Bug#709658: #709658 - gnome-session-common: System beep ceased to work

[Michael Tokarev]

On Thu, 15 May 2014 20:06:26 +0100 althaser <althaser at gmail.com> wrote:
> version: 3.4.2.1-4
> 
> I'm closing this bug now since it seems to be fine.
> 
> If you can still reproduce it feel free to reopen and provide more info.

I'm sorry but I fail to see how it is "fine" if the problem actually
exists and affects many people.

The prob is that gnome disables pc-speaker.  For a long time.  There was
a code in metacity to catch system bell event and redirects it elsewhere
(which does not work), for example,
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pulseaudio/+bug/486154 and
a lot of other places.

I do hear sounds in gnome-control-center in "sound" panel, when I turn
on the external speakers.

But the traditional X11 bell does not work.  And ofcourse it does not
work when the speakers are turned off.

While my system is equipped with a built-in pc speker which works everywhere
except when gnome is loaded.  THIS is what I'd want to be fixed, -- the
built-in, not requiring any additional hardware, device to restore its
traditional, the only purpose it is included.  And unfortunately this
can't be fixed by tweaking control knobs in control center, at least I
wasn't able to find the way to fix it.  Gnome just should stop catching
the bell even (which it clearly does, becaue xset b does not work once
gnome is loaded).

Before, I had to patch metacity and disable the idiotic bell redirection.
Now I haven't figured out yet what to patch.

But this whole thing is really idiotic.  We have a well-working device,
whish is pc-speaker (at least on 99.9% of all desktops -- laptops is a
different thing).  Now gnome breaks this device "because it is better
for the user", yeah, sure, replacing a working system with a non-working
one.  Like, we stop providing drivers for all video cards but one, and
once people start complaing we say, "just buy a video card from this
vendor, it is still supported".  Thank you very much.

I'm really sorry for this harsh tone.  But I really tired of finding
variuos tricky ways to get my bell back each time debian makes new
release.  Things are getting more and more tricker.

Thanks,

/mjt