Why is Rhythmbox becoming the default (again)?
Answer about why Rhythmbox was chosen from the Ubuntu Desktop Mailing list
- Based upon broader community feedback, it seems the preference is RB. Now, we have to be careful with that, obviously, but we simply use that as a data point.
- Size of both projects on CD. Alone, not a deciding point, but another data point.
- Stability in core function. Banshee has many features, though the general impression is that it has stability issues with frequent crashes and hangs needing force quits. RB is known to be quite stable.
- User Experience (including usability, overall feel, responsiveness). Banshee has the edge here, though can be less responsive (UI hangs). RB has some UI challenges that were detailed in Charline's usability report.
- Speed in start up and operation. This seems mostly a draw. Tweaks can be made to Banshee to improve cold startup time, though it does have moments were it hangs mid operation, but they seem more related to overall stability.
- ARM - Big unknown for Banshee.
- GTK3 - RB is already GTK3. Banshee is almost there, but carries more risk as it would be new binding stack
GTK3 support. "The main reason for this is that Banshee still uses GTK2 and the GTK3 branch is currently blocked by some missing GTK# 3 features. And this blocks porting the Ubuntu One Music Store plugin to GTK 3 and it prevents it from working properly on ARM."
Source: WebUpd8
And you'll probably have better luck on looking for different players on Ubuntu Forums, but since I'm answering anyways, I like Clementine a lot.
I think it is important to stress the usability problems that plague Banshee. This is IMHO the main reason behind the community preference for RB. This thread at the Ubuntu Fora details several of the issues users were confronted with after the inclusion of Banshee in release 11.04:
- High memory usage
- Doesn't play ogg files properly
- Randomly skips first 5 seconds of tracks
- Randomly stops playing without issuing error messages
- Lists audio files in disconnected drives
- Lists audio files in duplicate, triplicate, ...
This return to RB is a coming back to senses, IMHO.