And i'll leave the flame suit in the locker as well, but i will say i don't
think Pulse, which is a...domestic sound server, should be auto installed
in what i consider a 'craftsman's' OS like Ubuntustudio.
However some apps we use aren't built with Jack, and i can see why, given
the continuity that Ubuntu seeks to maintain, pulse gets a viewing. But i
maintain my view that Jack is a much better end result for a
recording/graphic/mixing environment.
That said, i faced the same situation as you when i graduated from Gutsy to
Hardy, and i decided at the time to install a barebones setup with Hardy,
and install as much as i could from up to date source, for precisely the
reason you gave, of the multiple app dependencies that, when 1 app was
removed, seemed to take a shedload of others with it.
So i share the following based on my own modest experience:
UbuntuStudio, like it's counterparts in the Ubuntu family, is based on
stability, hence the lag in updates. Ubuntu isn't on its own with this, and
it's worth remembering here that the UB team is a small one, and they cover
a lot of ground maintaining the Ubuntu standard, for our benefit. We get
good value as users, and we have the choice as to installation direction,
either in Deb packages, or removing a handful of apps, and patiently
reinstalling them from source, taking the chance that we'll be able to
without too much angst. There are exceptions, Musescore being an obvious
example, where user enthusiasm drove a fairly significant update, quickly.
(Thanks Toby for doing this.)
So I respectfully suggest here that you take a step back, grab a decent nip
of cognac, and plan ahead.
I wrote a list of apps that i use regularly based on experiments in workflow
that i conducted over some period of time.
After the list was done, and i'd collected all the source, SVN, CVS, Waf,
and Git addresses, i then installed Hardy UbStudio, selecting NONE of the
software install options for sound or graphic during the install process.
The first thing i did when the install was finished, was remove pulse,
through Synaptic.
As i hadn't installed a shedload of apps, the 'damage' was minimal, and
didn't pull much back out at all. I then scoured the bin, lib, share, and
include directories for any vestiges of pulse, that may have got left behind
in some obscure dependency requirement.
I then updated Alsa, to a later build, installing only those modules i
wanted.
Then Jack.
Then LAD/Ingen/Patchage, and LASH, including all the up to date libs and lib
dev files from both ubstudio repos, and online. (libsoundfile being a good
example here.)
That's the sound server, and it's environment done, including any GUI's
required.
This a good place to check progress, and make sure the framework is sound,
and reliable. (Good foundations, right?)
After that it was LV2 and ladspa plugs.
Then the main apps like Linuxsampler, Rosegarden, Ardour, Jconv, Aeolus,
and so on, carefully reading install instructions, and taking note of any
dependencies required, and importantly, their version numbers.
I guess you could say this is a fairly methodical approach, but it's born
out of clumsy user experience on my part, as i learnt to plan ahead, and not
go through 1 step forward, and 2 sideways, trying to match dependencies, and
not lose a handful of apps in the process. I got the message eventually.
It's obvious to say this isn't windows, or simple out of the box stuff, but
the reward for me was a lean, fast, powerful system, with ONLY the apps i
wanted, and no bloat. (Within my very limited linux perception of what
constitutes bloat.)
You might well be happy with installing everything, and shuffling back and
forth, and that's certainly more than suitable for those who like this
approach. But after a lot of experiments, and associated mistakes, i finally
get the wisdom of the modular mindset of linux, and the high percentage of
satisfaction that comes with that.
Henry, i have no idea of your linux skill level, or what you want out
of your setup, so i only offer a personal experience of what works for me. I
wouldn't go back to a 'install the lot then up date' approach, as the plan
ahead and patiently install method, gives me a better result, with good
stability, and the advantage of all those extra tools clever devs are
building, and have done so in the last 6 months or so.
I can't offer anything for your soundcard, as i'm using something else, but
a trip to the ALSA site, and a browse in their soundcard matrix, may turn up
something in changelogs that may give a clue to the current state of your
particular module.
So as far as Pulse goes, and only as my experience, i pulled it all out, and
then followed Alsa and Jack instructions to setup a dedicated, or
'craftsman's' sound server.
I find it easy now i know a little bit, and Jack's no bother at all. In my
humble opinion, it smacks anything else i've ever used for ease of use, and
i used to run 5 boxes, running the nightmare that was multiple
