If a computer has multiple audio devices identifying the right device during configuration/volume management may not be as obvious as we'd like. I think it would make a lot of sense if gnome-volume-control can help visually identifying the right devices by putting up little icons that reflect the "form factor" of the audio device in question.
For many devices we now properly identify the device "form factor" in software, so all that's needed are expressive icons. What is missing right now are:
- An icon for headsets (i.e. mono duplex devices you attach to your head, for telephony, lofi)
- An icon for headphones (i.e. stereo playback devices you attach to your head, for music/games, hifi)
- An icon for external speakers (i.e. a pair of proper full-size standalone black speakers boxes, like those they sell equipped with USB these days)
I tried to get standard icon names for these three into the XDG icon naming spec, but failed because the spec is pretty badly maintained.
See this thread:
http://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/xdg/2009-March/010267.html
http://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/xdg/2009-April/010363.html
http://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/xdg/2009-May/010397.html
There's now a preliminary patch for g-v-c that actually makes use of these icons available:
http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=581917
The three icon names are:
- audio-headset
- audio-headphones
- audio-speakers
PulseAudio now generates icon names like this, suffixed by the connector of the device. i.e. audio-headset-bluetooth, audio-headset-usb. It might make sense to reflect the possible connector in the icons. Dunno. It's up to you, the artist.
Contact lennart at poettering dot net.