[Discussion]: Should we disable (remove, drop) `audacity` package (not supporting audio devices)?

[xtkoba]

As reported in #10412, our audacity package does not support any audio devices as of now, and from time to time we receive a question as to how to enable audio output of Audacity.

As the initial packager of audacity, I don't count this functionality as essential for Audacity. Many other people, however, seem to think Audacity is useless without it. If so, we should drop our audacity package.

How do you think?

NOTICE

Discussions about adding audio device support is off-topic here. They should go to #10412.

[ghost]

Without sound, Audacity does provide a nice GUI for some transforms. Helpful, but not urgent. Suggestion: Existing package could be re-named audacity-silent'. If there is a future ability to connect to audio, then the new package could be audacity-sound'. Package installer might allow both, or only one of them.

[xtkoba]

Thanks. audacity-silence could be an option if an uncooperative third party repo ever provides a package with audio device support.

[sylirre]

I think it would be enough to add notice into postinst script with message like Audacity sound output is not supported in Termux.

[ghost]

Why I respectfully suggest that my suggestion (above) is better than that of sylirre (above):

1. How many users actually read post-install messages? In any case, that would require to first install (expecting that audacity should have sound), then be disappointed (after reading the post-install script).

2. My suggestion would allow Termux audacity-silent to be installed along with a third-party (or user-built) version, just named audacity.

3. If Termux ever does get sound for audacity, then an update to audacity-silent could uninstall it, in favor of the real audacity. But the installer would need to first verify that the user did not have another audacity installed on $PREFIX/bin. Presumably no problem if another audacity is installed somewhere else.

[DLC01]

Well there may be one way to get audio output, since portaudio does have an alsa backend it would be possible to use the pulseaudio sink plugin provided by alsa-plugins and route the audio to pulseaudio, this would require packaging both alsa-lib and alsa-plugins

[xtkoba]

@DLC01 Adding audio device support to audacity is off-topic here; please go to #10412. I just don't want discussions to be scattered across issues. Thanks.

[xtkoba]

Conclusion has already been reached. I won't drop audacity for now. Thanks.