Idea #9611: Replace old sound GUI with new one with Pulse Audio features in mind

Pulse Audio is now in Hardy! The work is never over though and there are several remaining issues to be solved and enhancements to be made for 8.10. A new GUI is needed to replace the old one for audio control if the features of Pulse Audio are to be taken advantage of. It would be nice to see them accessible by default to raise the "coolness" factor as well as enhancing the usability of the current system. Currently, for example, there is no way to change Pulse Audio's default sound card through the existing GUI without installing extra packages, nor can you change ALSA's default sound card (you can only change the default for the sounds made in Gnome, but not for any other programs which use ALSA). These extra Pulse Audio controls should be merged with or replace the current system, or new ones should be made and merged with or replace the current system, or the current ones changed/enhanced. When other sound servers are selected, certain features could be grayed out if unavailable to keep everything sound system agnostic. This will also allow configuration of ALSA as well for those programs which still rely on it (and fix the above problem with ALSA as well).

Idea #2: There are still many programs that use ALSA, which is a remaining issue mentioned in the linked blueprint. If more programs were only made to be agnostic so that users can use whichever sound system they desire, that would be an ideal and much more permanent fix so that patching these programs later wouldn't be required. If some kind of standard is needed to help with this issue, the Ubuntu community could help take part in pushing for that standard "interface", and that would really help. It's sad when programs themselves have to be updated if a different sound server is desired, so it's a problem that should be fixed once and for all with a good, easy, standardized sound interface/language available for all programs to use if there isn't one in existence already. It's those kind of changes that will really make Ubuntu/Linux as a whole much more powerful and flexible and allow greater program adoption, competition, and use down the road. This, IMO, makes this idea more important than idea #1, or installing PA by default, or anything else on this subject, even though those are important too. :)

P.S., Brainstorm won't let me continue because it recognizes the Blueprint URL and won't allow an override, since this idea is a lot different. Overriding should be allowed, but for now I'm altering the URL.