Re: Users and the development process

Hi Florian,

 > Please take my words with a grain of salt.

Don't worry, I will :-)

> You do need certain tools for certain results. To stay with analogies,
> I want crosshairs on my rifle. I can't hit right with my bare eyes.

But for mastering, bare ears are the most important tool. Meters are 
just there as a guide.

> To me, free software means more than just "here it is, get
> lost and don't bother me". It means to develop a responsibility.

I completely disagree; the author of the software has no responsibility 
to provide you with the features you demand. That sounds like work, not 
fun, and if free software wasn't fun there would be a lot less of it.

 > If
> there is a dissatisfied user, then there is something wrong with the
> software.

You're confusing users with customers.

> developers begin to understand that
> their software might be improved by listening to what makes actual users
> happy that are not involved in the development.

I think it's good to listen of course, but I also think the developer 
has the absolute right to refuse to add features. You don't go up to Van 
Gogh and say "I like the sunflowers painting, Vincent, but I think it 
needs a few dasies in the vase". And not just because he's dead.

 > Projects like [2]
> prove this approach.

You are confusing all-volunteer projects with those sponsored by 
corporate interests looking to sell the Linux desktop to businesses. I'm 
sure Jamin developers would be delighted to be salaried to work on free 
audio software all day, listening to their crazy electronic music while 
  churning out argumentative emails on mailing lists.

> I won't go, learn C and study DSP
> algorithms to fix it myself. You see, there _are_ developers in the
> project who know about all that stuff intimately.

Right, but don't expect them to take your requests seriously if you 
won't help with the work.

 > Let's just give it a try: I am ready to fund the feature
> "configurable meter colors at configurabel levels", in the sense of [0]-
> [-6]dBFS: red, [-6]dBFS - [-15]dBFS: yellow, below [-15]dBFS: green,
> with 10,00 EUR per working hour.

I don't think you realise how valuable developer time is. I'm sure you 
could make 10 euro an hour flipping burgers. For reference, Samplitude 9 
Professional costs about 1000 euro for a single copy.

> I do not want to add makeup gain.

Then why are you compressing a track that quiet? It's only going to get 
quieter.

 > A 24 Bit recording with -15 dBFS peak,
> -30 dBFS mean level and a noise floor somewhere around -100 dBFS is not
> at all bad in a technical way.

That's debatable - you'd have a tough time hearing it on a car stereo, 
especially up against contemporary releases.

 > If I want to do some leveling with a 1.5
> ratio and a threshold of -45 dBFS, the software should not get in the
> way.

Simple - give the track 15dB input gain, compress it, then reduce the 
output level by 15dB. You will then have the inaudible results you 
require.

> my point is, to provide an however biased
> view and wishlist for JAMin from an every day audio user's perspective
> seems something valuable for me.

Yes, I think it is valuable. I think the problem was not your feature 
requests, but your expectations from the free software development process.

Cheers!

Daniel



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