computoman

In an earlier article, I talked about doing a minimal install of Debian linux ( http://computoman.blogspot.com/2014/10/installing-debian.html ). Decided to get out an old machine (Gateway Solo 3350 laptop) that this was done with. In playing with the machine, found that there was no sound drivers set up. Did the traditional install of the alsa not the pulse audio stuff.  This an old systeml $ cat /proc/cpuinfo processor    : 0 vendor_id    : GenuineIntel cpu family    : 6 model        : 8 model name    : Pentium III (Coppermine) stepping    : 3 microcode    : 0x7 cpu MHz        : 597.424 cache size    : 256 KB fdiv_bug    : no hlt_bug        : no f00f_bug    : no coma_bug    : no fpu        : yes fpu...

Like to use my server as a stereo so to speak. Either can play sound files directly or can play music from the internet! For some reason the sound was not working on my system, so I decided to remove the pulse stuff and reinstall the alsa setup. This is the only method that I have found that works flawlessly: $ sudo killall pulseaudio $ sudo apt-get purge pulseaudio pulseaudio-utils gstreamer0.10-pulseaudio \  libpulse-browse0 paman pavumeter pavucontrol  $ sudo apt-get purge $ sudo mv /etc/asound.conf /etc/asound.conf-bak $ rm ~/.pulse-cookie $ rm -r ~/.pulse Reboot. Then install:   $ sudo apt-get install alsa-base alsa-tools alsa-tools-gui alsa-utils alsa-oss \  alsamixergui libalsaplayer0   Everything now works fine! In fact, sound is better than it ever has been.  Speakers seem to gently boom out the sound. Now you will want to install mplayer.  Most everyone knows how to use mplayer, if not use   $ sudo apt-get install mplay...

Working on a microcontrolled audio switcher you can access from the web. Still have to add 32 audio lines.  Dear #Ubuntu . Some of us use command line only machines. so the loss of alsamixer is a reaL PAIN. Gnome-alsamixer is useless for us. Guess i will have to look for the source and compile it for the system. Or just wait and  replace u12.04 with a real linux. Recently upgraded the server to U12.04. Would have preferred to replace it with something else, but there are too many web applications to reinstall. The upgrade seemed to go well. Now that have had a chance to use the machine, there apps missing that WERE installed before the upgrade. So now if is a matter of reinstalling some programs. Like to use the system without a gui. that is everything is done from the command line. That might seem like a pain, but it really is easier. That is especially tru if you have a lot of jobs scripted as we do. Went to fire up some music to play from the serv...