SoundEvents

Status

• Created: Date(2005-04-23T10:28:43Z) by MattZimmermanBR

• Priority: MediumPriorityBR

• People: AdamConrad, AndrewFitzsimonSecondBR

• Contributors: MattZimmermanBR

• Interested: MatthewPaulThomasBR

• Status: BreezyGoal, UduBof, DistroSpecification, BrainDumpBR

• Branch: BR

• Malone Bug: BR

• Packages: BR

• Depends: BR

• UduSessions: 1, 4, 8, etc BR

Introduction

Desktop applications in Ubuntu should use sounds consistently to indicate similar events. For example, the sound played when receiving an e-mail message should be the same regardless of which application is being used to read mail.

Rationale

The current sound implementation is incomplete, inconsistent and some applications have sounds that could be used better. Tidying this up will make for a better user experience.

The things that we can do with sounds

• replace sounds with dpkg package-x replaces  package-y

• hacking packages to get sounds into it
• and just using gnome sounds themes (really subtle sound to indicate something has happened)

Scope and Use Cases

Points to note

• error sound - not too rad
• notification sounds have to be quick... and percussive
• we need to assign sounds to battery status for battery low
• new mail notification in Evolution doesn't work ... there is no sound
• GNOME system sounds preferences doesn't have a new mail preference

Thunderbird

Thunderbird currently uses the system beep; this might need to be patched.

Nice feature to have

If a program uses the system beep, can we intercept that and put in our own sound?

The average Windows user has not heard a system beep in 10 years!

GAIM sounds

These are the only sounds we want and this is what we want to do with them:

• message received. Notification for now but ideally its own
• buddy logs in (really subtle sound to indicate something has happened)
• buddy logs out (really subtle sound to indicate something has happened)
• name mentioned

Techniques to employ for sound events

• pitch shapes for different functions
• percussive techniques for different events of similar nature
• no more than four beats for the most intrusive sounds

Implementation Plan

• One maintainer to replace sounds that are unacceptable
• One engineer to create sounds that are not appropriate for certain events
• Gaim sounds need to be re-engineered
• Evolution and Thunderbird needs mail notification sounds

Data Preservation and Migration

Refer to Packages Affected

Packages Affected

ubuntu-sounds should now have replaces gaim meaning that it uses the dpkg 'replaces' field to overwrite some sound files in the gaim package

ubuntu-sounds should now include a generic mail notification sound that can be used by a number of mail client applications.

User Interface Requirements

it would be advantageous global GNOME mail notification sound