NEWS item draft for enabling pipewire in desktop profiles

gistfile1.txt

Title: Desktop Profile to enable PipeWire support
Author: Ian Jordan <immoloism@gmail.com>
Posted: 2025-12-14
Revision: 5
News-Item-Format: 2.0
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/alpha/23.0/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/alpha/23.0/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/alpha/23.0/split-usr/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/alpha/23.0/split-usr/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/amd64/23.0/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/amd64/23.0/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/amd64/23.0/split-usr/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/amd64/23.0/split-usr/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/arm/23.0/armv7a_hf/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/arm/23.0/armv7a_hf/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/arm/23.0/armv7a_sf/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/arm/23.0/armv7a_sf/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/arm/23.0/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/arm/23.0/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/arm/23.0/split-usr/armv7a_hf/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/arm/23.0/split-usr/armv7a_hf/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/arm/23.0/split-usr/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/arm/23.0/split-usr/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/arm64/23.0/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/arm64/23.0/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/arm64/23.0/split-usr/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/arm64/23.0/split-usr/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/hppa/23.0/hppa1.1/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/hppa/23.0/hppa1.1/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/hppa/23.0/hppa1.1/split-usr/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/hppa/23.0/hppa2.0/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/hppa/23.0/hppa2.0/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/hppa/23.0/hppa2.0/split-usr/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/loong/23.0/la64v100/lp64d/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/loong/23.0/la64v100/lp64d/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/loong/23.0/la64v100/split-usr/lp64d/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/loong/23.0/la64v100/split-usr/lp64d/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/ppc/23.0/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/ppc/23.0/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/ppc/23.0/split-usr/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/ppc/23.0/split-usr/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/ppc/23.0/time64/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/ppc/23.0/time64/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/ppc/23.0/time64/split-usr/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/ppc/23.0/time64/split-usr/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/ppc64/23.0/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/ppc64/23.0/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/ppc64/23.0/split-usr/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/ppc64/23.0/split-usr/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/ppc64le/23.0/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/ppc64le/23.0/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/ppc64le/23.0/split-usr/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/ppc64le/23.0/split-usr/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/riscv/23.0/rv64/lp64d/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/riscv/23.0/rv64/lp64d/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/riscv/23.0/rv64/lp64/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/riscv/23.0/rv64/lp64/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/riscv/23.0/rv64/split-usr/lp64d/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/riscv/23.0/rv64/split-usr/lp64d/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/sparc/23.0/64ul/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/sparc/23.0/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/sparc/23.0/split-usr/64ul/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/sparc/23.0/split-usr/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/x86/23.0/i686/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/x86/23.0/i686/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/x86/23.0/i686/split-usr/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/x86/23.0/i686/split-usr/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/x86/23.0/i686/time64/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/x86/23.0/i686/time64/desktop/*
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/x86/23.0/i686/time64/split-usr/desktop
Display-If-Profile: default/linux/x86/23.0/i686/time64/split-usr/desktop/*

Reasons
=======

Gentoo has had a longstanding complaint that desktop profiles do not
enable a suitable working audio setting, which causes confusion for 
new users. As an example, a user can end up compiling Firefox without 
audio support, meaning the user will have to add the USE flags and 
then compile Firefox a second time. This not only wastes time for the
user, but also increases workload of volunteers providing support.

This change will make PipeWire the default sound server for all
Gentoo desktop profiles which support it, rather than just Plasma 
profiles[1].
PipeWire has been widely adopted by Linux as a whole due to
its feature to work with older standards such as PulseAudio, and means 
Gentoo desktop users will be provided with working audio by default.

Changes
=======

New global USE flags enabled: pulseaudio

Enables PulseAudio support for packages as a fallback when native PipeWire isn't
available. 

New global USE flags enabled: pipewire
New package.use default: media-video/pipewire[sound-server]

These settings will enable PipeWire by default where available and also tell PipeWire 
to act as our PulseAudio server where there is no native PipeWire support.

New global USE flags enabled: screencast

In Wayland sessions, the video functionality of PipeWire is not only used for 
screen sharing but also to take screenshots and recordings or simply to cast 
window content onto task managers' window previews. Some functionality it
provides may be considered a bug when missing, and its dependency will 
already be there by way of PipeWire, so it only makes sense to be enabled in
tandem with USE pipewire.


Alpha and HPPA
===============

Alpha and HPPA currently do not have PipeWire support enabled so only PulseAudio is enabled.
These can be requested by users at a later date after confirming they work with the respected
projects.

Users not Wishing to Change
===========================

For users not wanting to change from the their current desktop profile setup,
then all that is required is to set USE="-pipewire -pulseaudio -screencast" in 
their make.conf file.

User Action Required
====================

In order to enact all changes:

    emerge -1avUD @world
    
Afterwards all that should be required is a reboot, however in the unlikely
event of issues then check out how to configure PipeWire for your purposes. [1][2]

In order to keep a previously configured PulseAudio only system:

    Set USE="-pipewire -screencast" in /etc/portage/make.conf

For an ALSA only system:
    Set USE="-pipewire -pulseaudio -screencast" in /etc/portage/make.conf
    
[1] https://www.gentoo.org/support/news-items/2022-07-29-pipewire-sound-server.
html
[2] https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/PipeWire