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Mandriva Appeals to Users for Bookend Audio Bits

Mandriva announced it is holding a contest for the best startup and logoff music for Mandriva 2007. The winner gets to have their sound as part of the new release. Technical lead Romain D'Alverny told Newsforge some of the philosophy behind the contest.

42 comments

  1. nothing to hear here... by advocate_one · · Score: 2, Funny

    please move along...;)

    --
    Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
  2. A 100% hit! by nitio · · Score: 3, Funny

    C:\WINDOWS\Sounds\Startup.wav

    --
    http://stoploudness.org/
    1. Re:A 100% hit! by Penguin+Programmer · · Score: 1

      This file path is Copyright (c) 1995 Microsoft Corporation, All Rights Reserved. Posting said file path on the internet without prior permission from Microsoft Corporation or its officers is a violation of your End User License Agreement and will be considered breach of contract. You will be hearing from our lawyers and hired goons shortly.

      With Love and Chairs,
      Steve Ballmer

  3. do the obvious by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 1

    I don't see why they don't just throw 10 or 15 million bucks at Brian Eno to create some nice sounds for them...

    --
    This guy's the limit!
    1. Re:do the obvious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well it didn't work for Rise of the Robots (man, what a crappy game!)

  4. The point being? by dubmun · · Score: 3, Interesting
    People who may be interested in such a contest may not even be Linux users.
    I think that most of the entries will come from people with at least SOME experience with Linux. It seems to me that most people who are interested in contributing to Linux distros are USING one. Correct me if I'm wrong.

    That said, I'm interested to see what they come up with.
    --
    (end of post)
    1. Re:The point being? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nonsense, I've been coding for KDE for six years, I never use the damn thing.

  5. As a long-time Mandriva user... by Leomania · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ... I just want to know if they're going to finally fix the cutting off of the shutdown sound. As either Gnome or KDE exits, it seems no effort was made to be sure the sound had finished playing before turning off the sound service. Somehow that was never an issue in Knoppix, which always managed to finish that longish "Initiating shutdown sequence" clip during KDE shutdown.

    Such a minor thing, but so noticeable.

    --
    You don't use science to show that you're right, you use science to become right.
    1. Re:As a long-time Mandriva user... by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 5, Funny

      You're used to waiting for Windows to shut down, which is enough time to play Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

      --
      No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
    2. Re:As a long-time Mandriva user... by Hormonal · · Score: 1

      Twice.

    3. Re:As a long-time Mandriva user... by reanjr · · Score: 1

      Takes Linux just as much time to shutdown as Windows (even a little more in some cases). The difference is, Linux shuts down the sound and graphics early, while Windows waits on them.

    4. Re:As a long-time Mandriva user... by Ash-Fox · · Score: 2, Informative
      Takes Linux just as much time to shutdown as Windows (even a little more in some cases). The difference is, Linux shuts down the sound and graphics early, while Windows waits on them.

      On my laptop:

      Fresh install of Windows XP SP2:
      Hangs on 'closing network connections' for quite a while, the entire shutdown was timed to take (mm:ss), 02:14.

      Fresh install of Mandriva Linux with SoS, PLF repositories:
      Shutting down the system from KDE. There was no visible hanging anywhere, it took (mm:ss) 00:11.
      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
  6. No Prize by tkg · · Score: 5, Insightful

    FTFA:
    "There will be no cash or any other kind of prize for the winners, except for a hearty thanks from Mandriva..."

    Why not at least offer a lifetime Gold club membership for the winner and a Tee shirt or something for the runners up. A "hearty thanks", for someone's creative work, even if it is only a couple of 5 second clips, seems almost insulting.

  7. Silence by Framboise · · Score: 1

    I have always found these sounds stupid and boring on the long run.

  8. Whats up with the Gnome logon/out sounds? by stratjakt · · Score: 2

    They sound like my first attempts at making sound with my Commodore 64 when I was 8.

    --
    I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  9. I'm gonna win... by goodEvans · · Score: 4, Funny

    Father Jack style!

    Login: Arse! Drink! Girls! Feck!
    Shutdown: Feck off!

    1. Re:I'm gonna win... by infosec_spaz · · Score: 1

      L O - mutherfecking - L!!

      --
      ----- I have bad karma for a reason! -----
    2. Re:I'm gonna win... by ErroneousBee · · Score: 1
      And one for Windows startup...

      Dont't tell me I'm still on that fecking OS?

      --
      **TODO** Steal someone elses sig.
    3. Re:I'm gonna win... by goodEvans · · Score: 1

      That would be an ecumenical matter.

  10. Progressive rock by kimvette · · Score: 2, Interesting

    My vote would be for excerpts from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstellar_Overdriv e :)

    --
    The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
    1. Re:Progressive rock by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My vote is for quotes from Shodan of System Shock fame.

      The german audio was cool too!

      "God: the title suits me well."

  11. Thats great by matt328 · · Score: 5, Funny

    now if I could only get my damn sound card to work in linux.

    --
    Check out the cave on the east side of lake Hylia. Strange and wonderful things live in it.
  12. Re:Thats great - Wow, you admit your incompetence by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow, you admit your ineptitude to all these Slashdoters?
    Sound Cards are easy nowadays.

  13. Yes Prize by Bob+Cat+-+NYMPHS · · Score: 3, Informative

    At LEAST 1k Euros worth... http://corp.mandriva.com/webteam/soundsubmit/rules / Prize The winner may choose one of the following two prizes: A life membership of the Mandriva Club, Silver level; A copy of Mandriva Linux PowerPack+ 2007, a GlobeTrotter 2.0, and an Archos Pocket Media Assistant PMA400.

    1. Re:Yes Prize by tkg · · Score: 1

      Well, that certanly makes more sense. I tried that link earlier and it went to an empty page. Apparently the author of the article was given bad information, or perhaps Mandriva is reading Slashdot. ;o)

  14. if not multitask then "none" by pizpot · · Score: 1

    If you have to wait while the sounds are played, then the only answer can be "no sound".

  15. Re:Thats great - Wow, you admit your incompetence by Bambi+Dee · · Score: 1
    Me too, me too! Admitting my ineptitude, that is, to all these Slashdotters (who I'm sure care a lot) ;)

    Sound Cards are easy nowadays.
    Mine isn't. I'm tired of attempting to follow totally unrelated HOWTOs about ALSA, ESD, arts, OSS, JACK, portaudio, Audacity, LADSPA, Ardour and whatnot without ever making any progress because the ALSA soundcard matrix didn't mention that anything I'd record would sound like Darth Vader on helium. And while I'm too bloody incompetent to know why - I'm really not alone with soundcard issues.
  16. Agreed; Silence is Golden. by Kadin2048 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm with you there. I don't know why a computer needs a shut-down sound; it always struck me as a stupid Windows thing, something they tossed in there to amuse people while they were watching the "Windows is shutting down" screen.

    When I tell my computer to shut down, the only thing I want to hear is the fans going quiet, and I want to hear that as quickly as possible.

    I'm a little more open to the idea of startup sound effects, but only if they serve some sort of purpose. The Mac always gave its startup chime as part of its self-test routine, as a confirmation that the hardware was good. So if you got the chime and then the system refused to boot, you knew it was a software issue and not hardware. Even if your video card was bad or blown, or you didn't have a monitor plugged in. (Which is incidentally handy if you're ever buying a used system at a trade show or something.) There are some HP workstations which will even play a diagnostic tone on startup if they've gone bad, which you can play into a telephone to a tech support rep, and they will decode to tell you what's FUBARed.

    I might even be convinced that playing a sound once the OS's GUI is started and it's ready for user input is useful, since it's a good way to tell the user "okay, I'm here, ready to go!", but this necessitates making sure that playing the sound is the ABSOLUTE LAST thing that happens in the startup sequence. If that's the purpose of the sound, I don't want to walk over to the computer upon hearing it, and still have it churning away on some part of the boot sequence, or loading the GUI.

    I think the Mandriva people, as well as anyone else involved in designing an OS, should sit down and think about what purpose exactly these sounds serve, and make sure they're doing their jobs, before they invest a lot of time -- either their own or somebody else's -- in making it pretty. If they're serving a legitimate function, by all means then make them pretty and polished. But I'd rather lose the excess noise if they're not functional.

    --
    "Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
    1. Re:Agreed; Silence is Golden. by bfree · · Score: 1

      If you have a startup sound then you are far less likely to suddenly be blasted out of it by some random noises your computer is inspired to make. That startup sound both tells you that your soundcard and speakers are working as well as reminding you what volume you have left them at.

      As for a shutdown noise, as long as it is fed out to play away without interupting the speedy shutdown of your machine what does it matter? You could argue that here it also serves to remind you what volume you are leaving the speakers at for the next person to boot it up.

      Then of course there are the implications for people with sight problems to whom these noises are probably far more useful.

      --

      Never underestimate the dark side of the Source

    2. Re:Agreed; Silence is Golden. by Robmonster · · Score: 1

      My Asus motherboard (forget the model number right now..) will play sound clips from its internal audio if something goes terribly wrong during boot time. It will tell you which piece of hardware it thinks is faulty.

      The best thing is that you can upload your own sounds into the BIOS to give those error messages extra meaning.

      --
      I have no sig yet I must scream.
  17. Cool... by Sir_Lewk · · Score: 1

    too bad my daughter-board is fried, including my sound card.

    --
    "linux is just DOS with a UNIX like syntax" -- Galactic Dominator (944134)
  18. Startup/Shutdown sounds? by whimmel · · Score: 1

    The only time I shut down my computer is when the UPS runs out of juice.

    I find event sounds annoying. At least events that I know I initiated. I'd rather have audio notifications of events I wouldn't otherwise be aware of. Like mod points or something

    --
    Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
  19. Re:Thats great - Wow, you admit your incompetence by name773 · · Score: 1

    the recording sample rate is mismatched. i had the same trouble with playback.

    i just set up a linux comp for my dad and did not bother with the sound because i don't know modules very well, or what packages to pick for alsa. it used to be worse though, especially in the transfer phase from oss to alsa.

  20. Misleading Headline! by Deadguy2322 · · Score: 0

    Mandriva doesn't appeal to me in the slightest!!!

    --
    Check out my foes list to see who is so retarded that they can't use the signature line!!!
  21. Startup VOLUME! by dave_f1m · · Score: 1

    How do I get the startup volume to be a little (LOT) quieter. I don't want to have to adjust the volume on my amp constantly, so I have it set rather high (to where it sounds best) and adjust the volume with the apps (kmix or whatever). However, whenever KDE starts up, it blasts that noise so loud it clips the amp massively. How do I change that?

  22. How about the sound of one hand claping? by Browzer · · Score: 0

    That is the sound scheme I use on all of my OSes.

  23. Why only one winner by BoaZaur · · Score: 1

    I don't get it, why don't they include, say the top 10 sounds, and let us users choose the one we like?

    Free Life
    Boaz

    1. Re:Why only one winner by advid.net · · Score: 1
      They need one default startup/shutdown sound for their default theme, the one we got after installation.
      Or they keep spare prices for some background contest.

      Anyway, packaging the 10 best sounds of the contest in Mandriva 2007 is a good idea we should suggest.

    2. Re:Why only one winner by TeknoHog · · Score: 1

      TFA says they are going to publish all entries. I presume you can use any sound file you like, it's just that the winner will be used as the default.

      --
      Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
  24. Re:Thats great - Wow, you admit your incompetence by matt328 · · Score: 1

    feigning ineptitude (to mask laziness) is usually the quickest way to get 1000 'how to' posts. The quickest way to learn to do something is to claim its impossible on slashdot.

    --
    Check out the cave on the east side of lake Hylia. Strange and wonderful things live in it.