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On Wed, Aug 08, 2012 at 09:28:39AM +1200, Jeff McClintock wrote:
> I think I good experiment is to imagine you have to write both an LV2 host

quoted text
> and 100 LV2 plugins, and you have to write MIDI-binding code. Do you put it

> in the plugin OR the host?

> -If a feature consumes 100 kB RAM and disk space, and it's implemented on

> the host side - that's 100 kB.

> -If it's implemented on the plugins side, that's 100,000 kB.

>

> Which choice is more 'bloated'?

If the MIDI-binding code is in a shared library (and it probably should

be) then there's little difference between these two. Code is shared.

Per-instance data isn't, in the first case the host would allocate it

if it loads a plugin and in the second case the plugin would do it, but

again the total size would be the same.
> A very real scenario is you write this MIDI-binding support, ship 50

quoted text
> plugins, then 6 months later discover a bug. Now if that feature is in the

> host - that's one fix and everyone is happy. If that bug is in the 50

> plugins, already shipped to 1000 customers. Then you have a much bigger

> problem.

Again if the code is an a shared library that is the only thing that

will need to be updated.
> It's not a question of 'bloat' YES/NO. The code has to go *somewhere*, there

quoted text
> is only a tradeoff - HOST vs PLUGIN.

Yes, and the choice should IMHO be made based on *operational*

requirements.
Does a MIDI controller control
1. a GUI element (e.g. a fader) which in turn controls a

   parameter, or
2. does it control the parameter, updating the GUI as a

   side effect. 
In case (1) the midi controller can use the mapping (e.g. linear

or logarithmic) of the GUI element, which may be a desirable

feature.
Also imagine that the plugin GUI and DSP code (and host) run on

separate machines. For example the host is some complex rendering

engine placed in a technical room while the plugin GUI runs on

your on-stage laptop. To which one would you want the MIDI controller

connected ? 
Ciao,
--

FA
A world of exhaustive, reliable metadata would be an utopia.

It's also a pipe-dream, founded on self-delusion, nerd hubris

and hysterically inflated market opportunities. (Cory Doctorow)
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