Comment by TheRealPomax | Hacker News Reader

Comment by TheRealPomax | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

I'm not sure I get this article - if you want a physical kill switch for audio, get a volume controller and set that directly under your monitor? Now you have a physical kill switch in the form of a GIANT near-zero-friction volume knob as well as dedicated hardware true-instant-mute button.

No reason computers should come with that out of the box, in the same way there's no reason they should come with a DVD drive or a vertical mouse or brand-name webcam, but if that's what you need in your life, any of these are <$100 peripherals.

Because you don't need a $2000 audio interface with twenty XLR inputs with individually controlled phantom power and built in EQ, or even a $299 one that podcasters and youtubers like to keep recommending: if you just want control over your audio, get something like a Behringer MONITOR1 for $60 [1], or a slightly nicer Mackie "Big Knob" passive 2x2 for $70 [2] and go "ahh, exactly what I needed".

[1] https://www.behringer.com/product.html?modelCode=P0C9G

[2] https://mackie.com/products/big-knob-series-monitor-controll...

He covers your argument in paragraph 5, under the "just ackchyually" crowd section.

To summarize, you shouldn't have to use peripheral equipment to achieve what he believes should be standard functionality in hardware that emits audio signals.

Which is kind of a nonsense argument for laptops, and already true for desktops (even cheap PC speakers come with a nice big volume knob and on/off switch). So I read that paragraph, and see "why should I have to do what everyone else who cares about this already does?". If you care about a mute button, get a mute button. Just like if you care about having a good mouse, get a good mouse. And if you care about having good video quality, get a real webcam.

Welcome to owning a computer: it's not done, because you're an outlier with your own needs, just like everyone else. You get the "meets most people's needs" hardware, and you get to add all the peripherals you need on top of that yourself. And as a bonus, you buy them once, then if you get a new computer, you don't need to buy new ones: they still work, and no one had to waste time and money on adding those things just for you to throw them away a few years later when it's time to get a new computer.

Everyone wins.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com