Amarok radio listening headaches

[Emanoil Kotsev]

--- On Sat, 11/1/08, Knapp <magick.crow at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Knapp <magick.crow at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: Amarok radio listening headaches
> To: deloptes at yahoo.com, "Kubuntu Help and User Discussions" <kubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com>
> Date: Saturday, November 1, 2008, 6:59 PM
> On Sat, Nov 1, 2008 at 3:02 PM, Emanoil Kotsev
> <deloptes at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > Knapp wrote:
> >
> >>> try set this in your environment
> >>>
> >>> export FIREFOX_DSP="aoss"
> >>>
> >>> or FIREFOX_DSP="aoss" firefox
> >>>
> >>> to check if it works
> >>>
> >>> regards
> >>
> >> What do you mean by environment? How or where do
> you set that?
> >>
> >>
> >
> > Firefox checks the environment variable FIREFOX_DSP
> which can be set
> > to 'aoss', that would activate the alsa oss
> wrapper for applications that
> > want to access /dev/dsp
> >
> > This way you can play flash and other sounds coming
> through firefox and use
> > other sound players like amarok, xmms or whatever
> synchronously, presumably
> > your alsa system is configured properly.
> >
> > regards
> 
> But what does that have to do with Amarok failing with
> networked
> playing? It works fine with playing files on the HD.
> -- 

Hypothesis: when /dev/dsp buzy, apps can not use the sound system 

Experiment: 
Try to play a file at /dev/dsp and in the same time try play a file over alsa. it's not working, cause dsp is blocking everything.

Try to play a file at /dev/dsp over aoss and in the same time play a file over alsa and it works.

-------

The problem: some plugins (flash, realplay, java applets etc) use /dev/dsp which when used blocks the sound system for other apps

The problem in this case as stated in the beginning of the discussion is that when listening to strem over firefox, amarok won't play. Sounds like the general problem described.

Solution: Try using the aoss wrapper for firefox. The best way use the variable provided therefor.

hope it is clear and helps

regards