Bug#871920: musescore-common: please split out the FluidR3Mono_GM.sf3 sound font into a separate package

[Fabian Greffrath]

Hi Thorsten,

Thorsten Glaser wrote:
> as far as I’m informed, the soundfont is not an “API” of MuseScore,
> i.e. it can, and possibly will, change without notice.

If upstream finds a way to further improve the soundfont and decides to
ship a modified version in the next release, I am fine with that.

The actual file format, I believe, can be considered stable, though. It
has already been adopted by other upstreams than musescore and fluidsynth.

> Sure, we can split it off, and it’ll be versioned with the version
> of the corresponding MuseScore package, but that’ll be all of it,
> unless someone actively maintains the soundfont.

Sure, as long as musescore keeps shipping this soundfont, it will be part
of that source package.

> Furthermore, MuseScore may cease shipping this, or ship an
> incompatible version, in the future. I *really* wish to avoid
> a repeat of #768524 where we could not upgrade MuseScore because
> something used the old soundfont.

I'd rather see it as a positive sign that musescore's soundfont has proved
useful outside of its original scope.

> If Fabian insists, [...]

I do, please split the soundfont off into a separate package. ;)

> If anyone cares about it and would maintain the soundfont split
> off if necessary, do share.

I can take care of implementing the soundfont split-off in the musescore
Debian package and I would also volunteer to maintain it in a separate
source package should musescore ever decide to break it or not ship it
anymore.

Thanks!

 - Fabian