Re: [PATCH v3 11/19] audio: deprecate -soundhw pcspk

[Gerd Hoffmann]

On Mon, Jun 22, 2020 at 03:22:05PM +0200, Paolo Bonzini wrote:
> On 22/06/20 14:59, Thomas Huth wrote:
> >> +static int pcspk_audio_init_soundhw(ISABus *bus)
> >> +{
> >> +    PCSpkState *s = pcspk_state;
> >> +
> >> +    warn_report("'-soundhw pcspk' is deprecated, "
> >> +                "please set a backend using '-global 
> >> isa-pcspk.audiodev=<name>' instead");
> >> +    return pcspk_audio_init(s);
> >> +}
> > While "-soundhw pcspk" is quite easy to use for the average user, I
> > think the "-global" options will be quite hard to figure out, especially
> > once this deprecation message got removed again when -soundhw has been
> > deleted. Could you maybe add a description how to configure the
> > pc-speaker to docs/system/target-i386-desc.rst.inc, too?
> 
> -nic is an example of how a single option can work great for both
> built-in and custom devices, and perhaps we could design something like
> that for audio.  For example you could have
> 
>       # configure a builtin or default audio device
>       # and an ALSA audiodev
>       -sound alsa
> 
>       # configure an external audio device and a PA audiodev
>       # options other than "model" go to audiodev
>       -sound pa,model=sb16,fixed-settings=off
> 
> For more information: https://www.qemu.org/2018/05/31/nic-parameter/
> 
> I think we can go ahead with the deprecation, but -global and -device
> are probably not good enough a replacement for actual removal.

-global is temporary, see patch 19/19 (guess I should reorder the series
and squash 19/19 to fix that confusion).

The plan is to have audio work simliar to block.  -audiodev creates a
backend (like -blockdev).  Properties are used to reference them.
Device properties in most cases, machine properties for builtin devices
(i.e. pcspk works like pflash then).

take care,
  Gerd