HOWTO: PulseAudio Fixes & System-Wide Equalizer Support (Hardy Heron)

This should fix the no-sound issue of Flash Player


This guide is specially designed to fix certain issues present with Hardy's current implementation of PulseAudio and to enable equalized output. I have divided this guide into different sections, based on your needs:

Part A: Required Fixes (bug #198453)
Part B: Adobe Flash & PulseAudio Fix (bug #192888)
Part C: Stuttering Audio Fix (bug #188226 and bug #190754)
Part D: Equalizer Support (adapted from my original research here and using updated values from the ArchLinux wiki)
Appendix A: General Tips
Appendix B: Troubleshooting Audio Playback/Mixing
Appendix C: Removal Instructions

Important: The purpose of this guide is to make PulseAudio work smoothly with all applications, not to fix a system that does not play sound at all.
  • If you cannot get sound working under any circumstances, then you are probably suffering from a kernel or ALSA bug - this guide is not for you.
  • If you have a brand-new sound card that is not supported in ALSA, and you are using OSS v4 - this guide is not for you.
  • If you can get sound working in some applications but not others, or you find that audio mixing is broken - this guide is for you.
Which part(s) should I follow?
Part A is a required step, as it will enable proper PulseAudio support in most ALSA-aware applications.

Part B will install version 10 (beta) of Adobe's Flash plugin, as it has better compatibility with PulseAudio.

Part C is highly recommended if you notice a lot of stuttering audio in some applications. The settings proposed in this guide work well for my system, but you may need to do some manual tweaking to get the best results for your hardware.

Part D is an optional step that enables a system-wide audio equalizer (which can be customized using any LADSPA audio processing plugin). The settings provided in this guide are ideal for laptop users who notice poor quality audio playback using their built-in laptop speakers.

Appendix A gives application-specific notes, Appendix B helps troubleshoot audio playback/mixing issues, and Appendix C will revert all changes (just in case your system got screwed as a result of following this guide).

Note: Changes to PulseAudio will not take effect immediately! Please remember to log out and back in after you have completed all desired steps in this guide, or reboot if you are running an older kernel.

Part A: Core Fixes (bug #198453)
This section will adjust your PulseAudio setup to allow almost every ALSA-aware application to work properly with PulseAudio. If you do not complete this step, any ALSA applications without native PulseAudio support will block access to the sound card, preventing PulseAudio from using it simultaneously.

1. Backup important configuration files (don't worry if you see "no such file or directory" warnings):
Code:
$ mkdir ~/pulseaudio-backup; sudo mv ~/.asoundrc* /etc/asound.conf /etc/libao.conf ~/pulseaudio-backup/
2. Enable the "hardy-proposed" repository, as we need some updated packages with important fixes:
Code:
$ gksudo software-properties-gtk
Click on the "Updates" tab, enable the checkmark for "Pre-released updates (hardy-proposed)", and any other repositories you may be interested in. Click "Close", and then "Reload".

3. Install/upgrade the following packages necessary for proper PulseAudio functionality:

Code:
$ sudo apt-get install libasound2 libasound2-plugins libasound2-dev padevchooser swh-plugins libao-pulse libsdl1.2debian-pulseaudio ladspa-sdk
4. Create a new "/etc/libao.conf" file and change the default driver to "pulse", to ensure applications using the "libao" audio framework function correctly:
Code:
$ gksudo gedit /etc/libao.conf
Paste the following and save:
Code:
default_driver=pulse
5. Create a new "~/.asoundrc" file:
Code:
$ gedit ~/.asoundrc
To ensure ALSA applications pass sound to the PulseAudio server, paste the following text into the file and save:
Code:
pcm.!default {
type pulse
}

ctl.!default {
type pulse
}

pcm.pulse {
type pulse
}

ctl.pulse {
type pulse
}
6. As some packages may be unstable in the "hardy-proposed" repository, you may not want to upgrade all packages provided there. If you don't want to take the risk, go back to Software Sources (see point 2), uncheck the "Pre-release updates (hardy-proposed)" repository, clock "Close" and then choose to "Reload" the repository list. Otherwise, you can keep the repository enabled and perform an upgrade as usual.

Part B: Adobe Flash & PulseAudio Fix (bug #192888)
The latest stable version of Adobe Flash does not work very well in conjunction with PulseAudio. Although there are workarounds available (installing the packages "libflashsupport" and "nspluginwrapper"), Flash still has stability problems when configured to use PulseAudio. The latest Flash v10 beta release works correctly, however.

1. Make sure you don't have "libflashsupport" installed, as it can cause instability:
Code:
$ sudo apt-get remove libflashsupport
2. Download and install the beta "flashplugin-nonfree" package from Intrepid's repository:

i386:
Code:
$ wget http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/multiverse/f/flashplugin-nonfree/flashplugin-nonfree_10.0.1.218ubuntu1_i386.deb
$ sudo dpkg -i flashplugin-nonfree_10.0.1.218ubuntu1_i386.deb
amd64:
Code:
$ wget http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/multiverse/f/flashplugin-nonfree/flashplugin-nonfree_10.0.1.218ubuntu1_amd64.deb
$ sudo dpkg -i flashplugin-nonfree_10.0.1.218ubuntu1_amd64.deb
Important: Flash audio will not work properly if you skipped Part A

Original

Install Flash 9 on Ubuntu Hardy 64-bit

When I tried to install Adobe Flash for Firefox, the following error occured:

Your architecture, \’x86_64\’, is not supported by the Adobe Flash Player installer.

Googled a little bit ,and eventually solved the problem.

1. Get the Adobe flash :

wget http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/install_flash_player_9_linux.tar.gz

2. Untar

tar -xvzf ./install_flash_player_9_linux.tar.gz

3. Copy the libflashplayer.so file to your mozilla plugins folder.

cp install_flash_player_9_linux/libflashplayer.so ~/Firefox/plugins

4. Now the magic bullet kindly provided by Gwenole Beauchesne.
sudo aptitude install nspluginwrapper

nspluginwrapper -i ~/Firefox/plugins/libflashplayer.so


Ok, problem solved

40 Unusual Websites you should Bookmark [2]

    Top 10:

    1. beFunky - Awesome web app that turns images to cartoonized paintings and videos to cartoons.

    2. DisplayWars - Incredibly simple tool that helps lots of people. Want to buy a new screen? DisaplyWars lets you compare screen sizes by mapping one display size on top of the other. For smaller items see SizeEasy.

    3. DocSyncer - Synchronize office documents in your ‘My Documents’ folder with Google Docs account.

    4. JotYou - By using this service you can send messages to others so they get them only when they are in the area you specify. [Video]

    5. Keybr - Online keyboard to practice your touch typing skills.

    6. Mint - The simplest way to manage your finances. More about Mint.

    7. Numbr - Free disposable phone numbers.

    8. PDFHammer - Merge, edit and rearrange PDF documents online.

    9. PhoneSpell - Ever wondered if you phone number spells something memorable ? PhoneSpell will find it out.

    10. SecondRotation / BuyMyTronics - Want to cash in on your old iPod ? Or mobile phone ? Both of these services will buy your old (broken) gadget, regardless of its condition.

Other

    11. BeamIt - Send pictures, music, videos, docs or any other file to your cellphone.

    12. BooksInMyPhone - Download and read copyright-free books on a mobile phone. Comes with its own book reader.

    13. CallTheFuture - Schedule text messages and get them delivered (as a voicemail) on any desired date in the future.

    14. CameraSummary - Extracts so called EXIF data from the images. Shows what model of digicam was used, image creation date and time, resolution settings, location and so on.

    15. CanYouRunIt - One-click web app that inspects your PC’s hardware and software settings to determine whether or not it meets gaming requirements for a game of your choice.

    16. CellSwapper - Transfer your current mobile contract to someone else. Or get a free plan with only a short term contract.

    17. CivilAnswers - Free legal assistance.

    18. ControlC - This small cross-platform (Win, Mac, Linux) monitors your clipboard and saves everything online.

    19. Definr - Incredibly fast online dictionary. It takes abt 14 ms to lookup a word.

    20. Drop.io - By far the coolest service for private file collaboration and transfers. Add files by email, send voice messages from phone, etc.

    21. File-Destructor 2 - Generates files (Doc, PDF, … ) that look genuine but won’t launch properly. Basically, it’s a tool that helps you put all the blame on your “faulty computer”.

    22. File-encryptor - Secure encryption tool to freely encrypt/decrypt sensitive files online. Quite handy for sending over sensitive files.

    23. FlashPhone - Free flash-based SIP-softphone. Simply add your SIP account and you’re good to go. No need to install anything.

    24. Google Mobilizer - Makes your fav. websites mobile friendly. Must-have for your mobile bookmarks.

    25. GetMyFBIfile - Here you can generate letter templates that you can use to request for a free copy of your FBI file.

    26. LetterMeLater - Offers one feature that your email doesn’t have, ‘the ability to schedule when an email should be sent’. Coolest part about, you can use it directly from your email program (GMail, Outlook, etc.).

    27. Mailbucket - Finally, a tool to help you forward emails to your feedreader.

    28. Mobical - Over-the-air mobilebackup and restore service. Backup phone contacts, calendar, bookmarks and settings.

    29. MoDazzle - Access Facebook, LinkedIn and dozens of other web services (weather, stock quotes, etc.) via email or mobile text messaging. Update Facebook ’status’, get un-read messages from Facebook inbox, get someone’s profile info from LinkedIn, and lots more.

    30. Nanoscan - Super fast yet compehensive online virus scanner.

    31. OhDon’tForget - It does only one thing, but does it really well: Schedule text message reminders to any phone.

    32. ProQuo - Reduce junk mail by removing your personal data from telemarketing lists.

    33. PPCalc - Comprehensive Paypal fees calculator.

    34. Rondee - Fast, easy and free way to arrange phone conference calls with as many people as you want.

    35. SpokenText - Convert PDF, Word, plain text, PowerPoint files, ,RSS news feeds, emails and web pages to speech.

    36. Sullr - Obtain information about telephone lines in reverse mode. Get address, location, owner’s name etc.

    37. WakerUpper - Schedule wake-up phone calls. Lots of useful features.

    38. WebMarkers - Adds additional option to your ‘Print’ menu that lets you print documents (or webpages) directly to the web. [Screenshot]

    39. WhatShouldIReadNext - Book recommendation service. Simply enter the author and title of your latest book and it will give you a list of recommended readings.

    40. WorldTaxiMeter - Calculate the cost of a taxi ride in a number of top cities worldwide (London, New York, Rome …). Accessible both from the web and mobile phone.

40 Unusual Websites you should Bookmark

1. BugMeNot - instantly get disposable login details for any popular website that forces you to register.

2. DailyLit - read your favorite books by email (on your PC, mobile, etc.).

3. FranceRadio - neat MP3 Search Engine that lets you Find, Play and Download favorite MP3s for FREE.

4. Google SMS - provides mobile users with a quick access (via SMS) to a wide range of practical information and tools (i.e. business listings (pizzerias, shops, etc.), weather, movie listings, driving directions, currency converter and lots more.

5. Podlinez - listen to your favorite podcasts from any phone. Just enter the RSS feed URL for the desired podcast and get a free-toll number to access it from a phone.

6. RetailMeNot - locate fresh discount coupons for thousands of web merchants and services right from your browser toolbar. Video demo.

7. SoLow - on a daily basis SoLow auctions 4 different items (iPhones, HD Screens, etc.). Anyone with a mobile/PC can participate in the auctions by placing their bids via text-messaging. The user with the lowest unique bid wins the auction.

8. TeleFlip - auto-forward your emails to your cellphone as text messages. Video demo.

9. UrbanDictionary - hilarious (and practical) 100% user-maintained dictionary where users provide and vote on definitions for urban words (slangs).

10. Yak4Ever - make free international calls from US, UK and Ireland to 50+ countries.

=== Mobile - related ===

11. Bitbom - schedule free text message reminders to your phone. Schedule online or using mobile. (Similar PingMe.)

12. Flurry - follow up on your emails (send, receive) and receive latest articles from favorite blogs/websites on your mobile.

13. Foonz - place group calls and send messages to multiple people for free (from your mobile or any other phone).

14. GameJump - lots of free games for mobile phones.

15. GrandCentral - single phone number for all your phones and a web-based centralized voicemail system. (Similar: YouMail, GotVoice)

16. IQzone - post your classified ad to a number of online and print classified networks directly from your mobile.

17. Jott - simple and convenient service for leaving yourself notes and ToDo reminders using your mobile.

18. Mosio - text any question from your mobile phone and shortly receive up-to 4 answers.

19. mShopper - instantly check up on the bargain deals for any product (or even order) right from your mobile phone. Video demo.

20. NoPhoneTrees - simple phone directory that lists direct human access numbers to support employees in hundreds of companies.

21. Nutsie - takes a copy of your iTunes library file and creates an online copy of your library. Access this library from PC or mobile phone.

22. Google SendToPhone - forward anything you find on the web (maps, address, text, etc.) to any mobile phone for free (US only).

23. Qipit - take quick document pictures and turn them into properly formatted PDFs. Save online, email, or fax documents right from mobile.

24. Soonr - handy application that lets you access your PC remotely using your mobile or any other PC (work, school, etc.). Video demo.

25. TelePixie - quickly schedule and receive daily (or one time) wake up phone calls, reminders, weather forecast calls, jokes, and more.

26. TellMe - free local directory service for business listings (Car Repair Shops, Pizzerias, Restaurants, etc.), maps, and directions.

27. PhoneZoo - convert your MP3s to custom-length ringtones and forward them to your phone. Plus 1000s of free ringtones from other users.

=== Other ===

28. BossBitching - fun and active community where people can bit*h about their bosses anonymously.

29. eSnailer - send free postal mail letters (to anywhere in the US) right from the desktop. From Canada? Check out EasyPost.

30. Yapta - get a refund (or credit) from the airlines on a purchased ticket in case its price drops.

31. ListenToaMovie - lets you ‘listen to a movie’, i.e. stream the audio part of various movies and some TV-shows.

32. OpenDNS - provides a safer, faster, smarter and more reliable way to navigate the Internet. More details + video demo.

33. PodioBooks - search, subscribe and browse through a variety of totally free audio books (100% legal).

34. PriceProtectr - tracks the price of items you bought online and notifies in case of price-drops, so you can request a refund.

35. RateMyDrawings - excellent place to draw, share your drawing creations, learn to draw, and watch other people drawing. Video demo

36. SwitchPlanet - cool and active marketplace where you can switch (or trade) used DVDs, CDs, Video Games and Books. Video demos.

37. Scribd- search, browse, rate, share various types of documents (jokes, facts, stories etc.). It’s like Youtube for text documents.

38. ViaTalk - make up-to 10 minutes long free phone calls to anywhere in the US and Canada. You don’t even need to sign-up.

39. VideoSift - popular Digg-like voting community for user-submitted videos.

40. Wordie - make lists of words (words you love, words you hate, or whatever) and share them with others.

Building Wine on Ubuntu / Kubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron)

Building Wine on Ubuntu / Kubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron)

The build dependencies in the released Wine package should be almost all you need

sudo apt-get build-dep wine

On Debian you may need to add some more, or run the build-dep command after adding the AptRepository.

Wine's configure requires .so links, and for some reason Ubuntu 64 bit doesn't make .so links for the 32 bit libraries. Accordingly, to avoid missing libraries and compile smoothly you'll have to do some linking by hand.

You can make these links in a temporary folder within the wine tree.

mkdir -p `pwd`/lib32
ln -s /usr/lib32/libX11.so.6 `pwd`/lib32/libX11.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libXext.so.6 `pwd`/lib32/libXext.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libfreetype.so.6 `pwd`/lib32/libfreetype.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libfontconfig.so.1 `pwd`/lib32/libfontconfig.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libGL.so.1 `pwd`/lib32/libGL.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libGLU.so.1 `pwd`/lib32/libGLU.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libXrender.so.1 `pwd`/lib32/libXrender.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libXinerama.so.1 `pwd`/lib32/libXinerama.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libXxf86vm.so.1 `pwd`/lib32/libXxf86vm.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libXi.so.6 `pwd`/lib32/libXi.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libXrandr.so.2 `pwd`/lib32/libXrandr.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/liblcms.so.1 `pwd`/lib32/liblcms.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libpng12.so.0 `pwd`/lib32/libpng.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libcrypto.so.0.9.8 `pwd`/lib32/libcrypto.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libssl.so.0.9.8 `pwd`/lib32/libssl.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libxml2.so.2 `pwd`/lib32/libxml2.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libjpeg.so.62 `pwd`/lib32/libjpeg.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libXcomposite.so.1 `pwd`/lib32/libXcomposite.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libcups.so.2 `pwd`/lib32/libcups.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libXcursor.so.1 `pwd`/lib32/libXcursor.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libdbus-1.so.3 `pwd`/lib32/libdbus-1.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libhal.so.1 `pwd`/lib32/libhal.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libsane.so.1 `pwd`/lib32/libsane.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libgphoto2.so.2 `pwd`/lib32/libgphoto2.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libgphoto2_port.so.0 `pwd`/lib32/libgphoto2_port.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libldap-2.4.so.2 `pwd`/lib32/libldap.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libldap_r-2.4.so.2 `pwd`/lib32/libldap_r.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/liblber-2.4.so.2 `pwd`/lib32/liblber.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libxslt.so.1 `pwd`/lib32/libxslt.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libcapi20.so.3 `pwd`/lib32/libcapi20.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libjack.so.0 `pwd`/lib32/libjack.so
ln -s /usr/lib32/libodbc.so.1 `pwd`/lib32/libodbc.so

It is ok if you delete this directory after compiling Wine (configure is linking to the real libs, not the symlinks we just made)

Run configure, build and install with:

CC="gcc-4.2 -m32" LDFLAGS="-L/lib32 -L/usr/lib32 -L`pwd`/lib32 -Wl,-rpath,/lib32 -Wl,-rpath,/usr/lib32" ./configure -v
make
sudo make install

If all needed libraries are present there will be no missing-library warnings or errors anywhere. If you find that this process misses a library, then it means we are either missing a link or the ia32-libs package is missing the 32 bit version of the library. In either case, contact the Ubuntu package maintainer, Scott Ritchie, so things can be fixed.

We explicitly set CC="gcc-4.2 -m32", although gcc 4.2 is the default now. You can use another to test differences - see our page on GccVersions

If sound doesn't work for you, try using pasuspender and testing your sound with the ALSA driver.

pasuspender winecfg

You can launch applications similarly:

pasuspender wine app.exe

ORIGINAL

Install Ubuntu from HarkDisk


UNetbootin - The Universal Netboot Installer



Introduction

UNetbootin allows for the installation of various Linux/BSD distributions to a partition or USB drive, so it's no different from a standard install, only it doesn't need a CD. It can create a dual-boot install, or replace the existing OS entirely.

Requirements

  • Microsoft Windows 2000-Vista, or Linux, or a USB Drive.
  • A broadband internet connection to download the distribution packages (unless installing from pre-downloaded media, see below)
  • Spare hard drive space to install the OS in (varies depending on distribution)

Features

UNetbootin can install to your local hard disk or make a bootable liveUSB drive. It can also load floppy/hard disk images, or kernel/initrds, or (some) ISO (CD image) files, for installing other distributions.

screenshot
The current version has built-in support for the following distributions:


UNetbootin can also be used to load various system utilities, including:

  • Parted Magic, a partition manager that can resize, repair, backup, and restore partitions.
  • Super Grub Disk, a boot utility that can restore and repair overwritten and misconfigured GRUB installs or directly boot various operating systems
  • Gujin, a graphical bootloader that can also be used to boot various operating systems and media.
  • Smart Boot Manager (SBM), which can boot off CD-ROM and floppy drives on computers with a faulty BIOS.
  • FreeDOS, which can run BIOS flash and other legacy DOS utilities.

Installation & Screenshots

Before installing, remember to back up all your data, in case you do something wrong in the partitioning stage of the installer.

  1. If using Windows, run the file, select a distribution, floppy/hard disk image, or kernel/initrd to load, select a target drive (HDD/USB), then reboot once done.

    screenshot

  2. If using Linux, make the file executable (using either the command chmod +x ./unetbootin-linux, or going to Properties->Permissions and checking "Execute"), then start the application, you will be prompted for your password to grant the application administrative rights, then the main dialog will appear, where you select a distribution and install target (Hard Disk or USB Drive), then reboot when prompted.

    screenshot

    screenshot

  3. After rebooting, select the UNetbootin entry from the menu list as the system boots up.

  4. Then, follow the installation instructions provided for specific distributions further below, and wait as the packages are downloaded and installed. This portion of the installation can take up to several hours, depending on your connection speed and the amount of packages you install, so be patient.
  5. Reboot, and select your newly installed GNU/Linux system to run.

Removal Instructions

If using Windows, UNetbootin should prompt you to remove it the next time you boot into Windows. Alternatively, you can remove it via Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel.

If using Linux, re-run the UNetbootin executable (with root priveledges), and press OK when prompted to uninstall.

Removal is only required if you used the "Hard Drive" installation mode; to remove the bootloader from a USB drive, back up its contents and reformat it.

Uninstalling UNetbootin simply removes the UNetbootin entry from your boot menu; if you installed an operating system to a partition using UNetbootin, removing UNetbootin will not remove the OS.

To manually remove a Linux installation, you will have to restore the Windows bootloader using "fixmbr" from a recovery CD, and use Parted Magic to delete the Linux partition and expand the Windows partition.

Installing Other Distributions Using UNetbootin

Download and run UNetbootin, then supply it with the appropriate floppy/hard disk image, ISO (CD image) file, or kernel and initrd files when prompted (see screenshot). Check your distribution's FTP mirrors to find these files. If special booting options and parameters are required for the kernel, and you're using Manual mode, check the distribution's boot configuration files (usually after the "kernel" line in either isolinux.cfg, syslinux.cfg, menu.lst, or grub.conf) and supply them on the "Option" line.


screenshot

Censor Bar Art

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