epiphany and Firefox core dump with pulseaudio and flash

[Rich]

Binary package hint: pulseaudio

If I use epiphany or Firefox while I have a system-wide instance of PulseAudio running, I experience normal performance...until I try to visit a site which uses Flash and wants to play sound.

At that point, Firefox or Epiphany core dump, and if they were running in terminal, they print this:

$ epiphany
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
main.c: WARNING: called SUID root, but not in group 'pulse-rt'.
epiphany: pcm_params.c:2351: sndrv_pcm_hw_params: Assertion `err >= 0' failed.
Aborted (core dumped)

My user is in pulse-rt. This is with the libflashplayer unofficial pulseaudio package installed.

If I set the environment variable FLASH_FORCE_PULSEAUDIO to 1 and run it, the behavior changes:
$ epiphany
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
Segmentation fault (core dumped)

If I set the environment variable FLASH_AUDIODEBUG to 1 as well, it...functions perfectly, and outputs thus:
$ epiphany
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
** Message: GetValue variable 1 (1)
** Message: GetValue variable 2 (2)
Flash sound output detection routine.
(c) 2006 Revolution Linux inc,
Jean-Michel Dault <email address hidden>
ESD socket found
ALSA device detected
OSS device present
Forcing PulseAudio
audiodrivers=128
Trying PULSE
Called FPX_SoundOutput_Open
Opened Pulse
ptr=144430152
Using PulseAudio driver

I cannot figure out where, if anywhere, the core dumps have been generated, so I cannot attach them.

[Asheesh Laroia (paulproteus)]

Are you using libflashsupport? If so, which libflashsupport are you using, and where did you get it?

Is there some way to use pulseaudio without libflashsupport? If so, have you tried that?

[Rich (rincebrain)]

I am using libflashsupport. The package in question was downloaded from http://pulseaudio.vdbonline.net/libflashsupport/, linked from pulseaudio.org's wiki.

It is my understanding that it is not feasible to use pulseaudio with Flash without this package with any expectation that it will work properly.

I just noticed that the debs provided there are an old revision (...probably) - I'll try making a package out of latest SVN and report back.

[Rich (rincebrain)]

Problem is fixed with latest SVN of libflashsupport, which is newer than the packages offered at the URL in the above comment.

[Stefan Sauer (ensonic)]

Rich, are your debs available somewhere?

[Rich (rincebrain)]

My packages and associated bits can be found at rercola.acm.jhu.edu/packages/libflashsupport

They're rather hackish, from memory. Any improvements or recommendations on how to improve them, let me know!

[Jan Claeys (janc)]

Rich, are those based on Lennart Poetering's branch/fork of 'libflashsupport'? (Lennart is PulseAudio's author)

[Rich (rincebrain)]

I don't really think so - they're SVN from https://svn.revolutionlinux.com/MILLE/XTERM/trunk/libflashsupport/src, which is just plain-jane original libflashsupport.

If http://git.0pointer.de is the fork in question, I'll dig around and throw the useful patches into my builds and packages.

[Jan Claeys (janc)]

Yes, see http://pulseaudio.org/wiki/PerfectSetup#FlashPlayer9 where he points to http://git.0pointer.de/?p=libflashsupport.git;a=summary