Hardy and Alsa

[Kenny Hitt]

Hi.  Pulseaudio isn't a replacement for alsa.  Instead of me trying to explain, you might want to visit

pulseaudio.org.
Any player that uses gstreamer will work with pulseaudio.  Rhythmbox and totem both use gstreamer.  I believe the ubuntu developers have patched mplayer and the xine engine as well.
The lack of documentation doesn't bother me since I run Linux full time.  I'm on several mailing lists and google will always find information.  The change to pulseaudio was discussed in the Hardy release notes.
I used to support new users coming to Linux and do my best to correct wrong information.  Lately, I've stopped doing that.  I've had it with Windows users posting messages on Linux mailing lists slamming Linux and telling me how Windows is so much better.  I don't post mail to Windows lists saying how much 
better Linux is than Windows.  The fact they can't show me the same courtesy, is insulting.
My new attitude is: if they break it because they can't read and learn, they deserve it.  Besides, they've already said Windows is better.

Voxin, ttsynth, or what ever they call Viavoce should be avoided.  They are 10 year old binaries with several nasty bugs.  The people who sell them don't tell the full story about there product, and they don't seem to support it.

          Kenny
On Sat, May 17, 2008 at 08:58:15PM -0700, Deborah Norling wrote:
> Thanks Kenny for the heads up on PulseAudio! I clearly broke my system by
> making those changes from the FAQ. I'd edit the FAQ if I knew more. Maybe
> someone who does, should. 
> 
> So with PulseAudio, am I supposed to be able to get multiple sound channels
> -- like listening to internet radio and software speech simultaneously? I
> know I have a multi-channel sound card on this machine. Which media players
> are compatible with this new-fangled thing? 
> 
> Several years ago, Alsa replaced Oss, and I never completely understood why.
> I did understand for some apps you had to run Oss emulation.
> 
> Is Pulse-Audio now a new replacement for Alsa? So where is there user level
> documentation on PulseAudio? What makes it better? Do I now have to find
> Alsa emulation for PulseAudio?
> 
> What else does this break? Would voxin or ttsynth for example still work? 
> Any pointers to reading material would be appreciated.
> 
> I have this love-hate relationship with Linux, and I think the thing I hate
> the most is the abundance of out-of-date and downright dangerous
> documentation. Not to mention the general lack of clear docs. I keep vowing
> to write some, but I always seem to be behind, and by the time I understand
> something thoroughly enough to document it, the thing I understand is
> depricated.
> 
> I think I'm going to wear a t-shirt that says:
> 	Everything I know is now depricated!
> 
> --Debee
> 
> 
> -- 
> Ubuntu-accessibility mailing list
> Ubuntu-accessibility at lists.ubuntu.com
> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-accessibility