mixerctl variables

[Alan Barrett <apb%cequrux.com@localhost>]

On Wed, 22 Oct 2008, Jeremy C. Reed wrote:
> > The second is that HD audio mixers don't map very well to Sun audio 
> > mixer controls. Using information from HD audio widgets you can derive a 
> > name like "Line-out Jack (Location: Back, Channels: Front Left/Right) 
> > Mute Switch" but I don't know how to map that to a sysctl MIB style name 
> > that won't piss anybody off.
> 
> Any proposals? Something is better than nothing.

There's already a mapping to the mixerctl mib, using names that
sometimes do and sometimes don't make sense to a casual observer.  It
might not be perfect, but it's what we have.  Could we just keep that
mapping, but augment it with descriptions or locations or both?

For example, in addition to

    outputs.xyzzy = 123,123
    outputs.xyzzy.mute = on/off

(where xyzzy is some name that a casual observer will probably not
associate with the line-out jack), add

    outputs.xyzzy.mute.description = \
    "Line-out Jack (Location: Back, Channels: Front Left/Right) Mute Switch"

or perhaps

    outputs.xyzzy.descr.type = "Line-out Jack"
    outputs.xyzzy.descr.location = "Back"
    outputs.xyzzy.descr.channels = "Front Left/Right"
    outputs.xyzzy.mute.descr.type = "Mute Switch"

--apb (Alan Barrett)