[Bug 689426] Re: Confusing error message when an audio call fails

[Arseniy Alekseyev]

Sorry for slow response. I have updated the report with the empathy
version and the steps to reproduce. Actually this is not really a bug,
but rather just bad error message.

** Description changed:

  Binary package hint: empathy
+ 
+ I am using empathy 2.34.0.
  
  I received the following message when the sound capture failed during an
  audio call:
  
  There was a failure in the call engine:
  Could not link source
  
  The underlying problem turned out to be incorrect configuration of the default gstreamer source. I had /system/gstreamer/0.10/default/audiosrc GConf key set to "osssrc" while I did not have OSS installed.
  ALSA-based applications worked perfectly so I had no idea why empathy would fail.
  
- The problem became obvious when I executed the following command: gst-
+ 
+ So, steps to reproduce: 
+ - Set the value of gconf variable '/system/gstreamer/0.10/default/audiosrc' to 'osssrc' without OSS installed.
+ - Run empathy.
+ - Connect to a google talk, for example.
+ - Try to make an audio or video-call.
+ 
+ You will receive that confusing message.
+ 
+ 
+ The problem becomes obvious when I execute the following command: gst-
  launch-0.10 gconfaudiosrc ! gconfaudiosink
  
- The output clearly showed what went wrong:
+ The output shows what's wrong:
  
  ERROR: from element /GstBin:bin0/GstOssSrc:osssrc0: Could not open audio device for recording.
  Additional debug info:
  gstosssrc.c(379): gst_oss_src_open (): /GstBin:bin0/GstOssSrc:osssrc0:
  Unable to open device /dev/dsp for recording: No such file or directory
  
- I think it would be great if the empathy error "Technical details"
- showed this information or at least hint what it was trying to do (open
- the "gconfaudiosrc" gstreamer element).
  
- Even a slight modification of the error message could make it vastly more useful:
+ I think it would be great if the empathy error "Technical details" showed the information reported or at least hint what it was trying to do (open the "gconfaudiosrc" gstreamer element).
+ 
+ Even a slight modification of the error message could make it vastly more useful, like
  "Could not link gstreamer source 'gconfaudiosrc'."

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/689426

Title:
  Confusing error message when an audio call fails