarok to integrate it with the kde daemon popup box activated when audio CDs are inserted, via a desktop file and a bashscript, the same way than with k3b.

Concerning k3b, avec debatting this during kubuntu-devel meeting and reading all the comments received by email or on this page, it was decided to keep the audio features, and simply patch desktop files so that kaffeine isn't the default player for audio files. The problem is that as kaffeine is installed after amarok, is auto becomes the default player for files both kaffeine and amarok are associated to. That can be changed with kubuntu-default-settings, but it is very complicated to maintain, since it is about 15 KB file and has to be rebuilt for any mimetype change for any other app, so this option was rejected... Now a user can simply recreate the association, via "right-click > open with", but amarok is the default player for audio files out of the box.

Status

Everything is implemented and widely known to work on feisty.