PulseAudio 2.0 Runs On HURD, Has Jack Detection

[e8hffff]

Of course with ALSA you can play multiple sources at a time. You just can't mix them other than going into the individual applications and adjust volumes there (or using some dmix hacks I guess).

Well what's the use of that if sound dies and you can't control which one is active, easily. You are simply saying what we said about not being able to play more than one. Play does mean hearing, when related to sound.

[LightBit]

I find that hard to believe. Do a test now with separate applications using ALSA...With no OpenAL/PulseAudio/OSS installed!

I was surprised too. Video on youtube and mplayer music both are playing at the same time and I hear them both. No OpenAL/PulseAudio/OSS installed.

[e8hffff]

What is your wine version?

Wine 1.5.3 standard.

[e8hffff]

I was surprised too. Video on youtube and mplayer music both are playing at the same time and I hear them both. No OpenAL/PulseAudio/OSS installed.

You maybe experiencing the effect of a single OS API locked onto a single ALSA hardware binding, playing your sound for your apps.

[not.sure]

Well what's the use of that if sound dies and you can't control which one is active, easily. You are simply saying what we said about not being able to play more than one. Play does mean hearing, when related to sound.

I have no clue what you're trying to say.
I don't want to get into a PA-ALSA flame war, I'm just saying if you like want to listen to music playing via mplayer while playing your fav FPS all at the same time you can do that and hear everything with ALSA. No magic needed. No more, no less.

[ChrisXY]

You maybe experiencing the effect of a single OS API locked onto a single ALSA hardware binding, playing your sound for your apps.

FYI: Alsa has been using dmix per default for some years now. It will only not work if the only application using alsa is using the hardware directly - which is quite rare nowadays - and then you try to start another sound output (AND if you don't have hardware mixing).

[e8hffff]

FYI: Alsa has been using dmix per default for some years now. It will only not work if the only application using alsa is using the hardware directly - which is quite rare nowadays - and then you try to start another sound output (AND if you don't have hardware mixing).

Ok so there is a software plugin that mixes sound for ALSA. In my experience ALSA is easy to break sound play back when multi tasking. I use Kubuntu, so maybe they don't build DMIX plugin for ALSA due PulseAudio being of choice?

[pingufunkybeat]

But you maybe a one task user, where most today are multitaskers. Not trying to be offensive!

Actually, I have more than one person using the computer (including the sound card) at any given time -- multi-seat. No problem.

[allquixotic]

FYI: Alsa has been using dmix per default for some years now. It will only not work if the only application using alsa is using the hardware directly - which is quite rare nowadays - and then you try to start another sound output (AND if you don't have hardware mixing).

Actually, I've seen quite a few applications decide not to work with dmix for reasons I couldn't troubleshoot, even with plug:dmix, and it might've had something to do with apps insisting on specific sample rates or whatever. You could say "well then the app is broken", but gee, that's the same thing pulseaudio is saying, so maybe the app really is broken and you just need to take that up with the app author rather than whining that PA is broken.

[pingufunkybeat]

I find that hard to believe. Do a test now with separate applications using ALSA...With no OpenAL/PulseAudio/OSS installed!

Why don't you try using an OS before writing about it, FFS.

I've been doing that for almost a decade. Flash, amarok, mplayer, all playing on top of each other, with different users even.

Some ALSA drivers are buggy, and need to be fixed, absolutely. It is a good solution for most desktop users, for everyone else, there is JACK. If PA ever does anything useful for me, and convinces me that it's a mature, stable technology, I'll consider switching, no problems. But spreading FUD about Linux sound is not needed. It works just fine.