sound freezes while in console

[LoonyPhoenix]

Binary package hint: pulseaudio

When music is playing and I switch to the console (ctrl + alt + F1) the music freezes until I return to gnome. This doesn't happen if I use alsa output. Moreover, in the console mplayer refuses to play audio unless I specify a different -ao argument. I think this is a bug.

1) I'm using Ubuntu 8.04, installed cleanly, without upgrading from Gutsy.
2) pulseaudio version: 0.9.10-1ubuntu1
3) I expect music to work even when GNOME is in the background
4) It freezes

[Michael Nagel (nailor)]

i can confirm this. playback stops when changing the user (without loggin out the user that plays music), too.

this is a regression compared to how things worked with alsa

[Alecz20 (alexguzu)]

Could this be by design? I know in Gutsy it works as you guy say. But this can also have undesirable effects on some users.

[LoonyPhoenix (loonyphoenix)]

Like what? How can missing functionality have desirable effects?

[Luke Yelavich (themuso)]

I don't know any more than that it is something to do with PulseAudio and Console Kit.

[Alecz20 (alexguzu)]

Undesirable case:
User 1 logs in and starts playing music, then leaves the computer (locked screen).
User 2 switches to their account, but don't want to hear music because they want to watch a movie. They have no control of the sounds coming from user 1.

I do like the fact that in Gutsy you can have music in console, but maybe the Ubuntu developers have a different opinion.

[LoonyPhoenix (loonyphoenix)]

Oh... that may indeed be true. Still, I think there are better ways to solve this problem than disabling the sound altogether. And I do think this wasn't intentional.

[krul (krul)]

I can confirm this. And it is pretty annoying.

See also here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pulseaudio/+bug/213149
But the proposed workaround is not working for me :(

[Juaco (kankito)]

I've applied the workaround above with success. I can switch to consoles 1-6 and the sound keeps playing. I've used the Policykit technique.

Nevertheless, i think the default should be the "common" behavior. May i add how much i hate morons who instantly justify every *non desired* behavior on ubuntu systems. What are you, devs wives??? This can be rightfully be considered as a BUG in the distro.