It's pretty ironic to have problems with audio not recognizing headphones... on WINDOWS.
Multi-trillion (10^12) dollar company, btw.
(Both laptops are reasonably new.)
Linux audio issues were common during the transition to PulseAudio, but that was almost 20 years ago now.
I was about to say... Maybe I've just been lucky, but I haven't had the slightest issue with Linux audio. Ever.
And they continued until the transition to Pipewire.
I've been using Linux as my main operating system since 2010 and can't recall having any audio issues. My desktop has 5 sound cards and they all work fine. I don't use bluethooth for audio, so I guess that makes things easier.
Bluetooth have been kinda crap but also HDMI audio devices have been buggy. Analog in/out (3.5mm) has always worked for me.
HDMI audio depends on a proprietary license. The Linux drivers for it are, predictably, less robust.
First I tried Ubuntu. Then I tried Mint.
Two years later, still on Mint. It works, it doesn't spy on me, I'm good.
Work requires Ubuntu. Still with Kubuntu. Works, doesn't spy on me.
Brothers.
Debian, both at work and home.
Kids, you're doing alright.
When you want to route your audio a certain way (let’s say audio recording/production or such)
Windows: oh sure, you just gotta download a shitty proprietary driver/program, get that to talk to your daw and from there on it’s…let’s hope it does what you wanna do.
Linux: You want routing options? Have some …(ALL the options)
As someone that is using RTP to send audio from and to different Linux computers, this is unfortunately an option that is getting more difficult to use as time passes. A few years ago when pulseaudio was dominating, it was trivial to just tick a few boxes, enable RTP, see a lit of devices in pasystray, and choose it with a few clicks. Now since pipewire, this is no longer possible. Sure, RTP still works, but using the command line is now mandatory, as all the GUI options have disappeared.
I still find myself reinstalling pulseaudio on most of my computers running Linux because I need RTP audio and it's disappointing that it's getting harder and harder to get it to work on Linux.
I'm not sure if this is what you're talking about, but win11 can control both input and output per application.
I often route my Pandora audio through my stereo while my default/games go through my computer speakers (or sometimes my headphones)
Oh that’s a given, I’m talking about routing a signal through several pieces of hardware and/or software in a particular way.
For example: the drummer needs to hear a clicktrack and the bass, while the choir needs to hear the orchestra/themselves separate (and they want a little reverb). (Now take this and apply it to everyone on stage)
These kind of situations can get very complex and can get very high stakes.
For those matters in windows you rely on the software that comes with your hardware. Problem is those don’t always play nice together. Or they simply don’t offer the particular situation you need.
In Linux you can do anything you want. So much so that it sometimes adds unto the complexity.
PipeWire (written by Wim Taymans) did a lot of good for the Linux distro ecosystem when it comes to audio.
My "win11" work laptop that used to have win10: "you guys can produce audio?"
On Windows audio cuts out every so often.
Also an update broke a driver a bit ago and I had to edit the registry to fix it.
Linux is my comfort OS, everything just works.
Linux is my comfort OS, everything just works.
This exactly!
People who remember trying Linux 20 years ago look at me like I'm crazy. But Linux is so cozy, now!
The fun part about windows is you don’t know if it’s breaking because of the coke code from the 80’s or the vibe code from the ‘20s.
You forgot the Ballmer Peak code from the 00's
Oh, yeah, cocaïne fuelled developers bouncing around. I'd forgotten about those.
Developers Developers Developers Developers
Yeah, but does your half-assed linux install come with the incredibly useful NoPilot? Huh?
Checkmate, linux nerds!
does your half-assed linux install come with the incredibly useful NoPilot?
Nope. If for some incredibly bonkers reason I actually wanted to use it, I'd have to actually -- gasp! -- go to a website and talk to it through a website interface, rather than an interface directly integrated into every goddamn app on my own computer. That's like ... two, maybe even three extra clicks!
(Seriously, though. If for some reason I wanted to talk to a chatbot, I could do that on the chatbot's website. Why do I need it to be integrated into fucking Notepad?)
Why do I need it to be integrated into fucking Notepad?
The rate at which every security practice is being torn down for the sake of clankers is giving me suicidal tendencies. Surely you will not regret giving the token-based randomness machine root access!
And don't worry, the mega-corp that has constantly lied about things in the past promises that all the data from the integrated app that gets sent back to company HQ only gets used for training better chatbots (probably) (maybe) (possibly) (unless it's, like really good blackmail material). And every single thing you've ever typed into Notepad surely isn't just sitting there on a company server, waiting for a subpoena from an increasingly authoritarian government to gain access to...
(And, of course, that program you coded in Notepad? The fact that it was used to train Microsoft's next chatbot, which then went on to magically write code strikingly similar to yours to be integrated into the next Microslop project without notifying or compensating you in any way ... purely coincidental, of course. It's not stealing -- it's training. Running it through a chatbot first magically removes all copyright protection from your code.)
i'm just amazed that under w10 i was able to change my audio output device without issues meanwhile in w11 after digging into the taskbar you pick an audio output and IT DOESNT DO SHIT IT DOESNT CHANGE AT ALL YOU HAVE TO CHANGE IT BACK AND FORTH UNTIL THE SPIRIT OF WINDOWS ELEVEN DECIDES YOU ARE WORTHY
I wish I could fix my audio issues with Retroarch on SteamOS, I can't get any audio to play even in the menus for RetroArch TT_TT
To be fair, a lot of bluetooth headphone problems i had on my work laptop was just microsoft teams.
LOL Yeah, I mean Linux has always had audio problems, but I find that I can solve Linux related ones mine faster than on Windows (when I used that garbage). The time it took grew smaller as my knowledge grew. Pulseaudio will randomly shit the bed and take Alsa with it. So about three terminal commands and 5 minutes later my sound is often repaired. It is weird that a billions of dollars sort of company can't get that shit right or make it a speedy fix at the very least. The troubleshooting tool would take fucking forever and often shit the bed. Touching the Powershell was cursed, but Linux made the terminal a blessed experience!
I did IT for my company on the side of my job for a year or two.
Prolific problem where windows would disable the microphone but every single "windows tool" said it was working perfectly fine except teams would say it was not available.
The only possible fix that someone on the internet found was to download an old sketchy file from a 3rd party source for an archived version of their "pre-help-assistant AI slop" audio troubleshooter, and run that and it would immediately say "oh, it is disabled, let me re-enable it for you"
Even though every tool, setting, and even registry said it was enabled.
Microsoft has the worst audio.
Uh huh uh huh uh huh... call me when ALSAmixer is no longer needed to unmute the TOSLINK output on a new install because who the fuck knows why it's muted by default in ALSA and that setting is not surfaced anywhere in the UI.
I would make fun of you for using toslink but eARC is such a scam that I don't know why they didn't just bother to upgrade toslink anyway.
I think they're lying when they say it can't handle the bandwidth. It's a fricken fiber optic cable, just bump the transmitter.
Linux revoked my mic permissions in the middle of a call today, on Google Meet. Happened before on Zoom.
I have not root-caused it to see if there was flaky hardware or what.
Ok, this prompted me to root-cause the issue. A bad cable between laptop and USB dock seems most likely. Hardware issue, not Linux!
Simping pipe wire ... That's a choice.
I'm simping pipewire all day, that shit works flawless and is a godsend after years of pulse.
Yeah, Pipewire is pretty great IMO.
People love to go "you hate on Systemd/Wayland? you just HATE PROGRESS!!", but like, no, new stuff itself isn't the problem and this proves that. Pipewire doesn't seem to be all that controversial, I don't really see anyone hating on it, or people going "YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT IT!!!".
-- Frost
Hint: :q!
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