Re: esd just won't let me play games

["Smith, Nathan A., Capt. SMC/TEL" <Nathan Smith comanche plk af mil>]

Thanks everyone for all the comments, 

However, I am still having all kinds of trouble.  I ran several differnet
test and had the following things of note (I started esd with 'esd' and 'esd
-as 2 -nobeeps'):

1.  fuser -v /dev/dsp (Ian you were correct) -- returns nothing.  Even when
esd is up and running 'correctly' it continues to show nothing using it.

2.  GTCD runs correctly with esd up and running.  Funny thing fuser -v
/dev/dsp still shows nothing!!!
 		--- Really strange thing is programs like extace, vumeter,
and the sound-applet don't show
			 anything either.  I mean the programs start up and
run correctly (I ran them with DDD 
			 running and got no errors), but they don't light up
as would be expected (gtcd is still			 running -- playing
BoyzIIMen).

3. Killing esd (killall esd) doesn't release the /dev/dsp device.  This
could be verified by killing esd and then trying to restart it.  It fails
complaining about /dev/dsp not being available.

4.  If I start esd and then suspend it I can get some games to work -- well
that is for a little while.  After a little bit the /dev/dsp device becomes
(as best as I can tell) locked and I don't get sound anymore

5.  On the previous note:  If I suspend esd (not kill it) and try to restart
it most times it will not do so.

6.  combinations like esddsp <program>, esdctl on/off, etc just don't work.

So, what I would like to know is How do I trouble shoot this?  What things
should I be doing to debug my setup and/or esound?  I appreciate any
suggestions I could get.

Here is my earlier post for reference:

Hi, 

I have a question about using esd.  I have read some of the earlier post
about using esd with an esd unaware program.  I have tried the "program |
esdcat", "esdcat > program", etc combinations in an attempt to get programs
(well actually games) to work correctly.  Programs such as Quake, Maelstrom,
Xgal, etc refuse to work correctly with esd.  To make matters worse - once I
start the esd program it will not release /dev/dsp.  This is true even if I
suspend or out right kill esd.  So my questions are:

1.  How do I get games to work with esd?

2.  If that is not possible, what is the proper way to get the /dev/dsp
device released?

3.  How can I confirm that the device is released?  I have seen a command
that tells what program is using a device, but I have lost that information
somewhere.

4.  I have been using the sound-applet (nice applet), it though has trouble
restarting esd after I have 'suspended esd'.  (I question if esd is
suspended as the /dev/dsp device is never released)

Thanks in advance for any assistance. 

BTW:  I am running enlightenment 15.4 with gnome (all the latest versions)
on a redhat 5.0 system (with all the necessary packages upgraded) run on a
AMD K6-2 266 with 96 megs of memory.


Nathan




Nathan Alonzo Smith